Grooming Service, Pricing & Coat Care Guide
Everything our salon offers, what it costs, how often your pet needs it, and how to keep the coat in good shape between visits. This is a reference document — there is nothing to fill in or return. Prices are indicative and always confirmed at booking; coat condition on the day is the biggest variable.
Section 1 — Full Service Menu
- Bath & tidy — coat-matched shampoo, conditioner, full blow-dry, brush-out, nails, ears, sanitary trim and paw pad tidy.
- Full groom — everything in the bath & tidy plus a complete clipper or scissor style shaped to the breed or to your preference.
- Hand-strip / breed finish — for wire coats, worked by hand over several sessions to keep colour and texture.
- De-shedding programme — bath, undercoat conditioner, full rake and blow-out for double coats, twice a year at minimum.
- Cat grooming — booked into a dog-free slot; comb-out, bath, dry, nails and, where needed, a lion or comb clip.
- Pawdicure — nails clipped and filed smooth, pads trimmed, paw balm massaged in.
- Sanitary trim — quick tidy of the rear, belly and hygiene areas between full grooms.
- De-matting — charged in 15-minute blocks, and only where the coat can be saved humanely.
- Medicated or hypoallergenic bath — for itchy, flaky or vet-flagged skin, left to soak the full contact time.
- Teeth brushing, blueberry facial, cologne and bandana or bow finish.
Section 2 — Pricing by Size and Coat Length
Size bands: small up to 10 kg, medium 10–25 kg, large over 25 kg. Coat length moves the price within a band — a long, dense or neglected coat takes materially more time than a short one.
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Hand-strip / breed finish | | | |
| | Cat rate + long-coat band | |
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| Charged per 15-minute block | Capped at 30 minutes for welfare |
Medicated / hypoallergenic bath | Surcharge on the bath rate | Adds 20 minutes contact time |
Teeth brushing / facial / finish | | |
Section 3 — Recommended Frequency by Coat Type
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Double coat (husky, corgi, retriever) | Every 8–12 weeks, plus a de-shed each shedding season | 2–3 times a week with an undercoat rake |
Curly / doodle (poodle, bichon, cockapoo) | Every 4–6 weeks — this coat mats fastest of all | Daily, slicker brush then a metal comb to the skin |
Wire coat (terrier, schnauzer) | Every 6–8 weeks; hand-strip on a rolling schedule | Twice a week, focus on beard and legs |
Short / smooth (beagle, pug, shorthair cat) | Every 8–12 weeks for a bath, nails and ears | Weekly with a rubber curry mitt |
Long silky (maltese, shih tzu, yorkie) | Every 4–6 weeks to keep length without tangles | Daily, especially behind the ears and under the legs |
Section 4 — Matting & Humane Shave-Down Policy
A mat is a knot of hair that has tightened against the skin. It pulls every time your pet moves, traps moisture and dirt underneath, and hides sores from view. Brushing a tight mat out means dragging on that skin for a long time — which is why our policy is simple: comfort comes before length.
- Light tangles are brushed out as part of the normal groom at no extra charge.
- Moderate matting is de-matted in short blocks, up to a welfare cap of about 30 minutes.
- Where a comb cannot pass between the mat and the skin, we clip short. We call you first whenever time allows.
- After a shave-down the skin may look pink, thin or bumpy, and ears can swell slightly as blood flow returns. We will show you anything we find at pickup.
- A shaved coat needs sun protection in summer and a coat in winter until it grows back — usually two to four months.
Section 5 — Between-Groom Home Care
- Brush to the skin, not just over the top. Line-brush in sections and follow with a metal comb — if the comb snags, the brush did not reach.
- Pay special attention to friction points: behind the ears, armpits, collar line, harness area, tail base and between the toes.
- Never bathe a matted coat at home — water tightens mats into felt and makes the next groom far harder.
- Check ears weekly for smell, redness or dark debris, and dry them after swimming or a bath.
- If you hear nails clicking on the floor, they are ready for a trim. Little and often beats one drastic cut.
- Avoid human shampoo, dish soap and anything with a strong fragrance — pet skin sits at a different pH and dries out fast.
- Ask us before using a medicated or flea shampoo alongside a spot-on treatment; some combinations cancel each other out.
Section 6 — Grooming Day: What to Expect
- Before you come — give your pet a toilet break and a short walk, and skip a big meal within two hours of the appointment.
- Check-in — we look over the coat and skin together and confirm the style, the length and any add-ons before your pet goes through.
- Bath and dry — coat-matched shampoo, thorough rinse, then a dry at the speed and noise level your pet tolerates.
- Styling — clipper or scissor work with breaks as needed. Nervous pets are worked in shorter stints rather than pushed through.
- Finishing checks — nails, ears, pads, sanitary area and a final brush-through.
- Ready call — we message you when your pet is done and ask that they be collected within 30 minutes.
- Handover — we walk you through what we found, what we changed, and what to watch at home. Tell us straight away if anything is not what you wanted; we will adjust it free within seven days.
Section 7 — Salon Policies
- Core vaccinations must be current, and we may ask to see the record on a first visit.
- Pets found with fleas are bathed with a treatment shampoo, charged at cost, and the station is sanitised before the next pet.
- Please reschedule if your pet has been vomiting, coughing or scouring in the last 48 hours.
Late arrival, cancellation and no-show
- Cancel or move an appointment with at least 24 hours’ notice at no cost.
- Cancellations inside 24 hours and no-shows may be charged a portion of the booked service.
- More than 15 minutes late usually means a shortened service or a rebooking — the table is already committed to the next pet.
- If a pet becomes distressed or unsafe to handle, we stop, settle them and call you. You are charged only for the work completed.
- Please tell us in advance about any bite history — it changes how we staff and pace the appointment, and it is not a reason to be turned away.
- We do not use sedation and cannot groom a sedated pet without written veterinary instruction.
Senior and special-needs pets
- Older pets are booked into quieter slots, worked in stages and given rest breaks throughout.
- For a frail pet we prioritise a clean, comfortable, hygienic finish over a show-perfect style.
- Tell us about heart, joint, respiratory or seizure conditions so we can adapt handling and drying.
This guide is general grooming and coat-care information, not veterinary advice. If your pet has a skin, ear or mobility problem, please speak to your vet first — we are always happy to work alongside their instructions.