By Rylie Friesen-
While most drop by a gas station for a fill up and maybe a car wash, Pastor’s Gas Station in Citrus Heights is now offering a dog wash option.
Located in a small room to the right of the car wash behind the station’s convenience store, the self-serve dog wash is open seven-days-a-week from 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Customers pay $10 for a 10-minute wash, and can pay with cash, credit, or Apple pay.
The station offers a seven-step process: shampoo, warm water rinse, conditioner, flea wash, blow dry on low, blow dry on high, and disinfect the tub.
“My daughter swears by the conditioner,” said owner Randy Pastor in an interview with The Sentinel. “She did her dog, and she said he’s never felt so soft.”
Pastor said aprons are available on site, as well as towels for dogs that don’t like the blow dryer option.
The two dog wash stations on site consists of roughly 5-by-3-foot tubs with a door for easy pet access. One machine has steps set up to aid with entry for larger dogs or those with mobility issues.
Above the wash tub is a screen displaying the different wash options. To the right is a panel where the user can pay and click which option they want. A “stop/pause” button also lets the user pause the countdown timer as needed.
“What I’m finding is people are ending their dog washes with three or four minutes left,” said Pastor. At the end, there is a disinfectant to wash the tub down, but staff also check in regularly to make sure everything stays sanitary.
The project began in October, but due to overseas shipping and COVID-19, the dog wash stations were officially opened around two weeks ago.
“They came from the Netherlands,” Pastor said. “They took six weeks by boat to get here, and when they got here they were quarantined in San Francisco.” After that, professional movers were hired to install the machines. Camera surveillance was also installed for safety.
There are two machines in the room which gives more opportunity for customers, but Pastor said it was also a more practical choice.
“Go big or go home,” he said with a laugh. “I have the room, I have the space; I’m bringing in the waterline and the electrical. To do all that for one, and then have to do it all again for another one down the road — I figured I would just go for [both].”
The first day it opened, Pastor said five people used the machines. On an average day, there are now three to five customers, but he’s hopeful to get 10-15 washes going per day once the word gets out.
Banners were planned to be put up this weekend to help spread the news. Facebook posts and word-of-mouth will also be helpful with growth.
Makers of the station, iClean Dog Wash, told The Sentinel in a phone call that Classic models of the dog wash station generally sell for around $16,000.
Pastor’s Gas Station is located at the corner of Sunrise Boulevard and Old Auburn Road.
Related article: Meet Randy Pastor, of Pastor’s Auto Center in Citrus Heights
