Rio Grooming School and Salon at 12260 Margo Avenue South has finally held their ribbon cutting ceremony for their self-wash stations located outside of their Grooming School and Salon.
‘Finally,’ is being used because the location has been open for around two years, and as Vice President Amy Erickson laughed, “We just happened to get around to it. We’ve been busy and we wanted to make sure the community knew we are here.”
Rio Grooming has been part of the Hastings Community for 25 years and their self-service dog wash stations are their latest addition to the community.
“Before COVID, we started doing self-wash services inside for customers who wanted to groom their own pets but did not have a place to do so without getting their homes dirty,” explained Erickson.
The external wash stations provide 24-hour access any day of the week for folks who want to wash their dogs. The thought was that not everyone has the same schedule, someone could use the station at 2:00 a.m. if it fits their lifestyle better.
Inside the wash station, there are plenty of amenities to make the grooming session efficient and easy for the customer. There are multiple shampoos to choose from including oatmeal based, tearless and deodorizing along with flea and tick conditioners. There is also a blow dryer and vacuum. The space is climate controlled so it can be used any time of the year.
The wash costs $20 for 20 minutes and it is the perfect space to bring your pooch after a long sandy day at the beach or if they get muddy from playing or hunting. The table is a good height to eliminate the excessive stress of bending over into the bathtub and yet larger dogs can still jump up to it using the step at the end.
While you are at Rio Grooming, whether you choose to do a self-groom in the new building or go to the main salon, one thing that you may notice is Rufus. Rufus is the balloon dog mural on the side of the building, but Rufus is no ordinary mural.
“He's an augmented reality painting. There is an app that anyone can download, and when you point the app and the camera at the big red balloon dog, he comes to life. We want to make sure that our customers have the ability to be involved in anything and everything here. “This is a neat opportunity, and we were able to get local artists involved,” said Erickson.
To enjoy Rufus, you do need to be in front of the mural. The QR code for the app is on the door just below the painting.