Load the laundry, grab a beer: Inside America's laundromat bars
Laundromats offering food, drinks and entertainment might be having a moment in New York City — but in other parts of the country, they have loads of experience with making a mundane chore fun. (See the video at the top of this article.)
Several "laundrobars" have popped up across Brooklyn in the last two years, gaining attention for "reimagining" the business as neighborhood hangouts, according to a recent report in The New York Times.
But similar suds shops have been tumbling along for decades, from Oregon to Ohio and Nevada to Oklahoma.
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Duds n' Suds in Reno, Nevada, for example, started serving up beer, wine, snacks and slot machines in the early 1980s as part of a larger franchise. It even got a shout-out in a 2021 episode of "Family Guy."
Jimmie May and his wife, Brandy Johnson, took over Duds n' Suds in 2019.
"We offer a little extra for people to make it less drudgery," May told Fox News Digital.
He said his favorite part is seeing men sent by their wives and expecting a typical laundromat.
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"Then they turn around and they see the bar and they go, 'Wait, you've got beer?'" May said.
"So we'll get them a beer and a Nathan's hot dog or nachos, and then the next week, they're back, like, 'I'm doing the laundry from now on.'"
But it's not all fun and games.
After over 30 years, the lease for Duds n' Suds is still $9,000.
"That's a lot of laundry that has to happen," May said.
At Spin Laundry Lounge in Portland, Oregon, Morgan Gary and Anthony Fusaro know a bit about the moving parts it takes to stay in business.
"Spin was inspired by my experiences at laundromats and the areas that I wasn't particularly thrilled about," said Gary.
She opened the first Spin location in 2014 with her now-husband, who proposed to her at Spin during its opening weekend.
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"We wanted it to feel more like a cozy café space than a laundromat and really have just the little touches that would make you feel at home," Gary told Fox News Digital.
The business grew faster than she imagined, catching on among locals and even travelers passing through.
"The food and drink element is so important," Gary said.
"That is what put us on the map."
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Arcade games and pinball machines can be played on the mezzanine overlooking the laundromat, which was once a metal factory.
Gary and Fusaro ran the laundromat and the café for seven years, but during the COVID-19 pandemic, they paused food and drink.
Earlier this year, they partnered with Brave Neighbor Coffeehouse to bring it back.
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Running both sides of the business was a challenge, Gary said, and the partnership has allowed them to focus on offering the best possible laundry experience – and giving back to the community.
Spin works with nonprofits to offer vouchers for free laundry. It also hosts concerts and "wash parties" where people learn how to care for certain garments – like raincoats, a necessity in the damp city.
Gary's favorite thing about Spin is collecting and washing the dozens of single socks that get left behind each day and donating them to shelters.
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"It's our little way of being able to give them something useful that might just go in the trash otherwise," she said.
Going forward, they hope to host more events and eventually expand their delivery service.
Gary said she has enjoyed seeing similar businesses follow in their footsteps.
"When we opened all those years ago, there had been a few before us, but it was a fairly new concept," she said.
"It's just so great to see, because everyone has to do laundry and there can be a better way – and everyone should be able to enjoy the time."