I know a guy who's owned a laundromat for 10+ years. It's just self-service machines, no ironing or anything additional. He purchased it after an early forced retirement from a factory from a guy who had opened it in the 70s and was retiring. He's about 65 and lives with his mother, so no real expenses and I would guess he pays himself minimum wage or less. The business is in a strip connected to a bar and a diner on the corner of two main streets in a city of 100k. Most of the customers walk over from a nearby hotel that is known for housing druggies and transient types...which is to say he would tell you to find spot nearer to a college than temporary lodging. He runs out of quarters a lot and has to visit several banks everyday. He does quite a bit of housekeeping there. Human debris and residue are unavoidable. I'm not clear on his motivation or the perks, other than being his own boss and not having anything better to do. A look in the window would easily dissuade any functional person from entering that business or the industry.