How Gen Z are glamorizing laundromats as their 'home away from home' where they cry, go on dates and hang out with friends - with comedians hosting shows inside

Laundromats have become more than just the place you go to lather, rinse, and repeat - with Gen Z hailing the humble washer-dryer institutions as their 'home away from home.'

Young people living in cosmopolitan cities have to flock to laundromats as a necessity, but many have made it their new multifaceted social space, where they go on dates and even host stand-up comedy shows. 

Julissa James, a staff writer for the LA Times, recently shed light on the long-standing 'romanticization' of laundromats, an objectively mundane venue that has ironically become her place of solace.

Others have taken to TikTok to glorify otherwise average trips to do their washing - by coordinating their timings with friends and having vintage photoshoots with machines as the backdrop. 

In New York, one comedy event has even hosted several shows inside La La Laundry in East Village - featuring amateur and professional comics in the unusual setting.

Young people have taken to TikTok to glorify otherwise average trips to do their washing. Pictured: A couple on TikTok made their 'laundry day' a romantic date, stating 'anything is romantic if you add 'date' after it right'

The laundromat has become more than just the place you go to lather, rinse, and repeat - it has also become a place for shows and photoshoots (Pictured: Founders of Underground Overground with comedian Jatty Robinson at La La Laundry in East Village)

James, writing about her beloved local laundromat, said: 'I'm here now, crying as I type this. I'm surrounded by people who see the color of my underwear as I pull it out of the dryer. What are a few tears at this point? We're already well acquainted.' 

She said that her local laundromat is the perfect place to 'slip into my subconscious mind' because of its 'familiar, sterile smell of cleaning products and metal, and the constant chugging sound of water and hot air.'

An avid people watcher, James said she fantasizes about the different types of customers that roll through the store - ranging from entire families washing their laundry, to couples standing against a machine holding hands.

'What most people see as an undesirable chore I see as a comfort zone,' said James.

'My local laundromat is open 24 hours — as all the good ones are — and any time of day or night, for the rest of my life, I know there is a place that is open and waiting for me (as long as I have a hoodie to wash). 

'I've never had an in-unit washer and dryer in my many years of living on my own. And it never mattered. Because I have something rarer, more special: a home away from home.'

With the advancement of technology and the convenience of modern life, Gen Z have made it their mission to re-establish 'third places' in the cities and towns in which they live - and it seems many are using laundromats to do so.

Third spaces, a term coined by sociologist Ray Oldenburg, is an informal gathering place for socialization that is not your home or work.

With young people living in New York and Los Angeles forced to rent in shoebox apartments with a lack of amenities, going to the laundromat to wash clothes is a necessity - but people online are urging others to see the silver linings in the chore.  

An iconic Levi's advert in a laundromat from the 1990s

'The laundromat — its familiar, sterile smell of cleaning products and metal, the constant chugging sound of water and hot air — is a place that feels particularly primed for me to slip into my subconscious mind,' James said. Pictured: One person 'romanticizing' their laundry trip

Pictured: A Gen Z TikToker taking the time to film herself at the laundromat while washing her clothes in an effort to romanticize an otherwise boring task

Pictured: Ethan Mansoor, cofounder of Underground Overground Comedy, at La La Laundry

'There is something cool about hanging out in different spaces that you wouldn't usually hang out. Laundromats are very cool, nostalgic spaces, which people normally go to for very boring reasons, so if you can get people in there for a comedy show, it's great,' Mansoor told DailyMail.com (Pictured: Comedian Jared Fried performing at La La Laundry)

'I love romanticizing my life lately. A day at the laundromat? I give main-charater-in-a-90s-coming-of-age-drama-energy. It makes everything more fun,' one social media user wrote, as she filmed herself reading a book at her local establishment. 

Another set up her camera on one of the industrial machines and filmed herself posing in between the laundry aisles while waiting for her clothes to dry.  

Julissa James argued that the laundromat is one of the remaining third places that will never not have reason to exist - for more reasons than just laundry. 

'The number of activities done there that have nothing to do with washing your clothes feels specific, in a lot of ways, to L.A,' she said.

'We do all of our photo shoots for our merch brands at laundromats, throw experimental punk shows, come up with our best ideas.'

'We make ourselves at home in places where we need to pass time. We find ways to be comfortable, to turn it into our living room.'

Even on television, the laundromat has long been a place for friends to meet - with one episode of Friends chronicling Ross pretending his washroom is rat-infested so he can join Rachel on 'laundry day.' 

Jeans brand Levi's also used the laundromat setting for their iconic 1996 advert, featuring hunky Nick Kamen stripping down into his underwear in front of shocked patrons. 

Aside from washing clothes and people-watching, the laundromat has also become a stage for some comics who are keen to redefine the mundane space.

Underground Overground, a popular word-of-mouth comedy event that keeps showing up in strange places across town, has hosted several comedy shows at an East Village laundromat.

Ethan Mansoor, comic and co-founder of Underground Overground Comedy, launched a series of shows inside the innocuous La La Laundry in 2021.

Pictured:  Comedian and cofounder of Underground Overground performing at La La Laundry

By day, the laundromat served swathes of New Yorkers who don't have their own washers in their apartments, but by night it transformed into a bustling stage for comics to perform, hailing from across the city.

Mansoor told DailyMail.com that the laundromat was a perfect location for a show - because of its low ceilings, good acoustics, and nostalgic feel.

He said: 'There is something cool about hanging out in different spaces that you wouldn't usually hang out. Laundromats are very cool, nostalgic spaces, which people normally go to for very boring reasons, so if you can get people in there for a comedy show, it's great.

The comedian, 25, recalled how the shows were filled to the brim - over 65 young New Yorkers were squashed inside the laundromat, with some patrons even sitting in washing machines, while staff handed out drinks in laundry carts.

By day, the laundromat served swathes of New Yorkers who don't have their own washers in their apartments, but by night it transformed into a bustling stage for comics to perform, hailing from across the city (Pictured: A comedian having a photoshoot at La La Laundry)

Pictured: A scene from the Friends Episode 'The One With the East German Laundry Detergent'

Mansoor said: 'It was like recreating a childlike experience in there, those places at night are normally vacant, so it was a great use of space.'

The comedy troupe hosted a total of six shows at the laundromat in 2021, at a time when Covid restrictions in New York City started to slowly ease.

He added: 'It was the first time we really went into indoor spaces, people were really itching for things to do. We packed it in, it was incredible.

'Comedy clubs were closed, so comics were looking for spaces to perform, even they were having a great time.'

Overground Underground Comedy are planning to return to the laundromat on May 31 for a one-off night of laughter - and all ticket proceeds are going to the shop's owner, as it faces closure over financial issues.