Jess Rona’s unlikely career in dog grooming began thanks to one very particular family cat.
“I went to acting school and groomed dogs.
I waited tables and groomed dogs.
Rona cozies up on her Instagram-famous couch with (from left) Ruby, Oscar, Chupie, Charisma, and Meemu.
So grooming was always a thing I was mediocre at.
I would just do it to give me supplemental income.”
Says Rona, “I started to really venture to get good.”
Rona keeps a stash of dog-friendly accessories at the ready for photo shoots (modeled here by one of her own two dogs, Meemu, a poodle mix).
She voraciously studied breed-standard haircuts and found mentors through the grooming competition community.
(Most groomers would use clippers.)
“He was so gracious.
Oscar, a toy poodle, has a penchant for sticking his tongue out during grooming, says Rona.
He allowed me to send him pictures of my work and he would critique it.”
Before long, Rona started entering competitions herself while working at various L.A. grooming salons.
(She admits she was fired from one for insisting that pugs should not be shaved.)
To source the vintage dog portraits and figurines that have become synonymous with her salon, Rona scoured eBay, Etsy, and the Long Beach Antique Market.
Oscar, a toy poodle, has a penchant for sticking his tongue out during grooming, says Rona.
If you follow Rona onInstagram, you know where we’re headed from here.
“I would listen to music as I would groom alone in my garage,” she says.
Chupie, a sato, was rescued from the streets of Puerto Rico by Rona’s husband, actor Eric Edelstein.
“I was with a Pekingese and her ears flew up as I was blow-drying her.
I was like, ‘This is hilarious.’
So I grabbed my camera and I filmed it.”
She later posted it on Instagram.
(This, reader,isthe part where Rona ascends to her rightful throne.)
She started making videos daily, using the slo-mo feature for a dramatic, wind-machine-like effect.
Rona spent hours syncing music so that the beat dropped in time with each cascade of fur.
“I wanted a crescendo moment,” she explains.
“It became an obsession.”
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“It’s so interesting how the world works,” says Rona.
“I couldn’t [go to] auditions because my business blew up.
It was like I was shot out of a cannon.”
And then came…the not-so-fun part.
“It was the hardest thing I’ve ever gone through in my life,” says Rona.
Of course, the salon was designed first and foremost to cater to Rona’s canine clients.
Unlike typical grooming salons, Rona’s does not use cages to corral dogs between appointments.
Instead, clients lounge onCasper dog bedsand enjoy music and aromatherapy.
“Every dog gets a blueberry facial and anargan oilmask….
Some spend an hour just in the bath,” says Rona.
“If you come here, know that your dog will be spoiled.”
“I want to show the world that grooming is an art form,” she says.
“You’re not only cutting hair, you’re sculpting a technical shape.”
Rona’s next venture, a product line, also aims to meet pet parents where they are.
(The formulas are still in development, so she can’t say much but watch this space.)
“It’sThe OfficemeetsBest in Show,” she says.
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