What is a carwash supposed to look like? If one were to travel across the nation, stopping at a random sampling of commercial carwashes, many of the locations would have a similar look and feel, largely dictated by ingress and egress logistics, lot size, tunnel length, local city aesthetic requirements and conventional wisdom. On the one hand, this architectural consistency reinforces public perception and helps motorists quickly identify a carwash if they are inclined to make an impulse purchase. Instant recognition is important for impulse buyers, but does a homogenized approach to design help or hurt carwash businesses when dealing with customer loyalty and trying to establish a customer experience that differentiates one carwash from the next? To be sure, a carwash cannot afford to sacrifice function for form, nor does an operator want to brazenly risk customer perception that a wash’s unusual design is more about a gimmick than a quality wash. Truth be told, the industry needs both, just like Las Vegas profits from both themed hotels and stylish, modern beauties. The skeleton of most carwashes are essentially the same, but many operators have gone the extra mile to build attention-grabbing exoskeletons that pique curiosity and build a memorable carwash experience. Cloister Wash & Lube’s Sinking Spring, Pa., facility rests on nearly eight acres and offers a myriad of wash and car-care services. It was recently featured on the History Channel’s Modern Marvels. More recently, Greenhill Car Wash, a new wash in Wilmington, Del., was built as a green wash from the ground up, using recycled building materials and recycled finished products where possible and incorporating solar energy, low-impact chemicals and water recycling from the word go. Those are just two examples. There are dozens more. Here we profile two of the more memorable washes in recent memory: Elite Car Wash in Clermont, Fla., and Showboat Car Wash in St. Augustine, Fla. Elite Car Wash is an imposing structure for a carwash, built as a functioning, three-story office building within the context of a full-service auto-care center. Among its features are hurricane-proof windows, theater seating inside for television viewing and water cannons to help keep the kids entertained. Showboat Car Wash is an 8,000-square-foot wood structure designed to look like a river boat floating on water. Modeled after Classic Car Wash's Delta Queen in Campbell, Calif., Showboat features a 150-foot tunnel and draws regular customers as far as 30 miles away. Related Articles:
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