by Laura Caseley

The Laundry Lounge - does it sound like a place you'd want to hang out? Electronics giant LG and Coinmach, a supplier of outsourced laundry equipment, sure hope so. They've collaborated to introduce this revamped version of the laundromat, designed to be more comfortable for users and more environmentally sound, thanks to energy efficient appliances. The first Laundry Lounge, owned and operated by Coinmach's subsidiary Super Laundry, opened in New York City's West Harlem neighborhood, with many more to come, LG hopes.

The new laundromat comes with LG's efficient washers, which have a variety of features designed to cut down on water and energy use: tilted drums and adjustable settings to reduce unnecessary water use, and technology that removes more water from wet laundry to ensure less time in the dryer, for example. All 26 washers and 32 dryers are Energy Star qualified. And since waiting for your undies to dry isn't terribly exciting, the Laundry Lounge offers free television and Internet access for patrons, which developers hope will create a more homelike experience.

The Laundry Lounge has even done away with the bane of most laundromat-goers - the reliance on coins. Instead, it uses a card system from ESD. According to a Yelp reviewer, washing a load of clothes costs $2.50, and drying is free.

While LG is hoping customers will appreciate the atmosphere and the value, there's another target with the Laundry Lounge: laundromat owners. "The Laundry Lounge concept offers a dual cost benefit to the business owner and customer with its Energy Star rated machines, delivering powerful cleaning capabilities along with savings on water usage and energy costs," LG Appliance President Sam Kim said.