Dog grooming, the way they'd ask for it, gentle with seniors, patient with puppies, meticulous with the in-between.
"Boutique grooming, slow on purpose." That's the line we tell first-time clients, and the one we keep choosing every morning we open the door.
Marlow opened this studio in 2021, after six years on the chair at a quiet salon down in Cardiff. The brief was simple: a small bench, a real waiting room, and the time to do the work the way the dog deserves. No cages. No assembly line. Three appointments at a time, never more.
The other name on the door is Maple, Marlow's six-year-old golden, who's at the studio every day she is. She greets at the front, lays under the desk during haircuts, and gets her name on a brand we built around her.
Old dogs don't need a quick groom. They need warm water, soft hands, a bench they can sit on, and a groomer who isn't running a clock. We move slowly with seniors and we don't apologize for it.
The first groom is the most important groom of a dog's life. We do a short, free puppy intro before the first appointment so the studio smells familiar before the clippers ever come out.
Rescues, reactive dogs, and the just-plain-nervous get an extra half hour and a quieter room. Every groomer here is fear-free trained. We will stop the appointment before we'll push a scared dog through.
Six years at a Cardiff salon before opening this studio. Specializes in doodles, slow seniors, and any dog whose owner has tried three other groomers.
Eight years of grooming experience and the only fear-free certified hand on the bench. Cat-certified, yes, we do cats too, by quiet request.
Three years on the bench, all of it learning under Marlow. Quiet voice, slow scissors, and the patience for a puppy's very first haircut.
A six-year-old golden retriever and the unofficial greeter. Lays under the front desk most days, takes the occasional appointment as a calming presence for nervous first-timers.
Pick your service, your groomer, and the day. We'll text you the morning of with your arrival window. No rushing the dog, no rushing you.
First visit? Book a meet-and-greet first, fifteen minutes, free, no appointment yet.
Our shepherd is fifteen and she's stopped tolerating the big-box places. Marlow took her on the bench instead of the table, gave her the whole afternoon, and I picked her up looking better than she has in two years. They didn't rush her once.
First groom on our 10-week-old golden, Jen sat on the floor with him for the first ten minutes before they even started. He came home tired, clean, and not afraid of a dryer. Worth every dollar.
My anxious rescue actually fell asleep on the bench. I don't know what Saoirse does back there but my dog has been to four other groomers and never once relaxed. We won't go anywhere else.
Marlow remembered my dog's name on the second visit. The third visit she asked how his ear infection cleared up. That sounds small until you've sat through three other groomers who couldn't pick him out of a kennel.
Called Friday morning in a panic, family in town, wedding on Saturday, our doodle looked feral. They squeezed us in the same afternoon. I'm not even sure how, but they did, and he came back the cleanest he's ever been.
We've been coming every six weeks for two years and the experience hasn't drifted once. Same studio, same hands, same Maple under the desk. That kind of consistency is everything when you've got an old dog at home.
What senior-dog parents and first-time-puppy parents tend to ask before they reserve.
Reserve a visitYes, and we'll prefer that you tell us so up front. Senior grooms run longer (often 2 to 3 hours) at a slower pace, with breaks built in and the bench instead of the table. Marlow handles most of our seniors herself. We will stop early if your dog has had enough.
Around twelve to sixteen weeks, after the second round of shots. We do a free fifteen-minute meet-and-greet first so the studio smells familiar before any clippers come out, that small step is the biggest difference between a puppy who tolerates grooming and one who fears it.
Yes. We hold three appointments at a time max, but we keep one slot a day reserved for solo grooms in the back room with no other dogs in the studio. Email or call ahead and we'll book that slot specifically.
Saoirse is fear-free certified, the same protocol most modern veterinary practices follow. Marlow is a master groomer with ten-plus years on the bench. Jen is finishing her certification this year. We're happy to share specific credentials at the meet-and-greet.
Saoirse does, by quiet request, usually long-haired cats with mat issues. We book cat appointments at the start or end of the day so the studio is empty. Email us if you'd like to schedule one.
Most full grooms run two to two-and-a-half hours from drop-off to pickup. Senior grooms run longer. We don't keep dogs in kennels, so we ask that you drop off no more than fifteen minutes early and pick up as close to your time as you can.
We stop. We call you. We won't push a dog through a groom that's making them panic, and you won't be billed for service we couldn't complete. We'll talk through whether a sedation-assisted appointment with your vet might be the better path.
Suite G has dedicated parking right out front, pull in, park, walk in. Easier than the lot at Trader Joe's two doors down.
A small studio on Encinitas Blvd, set back from the street with its own parking spaces. Two doors down from the coffee place, ten minutes from the 5.