M Dog Grooming Salon

M Dog Grooming Salon is a small, appointment-only dog grooming studio in Mulgrave, in Melbourne's south-east. It is owned and run by May Wong, a multi-award-winning groomer with more than ten years behind the scissors, and the salon's whole reason for being is one thing done carefully rather than many things done quickly.

The approach is hands-on in the literal sense. Every dog is hand-washed and hand-dried completely, from the skin out, so the coat finishes fluffy and even, and the drying doubles as a skin check before any scissoring begins. The salon specialises in teddy bear styling for poodles and rounded happy ball-head finishes for bichons, with the kind of slow, precise scissor work those looks demand. Work is limited to small and medium dogs, and clients are asked to keep to a regular four-to-six-week schedule, so the calendar suits owners who want consistent upkeep rather than a one-off tidy. Dogs are settled on their own without owners present, sessions are filmed on CCTV throughout, and sedation is never used.

It is a deliberately low-volume salon that treats each dog as its own, which is worth knowing before booking.