06/09/2026
🏴 THE GROOMER’S NOTEBOOK | What’s Actually our Full Tartan Spa?
When you book a Full Tartan Spa, the haircut might be the part you notice most when your dog walks back through the door but it’s only one part of their groom. A professional groom starts long before we pick up our scissors.
Our Full Tartan Spa includes:
🩺 Skin & coat check: as we work, we’re looking and feeling for changes in the skin and coat, including dryness, irritation, lumps, matting or anything we think is worth bringing to your attention.
🛁 Two thorough washes: a beautifully finished coat starts with a properly cleansed one. Products and techniques are selected with the individual dog and their coat in mind. We exclusively use smithandburton who offer coat and skin type options for us to choose from.
💧 Nagayu CO₂ treatment & conditioning: included as part of the Full Tartan Spa to support the skin and coat while leaving it beautifully conditioned.
💨 Professional drying & coat preparation: drying isn’t simply about getting your dog dry! The way we dry, brush and prepare the coat directly affects the quality of the finished groom. Different coat types require different techniques.
🪮 Brush & comb through preparing the coat properly before styling and ensuring we’re working with a clean, dry and thoroughly prepared canvas.
✂️ Haircut or de-shed: tailored to your dog’s breed, coat type, lifestyle and your preferences. For our double-coated friends, that means appropriate de-shedding rather than automatically reaching for the clippers.
🐾 The little details: ears and eyes cleaned, nails trimmed and filed, sanitary areas and paw pads tidied and paw balm applied.
🤍 Handling & welfare throughout: we’re constantly watching body language and adjusting how we work. Sometimes the most important part of a groom is knowing when to change technique, give a dog a moment, or decide that something doesn’t need to be pushed that day.
Behind all of that is something that doesn’t appear on a service list: education, experience and continued professional development. The equipment we invest in, the products we choose, our understanding of different coat types, skin and coat health, canine behaviour and handling and the education we continue to undertake all influence how we approach the dog standing on our table.
To us a groom is so much more than a haircut. It’s the whole process that happens before, during and around it and adapting the experience to the individual dog in front of us. The goal isn’t simply a beautiful haircut. It’s a dog who leaves us clean, comfortable, beautifully groomed and cared for ❤️
