Newspaper correspondent Laura Chaput called us in July to do a news article on the business! We were excited to have them come in and see the place and do the article...here is the article posted on August 1st!
By Laura Chaput/Daily News correspondent
The MetroWest Daily News
Posted Aug 04, 2008 @ 12:01 AM
NORTHBOROUGH —
A bubble bath, a Dead Sea mineral scrub, a blueberry face mask and a pedicure. What a great day at the spa - for a dog!
Dawn Giovannucci, owner of A Diamond in the Ruff, a Northborough-based day spa for dogs, says she named the spa so it would sound upscale, with a day-spa feel for the canine set.
"I wanted people to come in here and feel comfortable leaving their dogs here," she said.
Walking through the spa’s double doors, visitors see the walls are painted a sage green with twinkling lights lined in the crevices where the wall meets the ceiling. There’s also a water fountain, lit aromatherapy candles and soothing music playing all-day long.
The dogs are divided into two groups when they arrive. The large dogs weighing more than 31 pounds hang out with Cash, a 4-year-old Great Dane, in the Barker Lounge, a large room with, appropriately enough, a lounge motif. The clients are surrounded by pictures of pups playing pool and cards.
The smaller dogs, weighing less than 31 pounds, play with Sabrina, a 10-year-old bichon frise, in the Pampered Pooch Palace, a pink, purple, gold and black, princess-hemed room named after Giovannucci’s first grooming salon.
The rooms are designed to fit the needs of the dogs with a rubber floor for their knees and feet, cages for when they tire themselves out and need a nap, and ample playing space.
"The dogs love Michelle (Nowland), our full-time day-care attendant, and Kelly (Ramsdell), our part-time assistant day-care attendant," Giovannucci said.When these pampered pooches come in for a styling, Giovannucci and her two assistants are ready to make the hounds feel as beautiful as diamonds.
The spa offers a wide variety of services and packages. The Diamond Package includes the aforementioned Dead Sea mineral scrub and a facial for $25. The Ruby Package includes a special natural skin coat care and aromatherapy shampoo, teeth cleaning, pedicure and massage for $20. The Sapphire Package includes a special shampoo that rids bad odors and skin irritation for $15. The Pooch Bright Package is a whitening shampoo for white dogs for $10 while the Shed Less Package for Labrador retrievers trims its undercoat for $20. The Paw-dicure and facial package includes a blueberry facial massage, a bubble bath paw treatment and painted nails for $20.
Solo features include a spa bubble bath for $10, a flea bath for $10, a blueberry facial for $15, a mineral scrub for $15, rhinestones on the dogs toes for $3 per toe, toe nails painted for $10, and an express groom in under two hours for $20.Grooming Monday through Friday begins at 8 a.m. However, owners can drop their pets off earlier if it’s necessarily. Grooming ends at 2 p.m. The spa is also open Saturdays for grooming from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
"We stand out because we’re different," Giovannucci said. "There isn’t any other place like us. There are other grooming and day-care places in the area but no spa. We even call the owner when their dog is done being groomed unlike other places that keep the dog there for eight or more hours."
The prices of day care at A Diamond in the Ruff are very similar to those of other day care facilities.
For larger dogs, a single visit is $30 per day and a 10-day pass is $260. For smaller dogs, a single visit is $25 and a 10-day pass is $210. Owners can drop their dog off Monday through Friday at 7 a.m. and pick them up as late as 6 p.m.
"We try to work with the customer," she said. "If they want a 17-day pass we figure something out so that it can work for them. Customers generally know how many days they will be coming a month by the end of the previous month so we work with them to see what we can arrange."
Clientele for this new company has grown to close to 300 clients since it opened in April.
"I would say that by the end of the year, we will be fully booked for day care," Giovannucci said. "Right now we are booking one to two weeks in advance for grooming and the day spa."
The spa is located at 326 Main St. (Rte. 20, near the Marlborough border).A DIAMOND IN THE RUFFOwner: Dawn GiovannucciEmployees: 2 full time, 2 part timeIndustry: Dog careCompany background: Based in Northborough, A Diamond in the Ruff is a day spa for dogs. Its Web site is www.adiamondintheruff.biz.
here's the link to our article
http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/business/x2043521986/Spa-for-dogs-opens-in-Northborough
