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Header image courtesy of Kevin Grieve (via Unsplash)
The Y2K trend seems like it is here to stay, so use this as an excuse to drag all your friends to the nearest photo booth and grab some vintage-looking souvenirs. We know it’s not exactly easy to find a good selfie booth, even though there is a myriad of them littered all over Hong Kong, so we’ve compiled a handy list of our favourites. Ready? Smile!
Found in many locations in the city, from malls to MTR stations and even at the Hong Kong International Airport, Snapio is the go-to choice for those who want memorabilia from a day spent with loved ones. Each Snapio booth comes equipped with its own convenient remote, giving you and your photo-taking buddies full control, and making sure you don’t miss a good pose because of a confusing countdown. Snapio designs all sorts of photo frames for your selfies, and it frequently collaborates with brands or celebrities, so keep an eye out for time-limited photo frame events.
Snapio, locations across Hong Kong | (+852) 2123 1540
Do you want to take cute photo booth pictures, but are not a fan of the vintage blurry effect and crammed space? Duda.SelfStudio offers atypical top-tier services, as the photo-taking session is elevated with professional cameras and a spacious area. There is no stressful countdown rush, and you can bring along as many friends as you want without worrying that someone won’t fit into the frame. Take your pick among the array of props that Duda provides, and take your time selecting your best pics in the allocated 20 minutes.
Duda.SelfStudio, Room 1, 15/F, President Commercial Centre, 608 Nathan Road, Mong Kok | (+852) 5271 4829
Photoism is—just like most photo booths mentioned in this list—Korean-themed. Now, it is disappointingly unable to act like a teleportation device, but its winning advantage against other photo booths is that it creates the illusion that K-pop idols are there in the room with you. In collaboration with multiple well-known K-pop producers, Photoism provides a variety of photo frames with the illusion that your favourite idols are posing next to you. It’s a parasocial dream come true! While there are already five locations in Hong Kong so far, it aims to expand further in the future for its booths to be even more accessible.
When and if you’re feeling nostalgic about your student days, or if you’re in the mood to cosplay Korean high-school students, head over to Gogosnap. Aside from the quintessential photo booth props, such as cute headbands, goofy sunglasses, and toy weapons, borrow a high-school uniform for free and proceed to relive your school days in new photos!
Gogosnap, Shop 3065, 3/F, Kwai Chung Centre, 100 Kwai Hing Road, Kwai Fong
While many photo booths now come equipped with a fisheye camera, the Laugh Out Loud laundry-room-themed selfie booth takes it up a notch. The fisheye lens is ingeniously placed within the centrepiece of a washing machine. And if a laundry room isn’t your vibe, you can head to its more spacious subway-themed-room instead, where the graffitied walls recall the design of Subway Surfers. The photo-taking spot is typically open from 11 am till midnight, with specific rooms even operating 24 hours a day.
Laugh Out Loud, Shop 108, Store 112, 1/F, Laforet, 24–26 East Point Road, Causeway Bay
In an increasingly monochrome Hong Kong, from buildings to fashion, Photoholic offers a much-needed burst of colour. Its mirror, framed with adorable rainbow flowers, is eye-catching even from the outside, and makes for a sweet mirror selfie spot. As for utilities, this booth features a top-down camera that allows you and your friends to effortlessly take high angle photos, minus the arm strain. It’s also one of the few photo booths that provides see through paper print-outs, adding a special touch to your sticker photos.
Photoholic, Shop 261, 2/F, Mong Kok New Town Mall, 65 Argyle Street, Mong Kok
If you are looking to go down the retro-cool-kid road, Dynamic Studio will be a refreshing sight amongst the sea of pastel and softly coloured photo booths. It’s got eye-catching pink graffiti covering its black walls, and the Argyle Centre branch features iconic graffitied background, a retro TV that serves as the camera, and multiple shelves’ worth of accessories. Meanwhile, it’s CTMA Centre branch is lift-themed, with the steel walls and hanging CCTV cameras encapsulating the Y2K industrial aesthetic to a T.
The first low-angle photo booth in Hong Kong, I.Wanna.Take.Pic’s photos have the cool music-video vibes you’ve sometimes imagined when recreating a clip in front of your mirror. The high-resolution camera placed on the ground, paired with the off-white background, give you and your photo buddies all the bandwidth to imagine what your album cover would look like. Make yourself a towering menace, get your face extra close to the camera, or make goofy poses with your friends; no matter what, it’s guaranteed the pictures will stand out.
I.wanna.take.pic, Unit 312, 3/F, CTMA Centre, Mong Kok
Moment photo booth offers various frames and angles to try out for different results. Choose from its high-angle red room, normal-angle blue room, lift-themed room, or simply snap some pics in the main booth room, and you’ll get a different style of photo every time. And if you’re feeling peckish, Moment also has hot to-go Korean snacks and drinks available for customers to purchase for a well-rounded good time!
Moment, Shop G, G/F, Savoy Mansion, 49 Carnarvon Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
Flash serves up a truly unique photo booth experience. Although there is a myriad of quirky, themed photo booths around Hong Kong, in our humble opinion, nothing beats taking pictures in a glamorous toilet. We’re not kidding—Flash’s K11 branch now has a brand-new toilet-themed photo room, complete with props that you’d typically find in a bathroom, such as cleaning supplies, toilet paper, and tiny rubber duckies. Alternatively, its CTMA Centre branch has denim-style and halo-effect rooms. Mind the flash!
Punita is currently an English major at Durham University. As a longtime bookworm, she is passionate about all forms of storytelling. When she’s not stuck in a bookstore or cheering for a celebrity, you can always find her wandering the streets of Hong Kong on the lookout for stray cats.
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