My Beautiful Laundrette

Pretty average. Generally clean with good machines. A bit crowded, not enough room to swing a cat. A bit run down. No sink for spot cleaning or washing your hands when you get soap on them for instance.

My Beautiful Laundrette just isn’t a movie from the 1980s, it’s also the local laundromat in Fitzroy.
It isn’t the prettiest (so it’s name is slightly deceiving) thing to look at, but the washing machines are big and the dryers are big so you only have to do one big load; therefore, saving time and money. I rarely go here — only when I need my clothes dried ASAP. But it’s cheap. I think $ 2 for 40 or so minutes? But most laundromats are cheap.
For me the important thing about a laundromat is its location. My Beautiful Laundrette is on Brunswick Street so you don’t have to sit around and wait for your clothes to dry. You can go next door and have a coffee or brunch at Slowpoke or go down and check out Newtown SC. Or if you’re close enough to home — just head home and come back.
I’ve left my clothes to dry here before and nothing has ever happened to them, which is always a bonus. So if you want to kill two birds with one stone, go do your laundry and call up a friend for a cup of coffee on Brunswick Street.

There is just something about a laundry in the city. You meet people. You catch up on your reading. You eat way more junk food than you would at home.
There is a certain danger, though. A dirty laundry… well that’s just scary. You want the machines washing your clothing to be clean, otherwise how would you get them clean.
My Beautiful (which recalls images from The Lord of the Rings… my precious) is clean and tidy. If you forgot your magazine, they have plenty of newpapers, party flyers and concert posters to read. In the morning you can get some sun and stay warm in the front window. Or just sit on the stoop and watch everyone on the sidewalk.
Laundry (and time-​wasting) done cheap and easy. Sweet.

My Beautiful Launderette takes it name from a 1985 British comedy directed by Stephen Frears. It’s a film that tackles a complex range of issues including racism, homosexuality and Britian’s economic policy during the 1980s. Set in London during Thatcherism, the plot folllows a Pakistani family as they try and turn a run down launderette into a profitable business with a number of trials and tribulations along the way.
Sometimes real life mirrors the big screen and it would appear the guys at My Beautiful have achieved this feat in the haven that is Melbourne. They have big industrial standard machines that are extremely robust and dry your clothes in no time at all. It’s not too pricey either. They also have long opening hours which is a plus.
Furthermore, it is quite a nice little spot to relax and read a book or have a gander at the poster clad walls to see what is going on around the local area.
It’s hard to wax lyrical about a launderette but My Beautiful Launderette is pretty good looking and has got your laundry back…