Clear Those Stains, and Your Conscience, At the Coolest, Eco-friendly Laundromat in NYC
The sisters behind Celsious are elevating laundry, one spin cycle and yoga sesh at a time
“Sunny” and “inviting” are two words you’d never think to call a laundromat, but they fit just right for Celsious. The most unexpected hangout in Brooklyn, this laundromat cafe is transforming everything you thought you knew about laundry, one eco-friendly spin at a time.
The two sister-founders (and New Stand members), Theresa and Corinna, pretty much inherited their mindful mentality from their parents, but especially so from their mother — the lady built their house with sustainable materials, y'all! Growing up in a tiny village in the countryside near Munich (their mom is German and dad is from Atlanta), they were raised on organic food like fresh produce and grass-fed meat. Mr. and Mrs. Williams were environmentally conscious before it even became a trend, and thanks to their eco-conscious gene, the sisters have stayed true to that lifestyle.
What do they miss most about Germany? “Amazing. Bakeries. Everywhere,” Corinna says. The loud and clear consensus between the German sisters is that real bread is so hard to find here. I connected with that answer on a spiritual level.
On a more serious note, they want to see more environmentally conscious practices being normalized here, like they are in their home country. “It’s definitely frustrating to live here and see everything be like 20 years behind Europe when it comes to recycling,” Theresa says. Recycling is a way of life there, it’s what everybody does, and you can see with your own eyes that everything is actually going to be reused. The stark difference here, Theresa adds, is that everything goes into one bag and she doubts somebody else is actually going to sort through it and make sure it actually gets recycled.
“You feel very powerless here in a lot of ways, in the sense that even when you’re trying to make an effort, the other people involved don’t follow through. Now that we’ve started a business, we see that companies have responsibilities as well, to provide their customers with options.” Corinna adds, “A big city like NYC would benefit from some stricter regulations when it comes to being mindful of our environment and what we put into it in terms of our footprint, so that’s something that I would want to see. Not someday, but actually now. Actually yesterday [laughs].”
The sisters went on to share two progressive companies that inspire their own. German brand Sonett produces detergents and household cleaning products that are entirely bio-degradable, thanks to their meticulously sourced ingredients. On top of their award-winning design and packaging, they employ people with disabilities. That’s what inspires Corinna — how “they show that one thing doesn’t necessarily have to exclude the other. Something can be well-designed and look really cool, but also environmentally conscious and socially responsible at the same time. Plus they’re very, very effective. Their stain treatment is incredible!” They carry the brand so you know the love is tested and true.
Another favorite is Westwind Orchard. Located in Hudson Valley, it happens to be pretty much the only orchard producing organic apples on the East Coast. This boggles their mind because the fruit isn’t even that hard to grow. Theresa shares, “We had apple trees in our backyard and we didn’t do anything to them. They just grew! So I found that really inspiring how they’ve completely gone against what everyone else is doing here. And again, they came from a completely different background.” Between the owners, the wife is a stylist and the husband is a photographer. “That kind of adds a layer on. It really inspires us because you need this outside perspective to do something completely different,” Corinna says. They are also good at what they do, producing fantastic apples, jams, and cider vinegar (also carried by Celsious).
Learning about their upbringing and the positive changes they’re making in their community, it’s easy to see how the sisters were meant to start something like Celsious. As Theresa says, they’ve just taken so many of their personal practices and just implemented them here. Not only has that helped them reduce their total waste, they’ve also prompted some of their vendors to follow on that journey with them. When they realized that their pastry vendor was bringing baked goods in non-recyclable boxes, they came to an agreement to switch to reusable containers. “There’s no reason why that [conscious practices] shouldn’t work in a business to business relationship,” Theresa says. Solely selling organic and locally-sourced goods shouldn't be the end-all.
Mindfulness is the motto — it’s at the core of how they run Celsious and it also extends to being conscious of the community around them, Corinna says. “Something that we really set out to do is to create value for everyone who lives in the community. Having a clean, friendly laundry in a neighborhood where there aren’t many self-service laundromats left is a value in itself.”
The Marie Kondo method plays a central role in the way they run their business too. Basically a way to organize all of your belongings and only keeping the things that bring you joy, it goes hand-in-hand with the minimal lifestyle that the sisters advocate for. “It’s about loving your things. Taking care of them, putting them in the right place, being thankful for the things that you own,” says Theresa.
One way they’re trying to convey that message is through their donation bin. Theresa explains, “When people come to wash their clothes, sometimes they need to get rid of some. So we wanted to make sure that they go to the right place where they don’t cause harm by getting shipped to developing countries, where they disrupt economies. Instead, the donated clothes get picked up by Housing Works. Everything that is sellable gets sold in their thrift stores and all the proceeds benefit New Yorkers affected by HIV/AIDS. And what can’t be utilized gets recycled so it doesn’t end up as landfill.”
Corinna shared a memorable story from one of their ride shares. They were in a car with a couple that had clearly just come from a bar, and the first thing they did was rant about their horrible laundry experience; an app-connected service had messed up their clothes completely. Corinna points out how crazy it is that even after you’ve had a couple of drinks, laundry is still what’s on people’s minds. “Life is hard enough in the city. Laundry shouldn’t be something you need to be worrying about,” says Theresa. Through Celsious, the sisters are trying to take that pain away for everyone.
Based on the overwhelming amount of positive feedback, what they’re doing is definitely working. The two have managed to turn something that everyone dreaded into a very enjoyable experience. Someone even cried happy tears when they found Celsious.
When your laundromat gives out free non-toxic detergent and the machines have a sanitizing feature that rinses out residue from the previous load, it’s definitely hard not to rave. It also starts a conversation about the harmful effects of conventional detergents that people don’t really talk about. They not only harm the environment but also your skin since the residue that sticks to your clothes gets absorbed by your skin. And these chemicals can disrupt your hormones and even irritate your lungs.
More than just a simply beautiful place to get your laundry done, Celsious is a multi-functioning hangout space. Theresa and Corinna are constantly thinking up events and things to host, including concerts, workshops, and other fun things. Early on, they held local gatherings with acapella sets and even a big concert with Airbnb. For namaste seekers, they just started doing Free Yoga Sundays in the backyard. Make sure to look out for the rotating art exhibitions in the space as well.
Who would’ve thought a laundromat could do all that?
UPCOMING EVENTS
Free Wash Weekend — For New Stand Members
Theresa and Corinna are giving their fellow New Stand members a gift that will last all weekend long. Yup, do your laundry for FREE!*
Not a member? No problem, yo. All you have to do is download our app (it’s free too)!
* ONE free 18 lb wash per member
Free Yoga — Every Sunday in July (9:30–10:30 AM)
Wind down from the weekend with a morning yoga sesh in the backyard patio. Make sure to arrive 5 minutes early, y’all. Space is limited to 15 spots, so they recommend signing up and/or arriving early to secure yourself a mat.
GRAMMAR Pop Up Shop — Sunday, July 1
Shop GRAMMAR’s perfect white shirts while waiting for your spin cycle to finish. 100% organic cotton, sustainable, and minimalist — they’re essentials for any closet.
MEND—Thursday, July 19 (7:00 –10:00 PM)
Come breathe life into your old clothes. The tailor is present! Book a fitting appointment for any alterations you need.
Follow Celsious on Instagram to stay updated on upcoming events, pop-ups, and the clean aesthetics, of course.
