Need help finding laundromats in Lyon and Bordeaux where I can use my own laundry detergent

Washing machines that add their own detergent are increasingly common, so the best tactic might be to look up a few in whatever neighborhood you're at and see if they still have the older machines that don't do that. Another option is to head to supermarkets in more suburban locations -- they generally have washers and dryers (often outside under a canopy) -- and you may have luck finding an older machine that requires you to add your own detergent.

Thanks Bob. I now have visions of traipsing the streets of Lyon in the dead of night with my dirty washing under my arm looking for back alley washing machines. Very noir. I will need good cheese and wine to sustain me.

The most likely machines for you will be the ones in supermarket car parks.

Although it has to be said, in 4 years of living without a washing machine I didn't find any machines in laundromats that automatically added powder

It shouldn't be troublesome. Laundromats in Paris typically make you pay extra for detergent, or let you use your own, I don't see how it would be different in Lyon & Bordeaux. I use one regularly when I need a dryer.
And there should be plenty of locations in central Lyon and Bordeaux, the French words are Laverie, Laverie libre service, or Lavomatic if you want to google.
You are likely to need cash at less modern places, but bills should be OK.

Thanks. I'm glad it should be possible to find a washing machine where I can use my own detergent. Such machines were impossible to find in Spain in 2023.

I agree with Balso. Of course there is only one place I go regularly in Paris, but I definitely use my own laundry detergent. And that was the way the laundromats in my old neighborhood worked too before I moved to my current one.

Hopefully you won't have to resort to the noir situation.

An anecdote from my trip to Portugal last year. A lady didn’t read the sign that clearly stated laundry detergent was automatically added and she added her own. She started the machine and left. I watched her machine the entire cycle and at the end of it there was as much soap as during the first cycle. When she returned the machine had turned off. She just threw the items in a basket and walked out.

You are correct that more and more laundromats in Spain automatically dispense detergent, but occasionally one finds one that doesn’t.

When looking one up with Google maps I’ll look at any photos of the signs. Oftentimes there are ones that will show whether soap is added or not. Good luck.

Laundromats in Paris are increasingly the 'add power automatically' variety as well. The ones I used last fall in Batignolles were like that so I think it is a trend as machines are replaced. The owner then doesn't have to deal with problems caused by people using inappropriate laundry detergent -- but of course it is a disaster for those who are sensitive to the cheap detergent they use.