I worked at one when in High School. I made one dollar per hour separating white things from colored.
Of course, I do and still use them once a year for stuff that is too large for a normal washing machine. They have 10 kg machines. I wouldn't want anyone to separate my things, though. It's all self-service. Found out there are not enough launderettes.
We have them all over town: Self-serve, and wash and fold, by the pound. Where do you live where launderettes are a relic of the past?
In the 40's & 50's there were many Launderettes that were not self serve. You paid so much a load for washing & drying that some one else (ME) did.
Sometime these modern day laundromats can be located in the bad areas of a town, with undesirable people at them doing laundry. However, there are some laundromats that are very nice, clean and located in much better parts of a town/city. We have a washer/dryer in our current apartment and have had a set in two previous apartments. The apt. complex that didn't have a set in the apartment, there was a laundromat in the complex that we used. We get up at 6AM on Saturday, and go to it...….rain or snow.
Our second floor Laundry Room has three big washing machines and three big dryers for use by residents.
I've used the launderette when our washing machine was in trouble or when the septic system was giving us trouble.
We're down to one now, but we had two of them in Millinocket. Actually, they were called Laundromats, but I think that's the same thing, isn't it? If the difference is that one is coin-operated and the other has someone doing it for you, there's one in Bangor that has both. You can leave it to be washed or dry-cleaned, or you can use the coin-operated machines. I think it's called a Laundromat too, though.