I moved here for my daughter. I stayed for the dog beach.

I bought a house in Juno Beach so I could be near my daughter. The first time I walked the dog beach I said out loud that I wanted to be near the dogs. That is the whole reason the salon is here and not somewhere else.

Twelve years on the table

I've been grooming for twelve years. Somewhere in there I stopped being satisfied with what was on the supplier's shelf. Coats came in dry, skin came in irritated, and the products I was handed made the problems worse. So I started making my own, testing on my own dogs first, and fixing one problem at a time: a shampoo that actually hydrates, a conditioner that gets a brush through a curly coat, a dry bath for the cats who won't tolerate water.

That became DOWG Essentials. It's plant-based, it's made in small batches, and it's the only line used at ZenSpawt.

The team

I don't do every groom myself anymore, and I'm proud of that. The groomers here were trained by me, on my methods, with my products. When you drop off, you'll meet whoever is grooming your dog that day.

No competition

I don't think much about other salons. I compete with myself. When I see a problem on the table, I go home and make something for it. That's the whole business, really.

— CarlaOwner and formulator