Cambridge Chronicle

It’s a car wash – for dogs

By Ed Symkus/ Senior Staff Writer

Thursday, Novemeber 11, 2004

There's no mistaking Laundromutt is a company that's, well, going to the dogs.

Aside from the clever name of the business - it's a self-service dog wash - there's the doormat out front that reads "Wipe Your Paws." And telltale signs inside include displays of Doggles (sunglasses and protective eyewear for dogs), leashes, collars and toys made of hemp - because, after all, this is Cambridge - and Bark Bars, all-natural dog treats in the shapes of cats and mailmen. No doubt, this is a place to pamper your pooch.

But the main draw of this first-of-a-kind business in the area, is the ability to wash your dog without creating a mess at home and without hurting your back from bending down

"When you bring in your dirty dog, we'll help you load the dog into one of the tubs," says Laundromutt owner Elizabeth Olson, who opened on October 1. "We have two different-sized, waist-high tubs for different sized dogs. They have ramps and doors on them, and the dog walks right up."

That's if the dog doesn't mind ramps. For those that do, there a set of folding stairs that can be moved into place. Once the pooch is up and in, there's a collar restraint to prevent any jumping out of the tub - but there's still plenty of room to shake. Which is why Olson recommends that owners don one of the blue plastic aprons to keep themselves dry.

But do dogs generally enjoy having a bath?

Olson thinks about this for a moment and says, "Well, it's 50-50. Some of the dogs don't. But a lot of them actually do like it. I've seen a few clients come in whose dogs really love baths." She stops and rethinks what she's said, laughs and adds, Well, maybe it's 25-75 ... 25 like it. Most of them just stand there and take it. They might whine a little, and they kind of look pathetic. But their owner is with them so they're not afraid, and the water is warm."

As luck would have it, a demonstration is in order. As Olson is explaining how the all-natural, 100 percent biodegradable Bark to Basics shampoo (wild berry, oatmeal, honey and almond, etc.) is applied through the same spray nozzle as the water, and how a blue rubber scrubbie can be used to massage the shampoo in, two customers enter, one on two legs, one on four.

The owner is Bert Singer, the dog is Katrina; both are Cambridge residents. They had met Olson at Fresh Pond Park, where residents let their dogs play, and got to talking about the idea of a dog wash. This is Bert's and Katrina's first visit.

"Katrina gets a bath once every month or two," says Singer of his big, brown mix with a big, bushy tail. "I got her from a pound, and the woman who checked her out that day was named Katrina. That's how she got the name."

For her first walk up the ramp, Katrina is slightly nervous, but with just a little verbal coaxing - "Come on, Katrina, you can do this," says Bert - she's soon up and in, and her tail is wagging.

A couple of minutes later, Singer is covered in blue plastic, and Katrina is sopping wet and sudsy. She is obviously one of those dogs who likes baths.

As, one would hope, is Maya, the German shepherd owned by Olson and her husband Evan, an animator who's a partner at Laundromutt. They also have an Australian shepherd pup named Brumby. But Maya, 8, has been having baths a lot longer.

"We were talking to people in Fresh Pond Park," says Olson of how the business started. "Maya requires frequent bathing. I used to go to something similar to this when we lived in Minnesota. It was a full-service groomer, but they had six tubs. It was more of a rent-a-tub, rather than self-service. So you would bring in your own shampoo, but you could use their towels and they would clean up after you, like we do here. That's where I used to wash Maya. And when we moved to Cambridge, she would get dirty playing in the park, and I was constantly asking people where I could wash my own dog. But no one had ever heard of such a thing. My friend Martha [Schindler] and I started talking about it, and working up a plan. So a lot of this was selfish because I needed to wash my dog."

Olson gives full credit to Schindler for the name Laundromutt.

"We were working on the business plan together," Olson recalls. "She ended up getting married and moving to Colorado. But over time, we talked about it. We had been bantering different names, and then Laundromutt just came to her in the middle of the night, and we went with it."

By now, Singer and Katrina are ready for some drying. Singer is given a small chamois towel to rub her off - just like at a car wash - and then a big white cotton towel. He chooses to pay a little extra and bring Katrina to the blow dry station, and says yes to both some ear-cleaning wipes to get the wax out of her ears, and a coat conditioner-detangler to make her both silky and clean. Seconds after turning on the dryer, which resembles a small vacuum cleaner - and is just as loud - there is hair flying all over the room. And minutes later, Katrina is one pretty girl.

Because weekends are a busy time at Laundromutt, and there is often a wait to get to one of the tubs, Olson has fashioned an upstairs room into the BarkaLounge (her own name), where dogs and owners can hang out, on the floor or on the dog hair-covered chairs, and dogs can play with other dogs.

"We're thinking of having doggie movie nights here," she says. "Maybe some 'Lassie' shows. And we might get more serious with some training videos. We'd like to do some lectures with trainers. Our 'Ask the Pet Professional' series will start in January, with subjects like health-care and diet questions, and a vet or an animal trainer, a behaviorist, an acupuncturist or a doggie masseuse.

"I've had a number of customers ask about reserving the space for their dog's birthday party," she adds. "So dogs will come and celebrate."

Olson also has plans for the grooming room right next to the BarkaLounge.

"We'll have a professional full-service groomer, and will be able to provide every service you might want," she says. "You can come and do it yourself, you can drop your dog off for about an hour for our wash, dry and fold service. And we'll have many options in between."

She also has plans beyond the first Laundromutt.

"I'm keeping my eye on other places," she says. "If this gets going, maybe I'll open another one, maybe a franchise."

For the record, Laundromutt is, as the name suggests, only for dogs.

"We don't service cats," says Olson, "because there's no way to control the dog and cat interaction."

Laundromutt is at 489 Concord Ave. (next to Sozio) in Cambridge and is closed on Mondays. Self-service dog washes run from the Muddy Paws Express (a warm-water rinse) for $5, to the Uber Spa (specialty shampoo, conditioner, blow-dry) for $21. There is parking in back. Call 617-864-9274. Ed Symkus can be reached at esymkus@cnc.com.

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