Grooming Services

Each expert grooming session is personalized to meet your pet’s individual coat, skin & comfort needs and include these services and procedures:

Kind & Compassionate Care

Our skilled staff has a combined 100 years of petcare and grooming experience. We understand that kind, compassionate care creates an environment that allows your pet to feel calm and confident while being groomed. Your best friends will come to enjoy the love and pampering they receive while at The Spa.

10- Point Health Check

A healthy pet may see his veterinarian once a year for a wellcheck. We see the majority of the pets we groom every two to 12 weeks, which allows us to notice any changes in your pet’s health or condition so that you can report these findings to your veterinarian. Each pet is reviewed for changes and potential health problems in ten areas of the pet’s body. We also weigh your pet each visit. This allows us to track your pet’s weight and discuss healthier nutritional options in diet and treats.

Hydro-Massage Bath

Your pet will be bathed using Karla’s hydro-massage technique… NOT to be confused with hands-free bathing systems that put shampoo and rinse water on your pet using the same hosing… akin to a drive through car wash. Our professional spa staff is trained to provide your pet a relaxing, invigorating bathing experience that both calms and soothes, while cleansing and conditioning with products that are chosen specifically for pet’s coat and skin condition.

Soap & Detergent Free Products

We take great care in treating your pet’s coat and skin with products and techniques that do no harm. There are salons that actually use dishwashing detergent to bathe their clients’ pets. This is horrible…stripping the skin’s natural oils, drying the coat and skin, contributing to incessant scratching. We use only products containing vegetable based surfactants and spare no expense when it comes to the professionally formulated products that we use. We also use no less than four separate products on each pet during bathing. The shampoo formula chosen for the body; a hypo-allergenic, soap, detergent, color, and fragrance free formula for the face; a conditioner rinse; and a leave-in protective conditioner. We make effort to do no harm through every step of the grooming process. In fact, we pack cotton in the ears of all the pets we bathe. This protects from water entering the ear canal during bathing.

2-Step Coat Conditioning

Most salons do not use a conditioner after bathing. Conditioning adds cost to the service, not just in the product, but in time spent in rinsing and drying the coat. Many salons charge an extra fee for this service if offered at all. But, not at The Spa. We know that your pet’s coat and skin requires this additional step to stay healthy and in good condition. Shampooing opens the hair cuticle. Conditioning smoothes the cuticle. Leaving the cuticle open after bathing leaves a microscopic rough texture to the hair shaft, increasing static and friction. This allows the individual strands to grasp one another and knit together. This creates matting. Failure to condition the coat contributes to the matted dog cycle many salons see even with their most frequent clients.

Check & Express Anal Glands

Many pets, for health and comfort, require routine expressing of anal glands. We have staff trained by a veterinarian to safely express anal glands. This service is included in the cost of grooming. You may choose to not have this done. We will certainly honor you and your veterinarian’s decision regarding the expressing of anal glands.

Hand & Fluff Drying

For optimum skin health and coat condition, we use a variety of procedures to dry your pet after bathing. Different coat types require different treatment. Pets are encouraged to shake so that water is drawn up from skin, for more efficient towel drying. Then a high velocity dryer is used to penetrate the coat and dry the skin first. This is extremely important for double coated breeds. Cage drying double coated breeds, which many salons do because of the time required to hand dry, is detrimental to skin health. Cage drying packs the undercoat against the skin, drying the outside of the coat, while leaving a warm layer of moisture against the skin. This warm, moist environment is the precursor to bacterial skin infection… hot spots, odor and more. Thorough and correct drying for your dog’s coat type is not a step that should be skipped to save on the expense of grooming. It is too important to your dog’s health and comfort.
All of our long-coated, scissored and sculpted breeds are hand finished by fluff-drying for a longer lasting professionally groomed finish. 99% of our new clients tell us that this is the best their dog has every looked or felt. This is attributed, in large part, to the care and time we put into the proper bathing, conditioning and drying of your best friend.

Nail Trimming & Filing

We dremel after clipping, to provide a smoother finish to the nail tip. Leaving a jagged edge to the nail is dangerous to you and your pet, not to mention the leather sofa. Rough edges on the nail scratch skin and can get caught on carpeting and fabrics. This second step triples the time spent trimming nails, but is a step that should not be skipped for the health and comfort of your pet.

Ear Cleaning

We take great care in thoroughly cleaning your pet’s ears. Dogs that grow profuse facial hair, will typically grow hair in the ear canal, so we use a gentle procedure to remove the hair from the ear canal before swabbing. We always report the condition of your pet’s ears and provide you a sample of the ear debris if we suspect an ear infection, so that you can take this to your veterinarian.

Thorough Brushing & Combing

Each coat type requires specific tools and technique to keep your pet in tiptop condition. We are very thorough in our brushing and combing procedures which will provide your pet a longer lasting professionally groomed finish. We are happy to show you the tools and techniques required to properly care for your pet’s coat between professional grooming appointments.

Breed Appropriate Styling

Your first visit includes a personalized consultation. We want to meet your expectations for the way you want your pet to look and will work with you to achieve the desired results. We are happy to make recommendations on styles and lengths that will be easier to maintain between visits, yet capture the essence of your pet’s expression and personality.

Personalized Fragrance

Be aware that heavily fragranced shampoo products and conditioners are harmful to coat and skin. Large molecules hold fragrance to the coat, building up over time, leaching moisture, resulting in dull, dry skin and lackluster, breaking coat. That is why we use only low, naturally fragranced products for bathing and conditioning… and provide you a choice of spray fragrance (or no fragrance) for your pet. Whether you have a macho mutt or a diva darling, we have a fragrance that will please your senses and suit your pet’s personality.

Seasonal Bows or Bandana

Most clients tell us that their pets love wearing their bandanas and bows. Just a little something added to help make the pet feel special. Of course, if you prefer no bow or bandana, just let us know.

Signature Salon Treat

There would be no other way to end a spa visit, than with a yummy, healthy treat… your best friend will be wagging for more!