An auto spa centre in the US

Give your jaded jalopy a Teflon-coating facial, a comprehensive anti-bacterial steam cleaning or an anti-rust rejuvenation treatment. For Calcutta’s “first car detailing spa”, offering grooming and wellness packages to pamper your treasured wheels, has clicked into gear at Alipore. With a foot on the pedal, it could soon extend the service to parking lots at malls and multiplexes.

“The idea is to restore not just surface gloss, but provide damage-control treatment for the exterior, while ensuring the interior remains fresh and healthy through various intensive therapy options,” explains Vinay Daga of the Glix Group of Companies, rolling out the grooming programme.

While basic exterior polish and interior cleaning would cost around Rs 2,000, any additional specialised service would come for an extra Rs 2,000-3,000.

Once the car rolls into the Glix treatment bay, supervisors assess the condition, like in a wellness clinic. “The vehicle might need UV protection to prevent recurring surface damage, a stone-chip coating to reduce noise and control under-carriage bruising or a cavity-protection treatment for the door panels,” points out Abhishek Daga, partner.

The spa offers detailing programmes for upholstery and carpet protection from sweat, dirt and fungus through steam cleaning and specialised industrial vacuum cleaners. “The grime that accumulates on the seat covers and the floor is often the perfect breeding ground for bacteria. Our detailing devices can reach areas where you otherwise can’t,” claims Vinay.

Other treatment options include cleaning dirt deposits on metal rims that reduce mileage, conditioning to restore sheen in leather upholstery, a special spray into the air-conditioning vents to purify the stale air circulation inside the car and an engine enrichment programme to reduce wear and tear.

“Today, it’s doubly important to ensure the resale value of the vehicle is retained at a healthy quadrant. Only comprehensive car detailing solutions at a specialised spa can guarantee that,” stresses Abhishek. The wellness treatment options, already available in Bangalore, Mumbai and Delhi, are costlier than the routine wax polish and wash, but is well worth it, maintain the brothers Daga.

Glix aims to open a second car detailing spa at the Silver Spring mall on the EM Bypass, and is also in talks with Forum and other upcoming malls and multiplexes to set up grooming bays at their parking lots.