A car wash, a cafe, a way of life...
What's Gloss?
In 2020, a dream came true. A car wash and cafe was born in Boulder, Colorado. Inspired by a love of beautiful cars, quality coffee and enriching the local community, Anthony and Natalie Pigliacampo along with Peter Stewart reimagined the only full-service car wash in Boulder county.
Gloss Auto Wash is more than a car wash. It is a community, a culture and a way of life where all are welcome (especially dogs) and caring for your car is a fun part of your day.
Gloss
Origin Story
Gloss Auto Wash & Cafe roared into Boulder’s cultural consciousness in 2020, in the middle of a pandemic, with top-notch car washes, world-class coffee, exciting design, and a quaint notion that getting your car washed could be the best part of your week.
Gloss is a step bigger than a brand: it is a culture and a way of life. To us, ‘gloss’ is trying to add that little bit of extra shine to everything in our life. Gloss is the passion and enthusiasm we put into doing our jobs. Gloss is the feeling we get from caring for our community, team, and environment.
Gloss did not set out just to wash cars, but to celebrate the feeling of taking care of something you love. Cars are not just transportation; they are part of our lives. They tell a story about us, where we have been, where we are going. At Gloss, we love cars. We are obsessed with them, in fact. Our cars are always shiny, and that makes us feel good. We want to share that feeling with you.
Our car wash, cafe and shop is a gathering spot where all are welcome and there is simply respect for the honesty and enjoyment of the machine, good coffee and taking care of our community. Inclusiveness, authenticity, enthusiasm, that is our formula for maximum Gloss.
Stop by, enjoy some fair trade and organic coffee, peruse our cool shop and shine your shell. We promise the feeling of Glossn will make your day a little bit better.
Anthony, Natalie & Peter
Contact Us
“Gloss is hands down the best place in Boulder to get your car washed. The team’s attention to detail is unparalleled. My car always leaves looking brand new! Plus, you can’t beat sipping on a perfect latte while your car is being washed.
FAQ
Yes, we have 8 Tesla Superchargers at Gloss. Enjoy our coffee shop and retail store while you top off your battery!
Yes. In fact, I first went to Puddle in 1999 and have been trying to acquire it ever since. My desire for sipping a top notch latte while my car gets cleaned knows no bounds. I love cars and I love them more when they are clean. The Puddle closed in July 2020 and a month later, we opened Gloss at the same spot .
Yup, no touching here. So if you own a Tesla and read your owners manual, you will be pleased to find out that Gloss is the type of wash recommended by Tesla. Is touch-less better than a wash with brushes? Depends on who you ask and how it is setup, but the nice thing about touchless is that your car is washed with water and soap, no brushes against your paint. And for those who say 'It's impossible to clean a car without brushes', please take a picture of the brushes in your dishwasher and send them to me. We'll wait.
Of course. Turns out a Gloss Wash is WAY more efficient than washing it at home. In fact, we use less than 19 gallons of water to wash your car versus around 50 at home. Plus, we run all our water through settling tanks, then a maze of filters so it can be recycled back into the wash. This helps us reclaim and re-use a tremendous amount of water. So if you care about saving water, and if you live in Boulder, you should throw away your bucket and sponge and commit to only washing at Gloss, forever.
Yes. Perhaps you, like us, dreamed of the day when you could get amazing coffee while getting your car washed. Well, your dream has come true. Gloss serves fair trade and organic coffee roasted by our friends at Ampersand right here in Boulder, Colorado. Gloss's RPM Blend is the result of tinkering with blends from different countries to create a smooth, everyday roast with a chocolate finish. Try some, you won't be disappointed. We sell it by the pound and can grind for you as well.
We think so. Our avg wage is about $22/hr. That's approximately $45k per year. If you think our prices are high, consider that paying our employees is our largest expense by far and the only reason we charge what we do. And before you say that you saw a sign saying McD pays $20/hr, keep in mind that our 'average' is $22. It really is only the super part time high school employees who make less than that. Our full time workers make more. The ones at McD do not.
Not yet, but we are working on it.
We are working on adding a dog wash station, however, it is taking a while to get permitted. We hope to have it by the end of 2023.
Yes. Right across from CU. Gloss is a true local business created to serve the community we know and love. This is the second business we have created in town - the first being Modern Market.