Speed Queen machines usually appear in polished brochures, sparkling showrooms, and well-lit laundromats—but sometimes they turn up in places so unexpected, you’d think it was scripted by a Hollywood prop team.
But this isn’t advertising. This is the real world. This is Speed Queen in the Wild—where washers pop up without warning, in the middle of art galleries, Google Street View… or a bar.
Exhibit A: A Street View Snapshot in Decatur, Georgia
Let’s start with a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it sighting on Google Maps. In the middle of Decatur, Georgia, a man is captured mid-delivery, unloading a Speed Queen machine from the back of a truck. No fanfare. No marketing team. Just one appliance, one human, and one glorious moment caught forever in the pixelated annals of Street View.
It’s a rare look at the everyday lifeblood of laundries—machines on the move, making their way to businesses that need serious performance, not just a pretty box. You can’t get more authentic than that.
Exhibit B: A Mermaid in the Machine
Next up: art meets appliance. In an installation titled "Ida" by artist Olivia Erlanger, a washing machine was reimagined as a mythical portal—complete with a shimmering mermaid tail bursting out of the drum. Part commentary, part fever dream, it asks what lies beneath our daily routines.
Maybe it's fantasy. Maybe it’s detergent.
Either way, what brand is that dryer? It’s a Speed Queen.
Check it out here if you’ve ever suspected there was magic in the rinse cycle.
Exhibit C: Speakeasy Suds
Finally, we land in the growing trend of laundromat speakeasies—hidden bars concealed behind rows of washers and dryers. One standout from a recent Wall Street Journal article (paywalled) features a functioning laundromat that doubles as a cocktail bar. And yes, among the machines: Speed Queen, quietly doing the dirty work while guests sip espresso martinis behind a false dryer door.
Because nothing says “multi-tasking” like knocking out your laundry while knocking back a negroni.
Turns out there are a few crossover laundromat/bars/arcades. Sunshine Laundromat is a bar, pinball arcade and... yes, a laundromat.
Unexpected? Yes. Uncommon? Not really.
Speed Queen machines have a way of turning up wherever performance is needed—even if the setting is surreal. From the sidewalk to the speakeasy, from Google Maps to gallery walls, these machines are making quiet cameos in the unlikeliest places.
And we love to see it.
If you’ve spotted a Speed Queen in the wild—let us know. Bonus points if there’s a mermaid involved.
Want to find out how we can help you create your own semi-passive laundromat business? We help people like you all the time...
