As you walk into some dingy local bar with rather dubious-looking girls lurking in the shadows, you may feel that you're selling your soul to the devil. But a bar nestled on the more respectable (Yanan Xi Lu) end of Fahuazhen Lu aims to change all this by freeing your soul with good company and a homey atmosphere. The affable manageress Sky says that she wants to create a bar that's essentially a home away from home. And in many ways it is. Customers often take over the music system, choosing from the eclectic selection of CDs, while the amicable, English-speaking staff converse with customers like friends.
Despite being open only a few weeks, this two-storey establishment has already attracted a growing band of regulars. The bright, airy downstairs bar area, despite having somewhat uncomfortable park-bench seating, ropes clients in with its foosball table. While upstairs, the bar is fitted out with comfortable sofas and opium-style couches surrounding a pool table. The reasonably priced drinks keep people coming back. If you're taking it easy on the alcohol, the bar brews up a surprisingly large selection of coffee - definitely a place for all sorts of souls.