‘A concert for your senses — in your car’: Drive Well Auto Spa offers self-care with a wash

As we reflect on our lives, many simple pleasures pop up in our memory.

Gita Murthy has turned one of hers into a unique business.

“I remember as a child how much fun it used to be going through the car wash and I loved all the colors and stuff. And then when my kids were born I took them through the car wash,” she said.

“It always had a fond ‘place’ for me. And then, I don’t do anything without purpose, so that was like, ‘I don’t want to just do a car wash.’”

The new Drive Well Auto Spa, 1791 Wall St., Mount Prospect, offers sights, sound and scents in addition to suds.

Billed by the owners as the United States’ first “immersive car wash,” drivers are treated to soothing lighting, images on LED screens and 4K, high-resolution wall panels (a Christmas theme on a Dec. 23 visit), ambient music with binaural beats, and aromatherapy via soaps infused with citrus and lavender scents.

“It’s kind of like a concert for your senses — in your car,” Murthy said.

Since Drive Well opened Nov. 30, with a grand opening Dec. 7, a “couple hundred” customers have purchased memberships ranging from $19.99-$39.99 monthly, said Rick Scali of RMJ Construction, who built the car wash in tune with Murthy’s goals.

“Gita has a beautiful mind, and I just wanted to bring that to fruition for her,” Scali said.

Single washes range from $7-$20 depending on the option package. There also are 29 vacuum bays with drop-down nozzles for different detailing tasks, and a vending area for towels and air fresheners.

A “hybrid” wash, Scali said, Drive Well offers drivers the choice of using its rotating brushes or a “touchless” wash. The conveyor belt on which the car rests over its extended, 150-foot path does not use guide rails that have the potential to damage tires and scratch rims.

The technology allows for different scenes to be shown on its screens and wall displays.

“We can do the seasons, we can change it for Halloween, Valentine’s Day, Christmas, New Year’s, so it gives people a different variety when they’re coming through, they’re not just seeing the same imaging over and over again,” Scali said.

Drive Well is a family production. Sisters Gita and Sujata Murthy and brother Sanjay Murthy — first-generation Americans whose parents arrived from India with $7 and a college scholarship — as well as their children tackle different responsibilities from registering patents for the technology to handling social media.

“I’m kind of in charge of the health and well-being,” said Gita Murthy, a social worker and consultant. She has a working relationship with Reality Center Management in Santa Monica, California, which uses technology and neuroscience to improve wellness.

Reality Center co-founder Tarun Raj consulted on Drive Well’s multimedia applications.

Murthy believes the COVID pandemic left many people isolated and struggling. She doesn’t think a car wash will “cure mental health,” but with Drive Well Auto Spa her goal is to provide a little self-care along with a wash.

“I’ve always been a fan of maximizing your time. Whatever you’re doing, let’s just try to add a little something extra for you. That’s kind of the concept,” she said.

If one simply prefers a shiny car, she supports that, too.

“It’s kind of like some people really resonate with the immersiveness, and some people really are like, ‘This is just a damn good car wash,’” Murthy said.