SpaBARK! – Mobile Grooming

Not only was the arrival 3 hrs past my appointment time~ no one answered my calls regarding arrival status. Appointment time was 3pm, arrived at 6pm… did not complete grooming until 8pm. In addition, I specified that I did «not» want a lion cut for my cat… and when I was called for pick up… they gave him a lion cut without even calling me for authorization prior. Paid $ 100 for horrible service. By the way, I was quoted a cheaper price at point of contact… then the price raised upon arrival. Will most definitely «not» be a returning customer.

My first and probably last experience with this company was NEGATIVE! I have seen the van parked out front and thought I would give them a call for my new little guy. I was really excited that they would be here between 9 and 9:30 today. I specifically asked the girl to make closer to 9;30 because anytime before then is TOO EARLY …,(my original hope was noon so that was a compromise already).
Guess why I am up now (7:40 A. M) writing this review? I was called at 7:30 this morning because the driver was in the area. They wanted to know if they could come now. Ummm. REALLY?
I couldn’t believe it especially in light of our conversation just last night. If I am paying those prices to get my baby groomed it’s about what’s convenient for ME not you!
Thank you, spa bark. I am wide-​awake now and NOT thrilled. CLEARLY!

Dori was fantastic! She did exactly what we talked about. Fenny looked awesome and was a happy boy when he was finished. Customer service over the phone was great as well! We will definitely use SpaBARK again in the very near future and will request Dori! Thanks SpaBARK!

After some mud communications as far as scheduling, I thought I had scheduled for a mobile service and even after calling to confirm and actually getting a confirmation text I apparently schedule a salon service. BUT GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE the mobile unit squeezed me in and my cat Codey was given a spa treatment. Great cut and nice groomer. She was so sweet with my old arthritic Maine Coon. He was not happy but not traumatized I am very very very happy with their skills and the customer service we received. Thank u so much

Great service all around. Knowledgeable, communicative, convenient, customer-​focused and cares about the well being of your pet. They do dogs and cats (under SpaMeeow). You’d be had pressed to find a cat groomer let alone a good one. A little more expensive, but they come to your house and do the best job ever. Spend the extra coin for your pet. It’s the least you can do for your four legged family members.

Jennifer and Vicky are the best. Today was the first visit of many. Everything went great. 4 dogs and a cat!
Prices were great as well as the services. The van was very clean!
Thanks ladies for a great experience :)

Vicki was a gem! I definitely appreciate the convenience of a good mobile grooming service, as I find it hard to find someone who’s willing to come out to groom my cat. It is not that he is difficult… Unfortunately some people just don’t have a lot of experience grooming cats. The only unfortunate thing about my experience with SpaBark is that I am moving to Maryland next week and I will not have the ability to use them again!
Vicki was extremely personable, handled my cat very well, and was quick with the service. I was totally pleased and, given the opportunity, I would definitely use them again. It was also an added bonus to be able to get a Unilocal deal with my first service.

We have a cat that we took in when he was young and malnourished, and we had no idea he was going to become the long haired fluff ball that he is. So we found ourselves in need of a groomer to help us. We’ve used SpaBark twice now for Elton, and I’m completely in love. We’re newbies to grooming, so I didn’t know the difference between lion cuts, comb cuts and sanitary trims (ok, maybe I could’ve guessed at the sanitary one!). Jennifer talked me thru the right needs for Elton, he is ecstatic after his groom (he acts like a kitten after, running, jumping, playing, he’s so happy). I love that they’re mobile and come to you, they’re always spot on with their time, and Elton looks and feels great. Their phone support isn’t easy to get thru, but they always call back in a timely manner, and are well worth a little extra effort to get an appointment. Highly recommend.

Hey Jenny — Don’t know you or why you are so confused and lash out at miscellaneous people for no reason whatsoever but your extremely long diatribe sounds exceedingly desperate and hysterical. You should take a much-​needed rest to overcome the delusion. Sounds like life at the Spa is too much to handle as everyone knows you are having a rough time with it. Good businesses have pleasant staff and don’t misuse social media.
Melvin

It was awesome. They were early. There was 2 groomers. They did my 3 cats in 1hr & 20 min. No problems. Totally professional. Used the Unilocal coupon and they waited while I figured all that out and were very nice about it.
Getting the appt: you just have to call. The 1^st call I spoke to a young lady who seemed pretty clueless. She said she’d have the groomer call me. I waited 2 days and called back. No record of my call. I spoke to Vicky who was very helpful (she’s the groomer) and answered all of my questions. While I was on the phone with her the phone was ringing off the hook so obviously they are busy and maybe a little understaffed.

I am really happy with my experience!!! I had the lion’s cut scheduled for my kitty Magnolia. They called me to tell me the groomer was going to arrive early and she did! They estimated 1/5−2hours max but she got here done in 1 hour. Magnolia looks wonderful and happy! I was pleased with the customer service/​efficient communication/​grooming services. I also appreciated the groomer arriving early as I was able to get on my with my day sooner! I will use their services again!

My dog looks great and you can’t beat the convenience of them coming directly to your door. However, their time management is terribly disappointing. I was told my appointment time frame was 3 – 4 and she could come anytime in that hour. She was not here until 6:15. I had to cancel plans and it’s a good thing I didn’t have to work. I understand there is traffic and other unforeseen circumstances, but 3 hours is really ridiculous. They did give me $ 10 off for my inconvenience, but if I had to work I would have had to cancel and then I would’ve been charged $ 38! They really need to work on their time management so this doesn’t happen.

Just gave these guys a call to ask about the Unilocal deal you can purchase, but I was surprised when the woman I spoke to on the phone kept placing me on hold to see if the Unilocal deal was expired. I said I don’t know if it’s expired because Unilocal is still offering the deal as we speak, hints the reason I’m calling to see how it works. The woman I was speaking with gave me the notion she didn’t want to deal with my questions, so I’ll search Unilocal for someone else to groom my pup. If they didn’t want to be bothered with a new customer, I can only imagine how they would treat my doggy.

Really great place! My dog’s appointment was scheduled for yesterday during our first blizzard of winter. They called me in the morning and offered to reschedule because of the bad weather and road conditions. It was hard for me to find a time that would work, so instead they offered to send their grooming mobile to me. How thoughtful and sincerely considerate!!! Customer service aside, my dog really seemed to enjoy the experience, he’s never felt so soft. Love whatever products they use, he’s a white dog so products make a difference (and I’m allergic to most dog products or fragrances other groomers use in the past).
Bottom line: great service, great service, will definitely be a repeat customer.

My husband and I have used this service many, many times, and are typically very happy with the way our dog is groomed. His nails get cut, his ears cleaned, and always smells very fresh and clean. I would rate 5 stars the actual grooming part of the services.
But, the reason I have rated this service 3 stars is due to their lack of customer service and issues with scheduling appointments. It is my opinion that any business that serves customers and allows the customers to book their appointments online, has an obligation to show up and perform those services you book when you want them to.
Too many times, my husband and I have been too accommodating to their scheduling changes. Each time we have booked an appointment online, there have been issues. We have recently found out this is due to use of improper software that allows double-​booking of timeslots. This is NOT the customers fault, and should not be made to seem like it’s the customer’s fault. Unfortunately, they are not prompt about calling you back, and for these reasons, the rating is only 3 stars. If they change their software and get something that more appropriately handles their business, I would be open to changing the rating to something higher.
EDIT/​UPDATE as of ⁹⁄₂₅: We were given a discount on our grooming this last time, due to all of the hassles, which was nice. However, what wasn’t nice was that we were charged twice — and now we have to deal with the bank to get the 2^nd erroneous charge reversed!!! This business is a mess. Rating back down to 1 star. Will never use again. Petco does just as good of a job without all the hassle (not to mention double billing).

I would use their services if I am ever in a pinch. They did a fairly good job grooming our 5-​year old dog. She is a mixed breed which we adopted from PAWS Chicago, August 1, 2009. We have a groomer that we have been using for several years for our dog. When we called to schedule a grooming appointment we were informed that he was «on vacation» for two-​weeks. Our regular groomer is located on Fullerton Ave near California Ave (Logan Square), so a friend in our neighborhood recommended the «Spa Bark Mobile» and we set up an appointment for our 30 lb dog. Our dog’s fur grows like weeds and she usually needs grooming every three months.
Our dog suffers from anxiety (panic attacks), but the groomer did an excellent job and did not turn her away just because she has anxiety. She did an excellent job grooming our dog. She looked like a show dog! I would use their services for my dog if my regular dog groomer is on vacation again. I thought they did a nice job considering that I was a first-​time client (I mean my dog was a first-​time client). All in all, I was satisfied with the services that I (I mean, my dog) received from them.
TIP: For those who have never used a Mobile Dog (Cat) Grooming service, keep in mind that they are driving to your place. Gas prices are high, so perhaps this is the reason for their higher prices (plus, wear and tear on their huge van). My regular groomer charges $ 55. He has 16-​years of grooming experience. Yes, I paid considerably more for their service. ANOTHER TIP: Be sure to ask how many years of experience the groomer has, because this is always important to know.

We called this groomer because we have two Shiba Inus and they need to be groomed regularly, especially as one of them is a long-​haired variety. Since we moved to the South Loop and don’t own a car, walking them to the Petsmart isn’t really a viable option.
When the van arrived, we brought our dogs downstairs from our apartment and carefully led them inside where the groomer hooked their leashes up to the wheel attached to the grooming bed. We said our goodbyes and returned upstairs.
We got a call an hour later that our dogs were ready and asked us to pay. We paid our fee and gave a $ 20 tip, then went downstairs to get our dogs. The groomer opened the door and at first impression everything was fine. Both dogs looked clean, silky, and smelled great.
That’s when she explained she had some trouble with our dogs. Godiva, our female, was fine but Bailey, our male, grew agitated when she turned on the blow dryer to dry them. They’re used to cage drying at Petsmart and Bailey has always hated loud fan noises. Rather than stop at that point, call her dispatcher, and contact us, she chose to continue until she injured Bailey. His dew claw was ripped, pushed completely horizontal, and the inner right side of his paw was covered in blood. She tried to pass it off as a minor injury that wasn’t important and just gave us an apology.
It’s been a nightmore having to clip his claw off, soak his paw in epsom salt, and bandage it. He’s in a lot of pain and it’s their fault.
I don’t ever recommend them to anyone and we will never use them again. She should and could have stopped before she injured our dog.
EDIT: We were finally able to contact them and reach an agreement regarding compensation for Bailey’s injury and the issue has been resolved.

My cats always look great after Jennifer gets done with them. They smell good too!!!
Jen has been grooming my cats for years and I’m always happy with the results…
Thank You Spa Meow!!!

My dog was badly cut by one of the groomers. It was not pointed out to me that the dog had been injured. I noticed a short time after the same day.
I emailed Spa Bark and someone called me almost immediately. She seemed genuinely concerned. She said the next grooming would be comped and any vet bills would be reimbursed.
I kept her in the loop on his healing process. He did end up going to the vet. I submitted the bill and some wires were crossed internally between two employees and one thought the other had processed the payment. I had to follow up a few weeks later. I did receive a check for the vet bill.
After further thought, we have decided not to use their services. I appreciate the effort of making good on a bad situation caused by one groomer. It is not worth possible future injury to my dog.

I did not actually use this service.
I went for mobile grooming for convenience, but it was just too much of a hassle to book an appointment.
I booked online based on their stated availability and received an «unaccepted» notice and a follow up phone call. They could not tell me when they had appointments with certainty and also mentioned that the timings very based on how previous services go and traffic.
The other side was they could not really give me a price. After reading some of the other review where the prices seemed to have jumped, I thought to ask. They quoted $ 75-​$ 95 + the $ 25 service fee, but it could vary with the condition. To double check, I looked at other mobile grooming sites which were very clear on the cost and also the adders.
In the end, it is a bit more than petco which would be worth the convenience, but I need a dependable time. for it to be worth it.