Pampered pets get massages at Ohio spas

Columbus Dispatch

COLUMBUS

Scoff, if you must, at Lee Evans and her poodle mix with a purple mohawk.

The candy-colored coif of the rescue dog is the talk of her block.

“She actually likes it because she gets more attention,” said Evans, 59, of the Clintonville neighborhood in Columbus, who adopted 3-year-old Isabella from a shelter. “People stop and admire her.

“They either love it or they hate it.”

Plenty of pet owners, though, are seemingly drawn to such a higher level of canine beautification — well beyond a haircut and an ear cleaning.

Salon-style services for pooches have popped up throughout central Ohio as savvy groomers expand their offerings for well-heeled clients — those who make no bones about giving a puffy Pomeranian a jungle-inspired “lion” cut or stenciling onto a husky (with nontoxic, semi-permanent dye) a scarlet-hued Block O.

Flamboyant? Wasteful? Some might view the ideas as such, but a small group of pet-care proprietors supports the services.

“We want to achieve optimum health and happiness,” said Danielle Wilson, owner of Bath & Biscuits in Granville, where dogs are treated to tearless “blueberry” facial scrubs, mud treatments for flaking skin and muscle-loosening hydrotherapy baths.

For a calming effect, jittery animals sniff lavender-infused oil.

Both dietary and behavioral counseling, too, are offered by Wilson, who has owned an all-natural pet-food line since 2004.

A year ago, she opened her cheery salon — about 30 miles east of Columbus in Licking County — inside a converted farmhouse.

“You walk in,” she said, “and people don’t even realize this is for dogs.”

A recent expansion of the Animal Hospital of Polaris, meanwhile, encompassed new grooming extras such as toenail painting, hot-oil massages and fur dying — services that the Lewis Center facility tends to book mostly before holidays.

Pets rarely receive a full-body coloring. Instead, they get a tail highlight, a shamrock or a set of stripes, as when a white Maltese mix recently adopted a zebra look.

“It’s a fashion statement,” manager Brittani Sell said. “People know what they enjoy. A lot of times, that rubs off on their pets.”

Central Ohio businesses joining the beauty bandwagon are, in part, following a trend on both coasts, where such practices already have wide acceptance.

This year, as estimated by the American Pet Products Association, pet owners will spend $3.65 billion on grooming and boarding — up from $3.51 billion in 2010.

Its annual trend report recently cited “human” brands that cater to animals as an area of growth.

The salon label Paul Mitchell has a line of dog shampoos and conditioners made with oatmeal and tea-tree extracts. Omaha Steaks sells bite-sized treats formed from dried cuts of round steak. Pet apparel, from T-shirts to biker-inspired “canine caps,” is manufactured by Harley-Davidson, among others.

Such fawning isn’t likely to slow.

“We are constantly looking for ways to expand our services,” said Alicia Schwarz, national grooming program manager for the San Diego chain PETCO, which operates a store at Lennox Town Center.

“We look at trends in the human- and pet-grooming industries.”

Among them: a vanilla “Paw Spaw” treatment to aid cracked nail beds and calloused skin, along with perfumes in scents such as “cucumber melon.”

Kate Quinn, who in November opened Graffiti Dog in Clintonville, knows that pet owners with cash to spare seek something extra.

Quinn is more focused, however, on a holistic approach — chemical-free shampoos, heatless blow-dryers and individual appointments — to avoid caging an animal.

Her latest offering is called Soft Claws. The multicolored vinyl nail caps are glued over toenails to protect dogs and cats from their scratching.

The coverings fall off when the nails grow longer.

Quinn also has conducted in-house events with a pet psychic and made plans to sell canine jewelry made of Swarovski crystals by groomer Tina Feasel.