Surviving Cancer Led a Gen Xer to Quit Her Job and Open a Laundromat

• In 2023, a breast cancer diagnosis reframed Low Seow Yee’s perspective on life.
• She decided to quit her job at a government agency to open Hangout Laundry, a laundromat, in Singapore.
• Laundromats are often touted as a passive income business, but she’s hosting parties and making laundry fun again.

When Low Seow Yee went for her routine yearly mammogram in March 2023, she wasn’t expecting anything out of the ordinary.

But a few weeks later, she received a letter requesting that she come in for a follow-up. A biopsy revealed that she had stage one breast cancer. The next few months passed by in a blur.

Her bosses at the government agency where she worked were empathetic and told her to take as much time as she needed. After two surgeries and over 15 sessions of radiation therapy, Low was cancer-free.

“It was on my first day back at work when I realized, ‘Oh no, I really don’t want to do this,'” Low, now 46, told Business Insider. She handed in her resignation the following week.

Her medical scare had reframed her perspective on life. She had always been working for people — first in the events and F&B industries early in her career, and then in a marketing role for a government agency — and she wanted to try something new.

“It occurred to me that if I keep on doing this, I don’t know — I feel like maybe I’m missing out on some experiences in life,” the mother of three said.

From federal employee to small-business owner

In December 2024, Low and her husband opened Hangout Laundry, a 24-hour self-service laundromat in Bedok, a neighborhood in the eastern region of Singapore.

Low was drawn to the idea of starting a laundromat because it was an evergreen business. She also wanted to avoid making laundry feel like a chore.

“The whole idea was that we really want people to kind of look forward to laundry day. It doesn’t have to be stuffy or boring,” she said.

The air-conditioned interiors are bright and inviting. There’s free WiFi and a coffee machine, and tables and chairs are set up where customers can wait.

Low’s intention was to create a comfortable space where people could relax or get work done while doing their laundry.

Prices for the washer range between 7 and 12 Singapore dollars, or about $5 and $9. The cost of using the dryer is S$1 every 5 minutes.

While researching the industry, Low said she noticed that laundromats were often touted as a passive income business, which meant owners were not always around to keep an eye on things.

Dirty folding tables, or even a hot and stuffy atmosphere can have a big impact on the customer experience, and she wanted to change that. “I wanted it to be a more social place,” she said.

Trusting her gut

Hangout Laundry is tucked away in the corner on the ground floor of a public housing apartment block.

The biggest challenge has been marketing the laundromat since it doesn’t receive a lot of foot traffic; the nearest subway station is about a 15-minute walk away.

Everything on the laundromat’s website has been optimized for search engines, Low said. That, coupled with getting their regulars to leave reviews, has helped boost their visibility online.

But ultimately, it’s the experience that will keep customers coming back — something they feel is enhanced through social interaction. That’s why Low and her husband take turns coming in almost every day to get to know their customers and listen to feedback.

Low said trusting her gut also paid off. For instance, she was told it was a bad idea to have a coffee machine in the laundromat, but she went ahead with the idea anyway.

Hot drinks range in price from S$3.30 to S$4.90, and Low said coffee now accounts for 20% of the store’s sales.

She added that there are people who come in just for a cup of coffee or to use the desks: “We highly encourage it. I also have kids who want to come and study. I say it’s no problem if they just buy a drink.”

The average cost of starting a self-service laundromat is not as hefty as many other businesses, Gary Tan, a general manager at Fresh Laundry, a distributor of commercial laundry machines in Singapore, told BI.

Fresh Laundry offers turnkey services to those who want to set up their own laundromats, with entry-level packages starting from S$130,000, he said.

“If we were to include all other miscellaneous licensing and costs that an investor needs to consider, he needs to set aside an estimate of about S$160,000,” Tan said, adding that a typical laundromat would take about three years to break even.

Low preferred not to share how much she has invested in or earned from the laundromat.

Making laundry a social activity

In the spirit of making the laundromat a more social space, Low held a Valentine’s Day-themed party in February.

“We had a couple of rounds of silly games like blindfolded clothes-folding contests,” she said, adding that there were multiple DJs and a pop-up bar that night.

Entry tickets were S$20 with one free drink, but free entry was granted to anyone who came with a load of laundry to wash or dry.

Low’s already brainstorming ideas for the laundromat’s next event — possibly a “Dungeons and Dragons” night, she says — and for ways to improve the laundry experience.

“Some people want iced coffee, so we’re putting in an ice machine. Some people want a library of sorts, so we’re thinking about it,” Low said.

It’s not easy being a small-business owner, but she hopes that it can rub off on her kids, who often come in on weekends to help her out.

“I’m hopeful that my kids can also learn to be a bit more entrepreneurial,” Low said. “It would be nice.”