Downtown dog owners can now cleanse their canines — without making a mess of their tiny bathrooms or shelling out for a pricy groomer — thanks to a new self-service spot in the East Village.
Partners Arlette Sarkissians, 38, and Nicola Leggo, 34, opened Now You’re Clean on East 10th Street just a few weeks ago.
It was Leggo’s own dirty dog, a two-year-old pit bull mix named Mia, which sparked the idea for the business. Sarkissians was staying with Leggo during the early pandemic, and the pair had trouble finding a place to clean the pup, Leggo said.
New Yorkers tight on space and cash will go to great lengths to get their dogs clean, Leggo noted: one couple who are regulars at Now You’re Clean used to schlep their four-legged friend from the East Village to a dog washing stall at a Brooklyn Petco — a two-hour errand, Leggo said.
“In Europe, self-service is something that exists,” Sarkissians, who was born in Italy, said.
The high-tech bathing cubicle at Now You’re Clean features a huge tub, shampoo and conditioner, and dryers, the jewelry and interior designer said.
They’re “at full capacity” on weekends already, Leggo said. In fact, it’s going so well, she quit her day job as a management consultant at Ernst & Young, the Big Four accounting firm, where she worked for seven years, she said.
Single washes cost $25; there are bulk discounts. Now You’re Clean also sells pricy pet goods and a groomer stops by on Tuesdays, offering “doggy facials” and “doggy mani-pedis” for $15 and $16, respectively.
The store has a backyard where customers can wait and play with their dogs if the tub is taken.
Leggo said she envisions a “private subscription” for access to the backyard, aimed at pet owners who prefer to avoid the unwashed masses at public dog runs “for a number of reasons,” like dirt, ticks, or just having a dog that’s “not confident” around other pups.
Kris Chan, 34, stopped by Friday to wash Butters, her four-year-old, 95-pound Great Pyrenees, who she said is “tolerant” of baths.
“I used to wash him basically on the sidewalk. I would fill up paint buckets of water,” said Chan, who with her husband Jay co-owns Brooklyn restaurant Fancy Nancy.
Now You’re Clean is such an improvement for Chan and Butters, she makes a point of driving the dog into Manhattan to go there.
“He honestly really enjoys it. I think it’s because of the two owners. He knows that whenever he’s there, they’re constantly giving him treats,” she said.
