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Dec. 19—It's all about chemistry.

An obsession with optimizing the chemistry of car cleaning agents, combined with a 150-foot wash tunnel and state-of-the-art machinery — that's what owner Shiv Shah said sets Luxe Car Wash apart.

"We put together an amazing facility. We have the best equipment money can buy," Shah said. "Our chemicals are the best that you can find in the industry, we didn't compromise on any costs, quality, at all."

The newly renovated car wash at 2232 State Hill Road in Wyomissing picks up where Auto Spa left off, after Shah and his business partner Christopher Jain purchased the business in February.

Shah said Jain owns three Cobra Express Car Wash facilities in Springfield, Delaware County, Cherry Hill, N.J. and Jamison, Bucks County.

He said Luxe Car Wash is his and Jain's first joint venture, one that makes use of the combined expertise of their automotive backgrounds.

"I come from the gas station and convenience store industry, so I have a lot of experience in customer service and retail, and I also own a mechanic shop," said Shah, "My partner being in the industry of car washing for 25 years, we put both of those skills together."

He said renovating the old Auto Spa building was a massive affair that involved a near-complete demolition of the old building.

"We totally tore down the equipment, the roof, the insides, everything except for the original two walls for the tunnel and a garage in the back," Shah said.

The building was then extended, the tunnel was renovated with fresh concrete, and two Luxe signature towers were added to the structure, in addition to a pay station area, and all new vacuums and equipment.

"It's as close as you can get to a new construction without doing a new construction," Shah said. "We did this renovation in exactly four months. Everybody told us we couldn't do it. We did everything everybody believed we couldn't do."

Shah said he made the decision to buy Auto Spa after becoming familiar with the Wyomissing area while working as a contractor for Carpenter Technology in 2018.

"I came here every single day, drove past this car wash, always had an interest to get into the car wash business," Shah said. "When we saw it come up for sale, we were like OK, this is a great area, we know that the market needs a top-tier car wash."

Being unique in the industry is the mission of Luxe — it's a goal that Jain takes as seriously as he takes the chemical composition of his cleaning agents.

"My partner's focus is chemistry, he's fully obsessed, every day you'll find him checking the pH levels within the tunnel," Shah said. "Most people think, in car washing if you have the right equipment, you get it right. That's not true. It's all about pH, the amount of chemicals you use, and then how you use your equipment."

Luxe also sets itself apart in the chemical arena by offering Graphene Silk, a 3-step chemical application unique to Jain's car washes, Shah said.

"Step one is removing oxidation, step two is applying ceramic, step three is applying graphene," Shah said. "Nobody in the industry does it like us...It's one of the most detailed processes we have...to make (a car) one of the shiniest vehicles you'll find."

Customers who can't get enough of Luxe won't be disappointed—Shah said the car wash offers unlimited car washes with a monthly membership.

"You can wash twice, three times a day, you can wash as many times as you're happy," Shah said.

He said the washing process for monthly members is automated and works via a license plate reader that automatically recognizes cars.

Memberships can be purchased both on site and online. Four tiers are offered, with costs ranging from $20 to $36 per month.

Besides being able to wash to their heart's content, members have access to several free perks, Shah said, such as vacuum usage, towels, window and glass cleaner, and air fresheners.

Customers got their first true Luxe experience at their grand opening Saturday, which was preceded by several "soft openings" during the prior week.

"We have people flowing in for car washes," Shah said. "We're very excited, and confident that it's going to be a clean car coming out of our tunnel."

Luxe's opening ceremony featured free washes, as well as giveaways and a fundraiser raffle in partnership with Keystone Military Families.