A dog groomer who spent years working out of her clients' kitchens has a storefront of her own. Royalty Pet Grooming opened October 7 at 109 C Main Street in Port Washington, according to the business's own announcements, and celebrated with a grand opening party on October 18 that drew neighbors and their dogs for photos, giveaways and tours of the new space.

Owner and groomer Rachel writes on the salon's site that she has more than 12 years of experience and spent much of it running an in-home grooming business across the North Shore, specializing in anxious, senior and sensitive dogs. As the business grew past what house calls could handle, she built the salon to keep the calm, one-on-one experience that in-home clients were used to.

One dog at a time

The salon's defining policy is that appointments are one-on-one. Dogs are never loose together and do not interact; when appointments briefly overlap, a finished dog waits for pickup in a private pen. The business describes the approach as a home away from home, built for dogs that find a busy grooming floor overwhelming, and says each groom is adjusted to the individual dog, whether that is a young dog with energy to burn, an older dog that needs extra time, or one that is nervous about the process.

What it offers

Services run from a bath and touch-up, which includes a bath with shampoo and conditioner, blowout, sanitary trim, nail trim, paw pad trim and eye trim, starting at 70 dollars for dogs 20 pounds and under, to a full groom with a customized haircut starting at 90 dollars. A separate full groom for doodles, poodles and curly coats starts at 100 dollars, reflecting the extra work those coats take, and a puppy intro groom for dogs six months and under starts at 75 dollars with a first haircut included. Prices step up by weight class, with the largest dogs, 100 pounds and over, topping out at 180 dollars for a curly-coat full groom.

Walk-in add-ons and individual services, from nail trims to ear cleaning, round out the menu, which is posted in full on the services page.

Booking

Royalty Pet Grooming is open Wednesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., and is closed Sunday through Tuesday. Appointments are booked through royaltypetgrooming.com, and the salon can be reached at 516-625-0540. The salon is on Main Street a short walk from the Port Washington LIRR station.

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