I Can See Clearly Now
Glass carwash buildings offer a visibly safer and more inviting environment

By Lisa N. D’Amico

When it comes to making your customers feel safer and more relaxed while they wash their cars, the solution is clear: a glass carwash building. According to a recent study conducted by an independent market research company, when you add a glass carwash building, you benefit from 20 percent more revenue than conventional structures. Your customers benefit, too, which translates back into even more revenue for you. Glass carwashes appear safer than their conventionally built counterparts, and customers want to spend their money where they feel comfortable and safe. Picture these familiar scenarios:

• You operate a 24-hour carwash located on a busy street, but few customers actually use the carwash after sunset. Your facility is well-lit, but you know potential customers are concerned about unknown dangers that might lurk unseen in the shadows or behind the building. 
• A newly washed car starts to exit the automatic bay at your carwash -- and smashes into another car that the driver couldn’t see coming from around the corner. As the drivers get out to check the damage, they both complain about the solid walls of the building, which didn’t allow them to see each other until it was too late.
• A potential carwash customer sighs as she drives past your carwash. She’ll have to go home and wash her car by hand in her driveway again because her claustrophobia makes it impossible for her to venture into a conventional carwash building, even in daylight.

Carwashes that go unused at night, view-impairing block buildings and claustrophobia-inducing wash bays are common in the carwash industry, but they are not unavoidable. A glass carwash building is the perfect solution to all of these problems because it offers unparalleled visibility all day and night.

A glass carwash building may be an effective crime deterrent. The most common crimes committed at carwashes include thefts, armed robberies, drug offenses, assaults and motor vehicle thefts. Anyone in the carwash industry knows that carwashes are magnets for shady characters who are drawn by the thought of cash and vulnerable victims. Often open at night, isolated and housed in dark buildings that offer plenty of places to hide, carwashes offer a nearly irresistible temptation for would-be offenders. Though there are no guarantees, one way to reduce the danger is to eliminate the criminals’ best allies: darkness and handy hiding places.

Visibly Safer, Even at Night

A carwash owner can do several things to invite more evening and nighttime customers.

Obviously, planning your site so that the carwash is near the street so it is clearly visible to passing cars will make potential customers feel safer. If the carwash is part of a convenience store, put the carwash in plain sight of the employees at the counter and customers at the pumps. Installing noticeable surveillance equipment and bright lights are also common methods used to dissuade potential criminals.

No matter how well you plan your site, however, a block building offers too many places for someone to hide, which makes stopping at a carwash at night a scary prospect for many drivers. Most criminals prefer to operate under the cover of darkness in areas where they can hide easily until the moment is right. A typical carwash building is an ideal lair for someone intending to rob, steal or attack and then disappear. If you use a glass carwash building, the feeling of security increases dramatically. At night, a glass carwash building is filled with and surrounded by light, illuminating every square inch of the building and creating a safer environment that helps calm the nerves of even the most skittish carwash customer.

Marty Calloway of Maryville, Tenn.- based Calloway Oil — who owns and operates several glass carwashes in addition to conventional carwashes — believes that customers perceive glass carwashes as safer because they can see out and in. “There is no place to hide in a glass building, so customers experience a higher level of comfort, especially female customers,” he maintains. A glass carwash can be designed to maximize visibility from particular angles or to address safety concerns arising from a specific location or site plan. Customers who before might have been nervous about using a carwash alone can re lax in a glass carwash building, knowing they and their vehicle are visible at all times, even at night.

See Everything under the Sun

The increased visibility into and out of a glass carwash building improves safety conditions during the day as well. The structural members and corner extrusions of most glass carwashes are small, often just a few inches wide, so they do not interfere with the driver’s field of vision like a solid block wall. Drivers inside the carwash can clearly see approaching vehicles and pedestrians, and vice-versa. If a driver inside a carwash needs assistance, they can easily attract attention.

During the day, weather permitting, carwash customers will be treated to blue sky, sunlight and scenery. The health benefits of natural sunshine are well documented, especially its ability to help alleviate anxiety by stimulating the production of melatonin. Medical research has shown that even where serious health conditions do not exist, moderate exposure to natural sunlight can still improve health by stimulating the immune system to optimal levels, increasing activity levels and creating an improved overall sense of well-being.

Craig Scotten of SSP Partners, who owns and operates numerous carwashes in Texas, immediately recognized the advantages of a glass carwash building. “The bright environment of the Crystal Structures building increased security, which pleased and increased our customer base. We are seeing more ladies and moms. It’s neat to see out and see in,” he says.

Say Goodbye to ‘Dark and Dank’ Buildings

While a glass carwash building can drive more evening and nighttime sales and reduce the chance of collisions, it may have the greatest impact on customers who feel uncomfortable inside a typical carwash building. Claustrophobia is the most acute form of the basic fear or dislike of dark, enclosed spaces. A carwash is a prime example of conditions that could make someone feel anxious: dark cinderblock walls that seem to press inward, a few small lights that do not give off enough light to banish the shadows, and even big metal doors that bang closed — cutting off the only apparent avenues of escape.

Customers who suffer from mild to moderate claustrophobia may feel extremely uncomfortable in ordinary carwashes, even during the day and with the doors open. Calloway has seen the consequences firsthand when carwash customers panic inside an enclosed block-building carwash. Disoriented by the low light level and noise inside the wash, some exit their vehicles during the washing cycle to try and find the emergency exit, putting themselves in danger. Some even attempt to drive out of the carwash, damaging the equipment and building. “I believe customers prefer a building they can see out of, so they never feel claustrophobic,” Calloway offers.

A glass carwash building, which permits complete visibility throughout the washing process, should help customers with mild to moderate claustrophobia to feel more comfortable while washing their cars. In the evening and at night, customers will see the stars and the lights in and around the carwash. Even with the doors closed, the view is still largely unobstructed, making it easier for a mildly claustrophobic customer to use the carwash with less anxiety. On a clear night, moonlight pours through the glass roof of the carwash, creating a relaxed and even enjoyable atmosphere. According to one carwash owner, his glass carwash has become a popular destination for couples on a date or for a husband and wife to spend a few quiet enjoyable moments.

Geoffrey Shure, owner of the Ameriwash carwash in Alsip, Ill., tore down a two-bay touchless auto wash and replaced it with a glass single-bay automatic. Though he bought the glass carwash building to showcase his new equipment and because he thought it represented the latest carwash technology, he knows that the safety factor is a huge side benefit of the glass building. “My carwash appeals to female customers and families because of the glass building and because I used bright metal halide lights instead of cool fluorescent lights,” he suggests.

“Moms with two kids and a minivan come to my carwash because they feel safer and more welcome here. It’s comforting to see their surroundings and not feel confined inside a carwash that’s dark and dank. There’s 100 percent transparency — you see everything!”

A “Destination” Carwash? Really?

In an era of destination weddings and destination hotels, imagine owning a “destination carwash” — a carwash so unique, so inviting, so magnetic that customers will willingly pay more and wait longer to use it and even drive out of their way to spend their money at your facility. This and more is what a glass carwash offers you as a smart businessperson. Customers will come the first time for a clean car, and then again and again for the safe, relaxing, unique and fun experience.

Based in Wichita, Kan., Lisa N. D’Amico is the marketing manager for Sunshine Rooms Inc., manufacturer of Crystal Structures glass carwash buildings. Sunshine Rooms has been designing, engineering, manufacturing and installing glass buildings for nearly 30 years and has completed more than 15,000 installations nationwide. For more info, visit www.crystalstructurescarwash.com or e-mail Lisa directly at ldamico@sunshinerooms.com. 

Tips on Getting the Most out of Your Glass Carwash Building

Keep It Simple 
Find a supplier that offers complete design and engineering services so you have fewer headaches. Choose a supplier that has factory installation crews and engineering for your entire project so you can start washing cars faster and easier.

It’s the Little Things 
Look for a glass building that features a long-lasting frame finish and fewer exposed fasteners so your building looks better longer with less upkeep.

Clean Up Your Act 
E-Z Clean glass coatings and rinse-down systems will help keep your building sparkling clean with less maintenance, saving you time and money.

Location, Location, Location 
Glass carwashes advertise themselves, but only when customers can see them. Position the carwash within view of the street and/or c-store for maximum visibility.

One Size Does Not “Fit All”
Work with your carwash consultant to design a building that meets your needs, with the options that support your specific site conditions and business plan.

Light Up the Night 
A glass carwash will look fantastic in the sunlight. Make your glass carwash look even better at night with bright metal halide lights (the more the better!) and neon or LED lights for a big “wow” factor.

Dare to Be Different 
You bought a glass carwash to differentiate yourself and your company from the three other carwashes on your street. Add to your advantage with colored glass, a custom frame color that matches your company’s signature look and eye-catching signage.

Make a Clear Statement 
Use glass instead of polycarbonate glazing wherever possible because it stays cleaner longer, will never turn yellow or haze like plastic, and allows 100 percent visibility instead of being opaque.

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