Nevada [pahrumpvalleytimes.com]- Former “Hollywood Madam” Heidi Fleiss expects to open her laundromat, called Dirty Laundry, in the Pahrump Valley Junction Shopping Center today.
“It’s not the biggest laundromat but I thought the best location,” Pahrump resident Fleiss said in a telephone interview.
Her new business will go into a space formerly used by Cingular Wireless a few doors down from Albertson’s Supermarket.
The name would conjure up images of more sinister intentions, but Fleiss said everything is to be above board.
“Call it what it is, right?” she said. “Everything is brand new — new machines, water softener — and I’m going to cost less than the other laundromats.”
Like any proud new business owner, Fleiss boasted about the advantages of shopping at her premises. There will be an attendant on duty, the fee for dropping off laundry will be 65 cents per pound, Fleiss said, cheaper than charges at laundromats in Las Vegas.
It’s been a long process to get the plumbing installed, she said. A grand opening is planned in less than two weeks, probably July 1, with free food, cake and the first 20 washes for free.
The transition from being in the national news spotlight, with prostitutes catering to Hollywood celebrities, to a laundromat owner doesn’t strike her as a major step down.
“I don’t perceive any work being menial,” Fleiss said.
Following her prison term, Fleiss settled in Pahrump, a community she likes.
“People ask me, ‘Do you miss L.A.?,'” Fleiss said. When it comes to her new home in Pahrump, she said, “I really enjoy it. I’ve had good neighbors.”
But her ultimate motive for moving to Pahrump is to open a brothel for women, something Fleiss said is still in the works. There’s a real demand for it, she said.
“You’d be surprised how many e-mails I get from women: ‘Are you open?'” Fleiss said.
Contrary to what is rumored, Fleiss said she would qualify to own a brothel under the law, despite her criminal record.
“I qualify or I wouldn’t be out here. To be in this business, you can’t be squeaky clean. So everything in this business, if you dig deep enough, you’re going to find something,” Fleiss said.
The current federal trial involving Crystal brothel owner Joe Richards has tied up her plans to open the brothel, Fleiss said. She gave a deposition in that case, according to published reports in the Las Vegas Review Journal. The case has been postponed until November.
Fleiss said he has absolutely no plans to go into business with Richards.