Laundry project

What Laundry project does

Laundry Project (론드리프로젝트) is a Seoul-based retail and services company that operates Korea's first hybrid "laundry café" concept, combining self-service coin-operated washing and drying machines with a specialty coffee and dessert bar inside a design-forward, community-oriented space. Founded in 2015 by architect Lee Hyun-deok (이현덕) in the Haebangchon neighborhood of Yongsan-gu, the company has expanded to three Seoul locations — Haebangchon (flagship, 2015), Seogyo-dong Wash Town (2017), and Deungchon Center Square inside a youth housing complex (2022) — with the flagship attracting 400–500 customers per week and weekend sell-outs. The core technology is straightforward: industrial self-service washers and dryers (37-minute wash, 40-minute dry cycles), supplemented by eco-friendly proprietary detergent (Inner Peace) and fabric softener (Fantasy) used on-site and sold direct-to-consumer.

The business operates five distinct revenue streams: (1) per-cycle self-service laundry fees starting at ₩5,000 per wash+dry, (2) on-site café food and beverage sales — which at peak periods have exceeded laundry revenue — (3) e-commerce sales of branded Inner Peace/Fantasy detergents and BrownPeanut collaboration apparel, (4) hotel and traveler pickup-and-delivery service covering 50+ luxury Seoul and Jeju properties (Four Seasons, Grand Hyatt, JW Marriott, Park Hyatt, Andaz, The Shilla) at ₩41,000–₩49,000 per 4kg bag, and (5) franchise and rental-housing consulting for small-to-medium 임대주택사업자 operators. The go-to-market is community-led organic growth — Instagram and Facebook presence, earned media across 83+ Korean press articles and MBC/KBS/tv Chosun features — supplemented by lifestyle-brand popup collaborations and a Jeju Forum thought-leadership presence by the founder.

Laundry Project is registered as an individual proprietorship (사업자등록번호 430-43-00057) under representative Lee Hyun-deok, with no disclosed external investors, parent company, or funding events. Revenue is not publicly disclosed. The competitive position rests on first-mover brand recognition as the originator of the laundry-café format, decade-old community loyalty at the flagship, embedded hotel concierge relationships, and a curated lifestyle-brand aesthetic — but the company remains a small, privately held operation with limited geographic reach (Seoul + Jeju service) and no disclosed technology moat beyond the physical retail concept.

Name

Laundry project

Legal name

론드리프로젝트

Website

https://laundryproject.co.kr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Laundry Project (론드리프로젝트) is a Seoul-based operator of Korea's first laundry-café hybrid concept, combining self-service coin laundry with specialty coffee across three retail locations, plus hotel pickup-and-delivery, branded eco-friendly detergents, and rental-housing consulting.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Self-Service Laundry & Café Services

NAICS

Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners (812310), Drycleaning and Laundry Services (except Coin-Operated) (81232), Drycleaning and Laundry Services (except Coin-Operated) (812320)

akta.pro primary industry

Laundromat + Wash-and-Fold Hybrid Locations (HSAJAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Eco-Friendly / Green Pickup & Delivery Laundry Services (HSAJACAL), Eco-Friendly Laundry Care (Detergents, Boosters, Stain Removers) (CRAJAOAC), Same-Day / Express Wash-and-Fold (HSAJABAB)

Keywords

• Self-service laundry
• Laundry cafe
• Pickup delivery service
• Branded detergent products
• Coin laundry facilities

Headquarters

HQ city

Seoul

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Self-Service Laundry: Customers pay per use of washing and drying machines on-site. Base rate is ₩5,000 for wash+dry cycle. Self-service laundry is the core offering.
2. Café Food & Beverage: Sale of coffee, lattes, cream sodas, grapefruit ade, and desserts (madeleines, brownies, dacquoise). Coffee sales have at times exceeded laundry revenue.
3. Branded Detergent Products: Sale of proprietary laundry detergent (Inner Peace 500ml) and fabric softener (Fantasy 500ml), plus laundry sanitizer and cotton laundry bags.
4. Pickup & Delivery Service: Hotel and traveler laundry pickup and delivery service in Seoul and Jeju. Charges per bag (₩41,000–₩49,000 per 4kg) plus delivery fees.
5. Franchise Consulting & Training: Provides consulting and lecture services for aspiring laundry cafe owners and rental housing operators seeking to incorporate laundry lounge spaces.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Laundry Project operates a hybrid self-service laundry and specialty coffee café across three Seoul locations, where customers can wash and dry clothes while enjoying coffee and desserts. The company also provides branded eco-friendly laundry products (Inner Peace detergent and Fantasy fabric softener), a pickup and delivery laundry service for hotel guests and travelers in Seoul and Jeju, and community consulting services for rental housing operators.

Product overview

Laundry Project operates Korea's first laundry cafe concept, combining self-service coin laundry facilities with cafe seating in a community-oriented space. The business model centers on providing laundry and cafe services at their physical locations, while also offering hotel/traveler pickup and delivery services. Their product portfolio includes their proprietary branded detergents (Inner Peace laundry detergent and Fantasy fabric softener) sold both for use in-store and for purchase, along with collaborative merchandise with BrownPeanut and branded apparel. The company was founded in 2015 and has expanded to multiple locations including Haebangchon (original), Seogyo-dong (Wash Town), and Deungchon (Center Square).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 워시타운 (Wash Town): 론드리프로젝트 2호점 - 서교동(마포구)에 위치한 세탁카페
• 센터스퀘어
• 이너피스(Inner Peace)
• 판타지(Fantasy)

Products and services

• Self-Service Laundry Café Service Self-service coin laundry facilities combined with a specialty coffee café across three Seoul locations (Haebangchon flagship, Seogyo-dong Wash Town, Geumchon Center Square). Customers pay per wash and dry cycle (₩5,000 base for wash+dry) and can enjoy coffee beverages and desserts while waiting. Wash cycle takes 37 minutes, dry cycle takes 40 minutes.
• Hotel Pickup & Delivery Laundry Service Laundry pickup and delivery service for hotel guests and travelers in Seoul (District 1 Center, District 2 Gangnam) and Jeju Island. Offers One Day Service (₩41,000 per 4kg bag, next-day delivery by 9pm) and Express Same Day Service (₩49,000 per 4kg bag, same-day delivery by 9pm). Includes wash, dry, and fold. Delivery fees range from ₩28,000 to ₩36,000 depending on district. Add-on options for branded or premium detergents (₩1,000-5,000). Weekend/holiday service incurs 10% surcharge.
• Inner Peace (이너피스) Laundry Detergent 500ml Laundry Project's proprietary eco-friendly liquid laundry detergent sold in 500ml bottles for retail use at home. Featured as part of their branded product lineup and used in their laundromat services. Available individually (₩10,500 discounted) or as part of bundle packages.
• Fantasy (판타지) Fabric Softener 500ml Laundry Project's proprietary fabric softener sold in 500ml bottles as part of their branded detergent and softener product line. Available individually (₩10,500 discounted) or as part of bundle packages.
• Laundry Project Apparel (LaundryProject X BrownPeanut Collaboration) Branded merchandise including t-shirts, man-to-man sweatshirts, and apparel co-designed with BrownPeanut (브라운피넛). Sold through the Laundry Project online shop at prices ranging from ₩29,500 to ₩34,000. Targets fashion-conscious young adult demographic.
• Laundry Café Franchise Consulting & Training Consulting and lecture services for aspiring laundry café owners and rental housing operators seeking to incorporate laundry lounge spaces into residential buildings. Includes space design consultation, operations support, and community program management. Led by founder Lee Hyun-deok.
• Laundry Care Bundle Packages (Couple Package & New Year Special) Discounted bundle packages combining Inner Peace detergent and Fantasy fabric softener. Couple Package: ₩39,900 (discounted from ₩60,000). New Year Special Package: ₩21,000 (discounted from ₩30,000). Sold through the Laundry Project online shop.

Quantifiable outcome

• 400-500 weekly customers at the flagship Haebangchon store, with sold-out seating on weekends
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Ouve (우브에)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2024Ouve, a perfumed lifestyle brand, partnered with Laundry Project to operate an experiential popup laundry space at all three Laundry Project locations. The popup featured Ouve's liquid detergents, fabric softeners, capsule detergents, and dryer sheets in three fragrances plus unscented options, available for purchase and trial.
• BrownPeanut (브라운피넛)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on branded merchandise including co-designed t-shirts (t-shirts at ₩29,500–₩34,000). The partnership produces apparel items sold at the Laundry Project shop, targeting the fashion-conscious young adult demographic.
• 50+ Seoul and Jeju Hotels (Four Seasons, Grand Hyatt, Lotte, Westin, Marriott, Andaz, Park Hyatt, etc.)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHotels across Seoul District 1 (Center), District 2 (Gangnam), and Jeju Island partner with Laundry Project to offer pickup and delivery laundry services to their guests. Laundry is collected from hotel bell desks/concierge desks and returned the same day or next day.
• Logram (로그램)coreOthersLogram is the parent company/affiliate of Laundry Project, led by representative Lee Hyun-deok. Logram was referenced in discussions about rental housing partnerships and is involved in real estate community space consulting.
• 中小型 임대주택사업자 (Small-to-Medium Rental Housing Operators)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner中小型 rental housing operators partner with Laundry Project to incorporate laundry lounge spaces as building amenities. Laundry Project provides space design consultation, operations support, and community program management for rental housing complexes.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Washbon (워시본): One of Korea's largest self-service coin laundromat chains with a national footprint. Direct competitor in the core self-service laundry category, though Washbon operates without Laundry Project's café hybrid and community-driven positioning.
• Laundrygo (런드리고): Korean on-demand laundry pickup & delivery service with strong digital/app-based ordering. Direct competitor in the hotel/traveler B2B and consumer pickup & delivery segment that Laundry Project serves in Seoul and Jeju.
• CleanTory (클린토리): Korean self-service laundromat chain with multiple locations. Direct competitor in the self-service coin laundry category, though CleanTory operates a more standardized chain format without Laundry Project's café/social hybrid.
• Laundry Commando (세탁특공대): Korean professional laundry service targeting commercial and consumer customers with pickup & delivery. Comparable to Laundry Project's hotel B2B pickup & delivery stream and broader wash-and-fold service.

Emerging players

• The Laundress: US-based eco-friendly premium laundry detergent and fabric care brand. Comparable to Laundry Project's Inner Peace/Fantasy branded detergent line and the broader eco-friendly home care category the company is building into.

Broad incumbents

• Method Products: Established eco-friendly home and laundry care brand owned by Ecover. Comparable as a benchmark for where Laundry Project's Inner Peace/Fantasy branded detergent line could scale in the eco-friendly home care category.

Others

• Anthracite Coffee Roasters: Korean specialty coffee roaster and café chain. Comparable for the café/customer-experience side of Laundry Project's hybrid format — illustrating where specialty café design and operations could take the in-store coffee stream as it scales.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/laundryseoul
• Instagraminstagram.com/laundryproject

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Laundry project