How We Got Here
We are a husband and wife team whose story started 11 years ago in Colorado Springs when our common former employer assigned us to a project here. At the time, Ryan was living in Albuquerque, NM, and Michelle was living in Los Angeles, CA, and we were both doing finance work in the defense industry. We started dating long distance with no intensions of getting serious due to our living 2 states apart. 10 years later, we were getting married in Hawaii but are still maintaining a long distance relationship for a few more years due to child custody schedules from prior marriages.
Michelle's Career Change
I (Michelle) have been living in Colorado Springs with my daughter since 2022, and Ryan continues to hop back and forth from New Mexico every other week. We have been exploring the area and really loving it here for such places like Red Rock Canyon and Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. In January of 2024, there were layoffs at the company I worked for, and I decided I was ready to move on from the world of corporate management and be my own boss. We considered different avenues like RV & boat storage and adding to our real estate portfolio but ultimately decided opening a laundromat would be our best option. Ryan will continue to work in finance full time to provide steady income and health insurance for the family and help out at Lavalux when he can.
Watching the Laundromat Vision Come to Life
Construction on Lavalux started in February of 2025 and completed at the end of June 2025. It was a brand new build, combining 2 empty units located at Mission Trace Center and building 1 beautiful laundromat. However, the project really started when serious research of laundromats started in April of 2024, well before construction began.
After spending some time getting an understanding of where the laundromats were located in the Colorado Springs area, we got to looking for a commercial space to rent. We were ecstatic to find this location and even more thrilled to find that the space can open out to a common area with direct access to the restrooms, the arcade and an excellent Mexican restaurant, Las Tortugas. (We love Mexican food!)
Before we knew it, we were designing the store, purchasing equipment, digging trenches and installing 100% of the laundry infrastructure and machinery. Of course, we couldn't do it without the work of industry experts in laundry and construction. We are so proud to be finally done with construction and open to the public.
See the full transformation on Facebook or Instagram (@lavaluxlaundrycos).
Making Lavalux Laundry the Laundry Day Solution for Colorado Springs
To start, Lavalux will operate as a laundromat and accept drop off orders. Soon, we will be adding pickup and delivery services for many areas of Colorado Springs. We look forward to serving the community and meeting its various laundry needs. We aim to give valuable time back to our customers so they can enjoy their hobbies and spend more quality time with family and friends.