Let's start with the plot twist: Jess Rona never planned to be a dog groomer.
She planned to be an actress. Grooming was the side thing, the "just until the big break" thing. The "I need money for a car" thing.
And somehow, that side thing turned into one of the most talked-about dog grooming salons in Los Angeles, and the story of how it happened is a thrill. We've been dying to tell it properly, so get cozy, grab a snack, and come with us.
The job that was only supposed to be temporary
When Jess was a teenager, she took a job bathing dogs at a PetSmart in Reseda. The goal was simple: earn enough for a car. The real dream was acting, so she did what so many LA dreamers do. She juggled: bathing dogs, restaurant shifts, auditions, repeat.
Then she moved to New York to dive into improv, and grooming took a back seat. But dogs, as it turns out, had other plans. In Jess's own words:
"It definitely seems like dog grooming chose me."
When she came back to LA, she made a decision. She was going to get really good at comedy and really good at grooming. She found mentors, practiced constantly, and around 2012 started entering grooming competitions. She even placed with a Bichon.
The Hollywood Hills garage where JRG began
Now the plot thickens. Jess lost a job because she kept leaving for auditions. She needed work that bent around her schedule, so she rented a house in the Hollywood Hills with a garage that looked like a dog groomer's dream waiting to happen.
A groomer friend who was moving gave her a small bathtub, Jess found a table, and suddenly, Jess Rona Grooming was born.
No sign, no storefront; she passed out flyers at dog parks, her friends told their friends, and on some days she groomed right next to her parked car. One person, one bathtub, one very good haircut at a time.
The little video that changed everything
Working alone in that garage, Jess was craving a creative outlet. One day, music was playing, the blow dryer was running, and a dog's ears lifted into the air. Jess grabbed her camera.
Soon she was pairing her grooming clips with songs and sending the little videos to owners, just because it made them happy. That's it. No strategy, no plan, just a groomer having fun and spreading joy.
Then the videos started spreading on their own. By December 2015, Allure was already reporting that Jess was turning clients away. Her Instagram following kept growing, and the garage got tiiiiny, fast.
From garage to Larchmont
When the waitlist outgrew the garage, Jess knew she needed a real home. She found a former antique shop at 656 N Larchmont Blvd and signed the lease in October 2019.
Then a global pandemic arrived and delayed everything. It was not the cute grand-opening montage anyone imagines, but JRG Salon opened its doors in 2020.
Building a cage-free dog grooming salon
Jess designed the whole space herself, starting with what she’d learned in the garage.
While she worked, her own dogs would nap nearby, and she noticed that their calm energy helped whichever dog was on the table. She wanted to bottle that.
"I wanted to create an environment where dogs felt safe and comfortable."
So JRG is a cage-free dog grooming salon. Instead of cages, there are beds and couches for lounging, fresh water, a real grass patch for potty breaks, and rest breaks built into every appointment. We groom fewer than 15 dogs a day, so every pup gets real, individual attention.
Then came the glam. Jess took her inspiration from the mid-century house in Katy Perry's Small Talk video: vintage glamour, gold, dog portraits, and dog-show trophies. She tracked down treasures at flea markets, on Etsy, and on eBay, and with help from Art Mafia, commissioned poodle wallpaper. (Obviously.)
One of our favorite details: the framed pictures have no glass. That means no glare when we film, and nothing breakable around dogs.
What a day at JRG looks like now
Jess Rona has been called a celebrity dog groomer, and yes, some very famous floofs do trust us with their fur. We treat them exactly like every other gorgeous beast who walks through the door: like royalty.
Every bath takes 30 to 60 minutes and includes two facials, an argan oil hydrating face mask, and a deep-conditioning treatment. Then your dog gets their very own glam squad, with bathers who start the transformation, assistants who hand-dry and fluff, and stylists who add the finishing touches. It's common for two or more groomers to work on one dog.
Jess also served as a judge and executive producer on the TV series Haute Dog, which premiered in September 2020. Now she's bringing everything she's learned from years behind the grooming table to Shmoop, her product line, so you can bring a little JRG home.
Your dog's turn
From a borrowed bathtub in a garage to a gold-framed, wood-paneled, poodle-wallpapered salon on Larchmont, one thing has never changed: Jess just wants dogs to actually love coming to the groomer.
Our schedule books up fast, especially for the holidays, so if you're looking for a dog groomer in Los Angeles, now is the time.
