Just in time to wash grime off South Lake Tahoe cars, Sierra Suds opens

South Lake Tahoe, Calif. - Its been years in the making, and finally, on Monday, March 20, Sierra Suds Car Wash will be open to the public.

In the 1950's, the 23-unit Cedar Lodge was located at 2685 Lake Tahoe Blvd. The motel was eventually demolished and South Lake Tahoe dentist Dr. Jim Getzelman bought the property in hopes of developing it into a car wash.

"We’re trying the best to make this a very clean alternative to washing a car at home,” Getzelman said in March, 2008 of his plans to open the car wash in the fall of that year.

Slowly he began building, but then, the recession hit. Getzelman tried to hold out until times got better, but he passed away in 2013 before the car wash was finished.

The property changed hands a few times, and Getzelman’s dream seamed to slip farther and farther away.

“It was an eye sore for many years,” said South Lake Tahoe Planning Manager John Hitchcock said of the partially built building adjacent to Taco Bell.

Then, in 2015, a capital investment firm from Arizona purchased the property with the goal of fulfilling Getzelman’s dream and bringing value to the community. They partnered with local architect and friend of Getzelman, Brian Shinault, who had worked on the project from the beginning.

“I’ve been working on it so long. I wanted to see it finished and doing something that Jim thought the town needed,” said Shinault.

That dream will soon become a reality. Sierra Suds will open on Monday, having transformed the vacant property into a state-of-the-art car wash that exceeds even Getzelman’s vision.

The new express wash offers free vacuums and monthly memberships with unlimited washes, but most importantly, Sierra Suds was built with sustainability in mind.

The wash employs cutting edge PurWater technology from NewWave Industries that reclaims and reuses the water used on site.

“The goal is to reuse the majority of water,” said Josh Perrault, the project manager overseeing the redevelopment process.

Reclaiming water is equally important to the city. “Tahoe is a national treasure and we want to do everything we can to make sure we recycle our water efficiently,” said Hitchcock. “We’re excited that another business opportunity is opening in South Shore that has direct economic impact on our city.”

At last, a happy ending is right around the corner for this South Lake Tahoe property.

This South Lake Tahoe location will be the seventh one Sierra Wash owns in the Reno/Sparks/Carson City area. Memberships are available for $12.95, $24.95 or $29.95 per month for unlimited washes at any of their locations. The highest level also gets users inside cleaning at the locations that offer it (Carson City is the closest). For those not interested in memberships, a discounted two-wash package is available. Buy one now at $12, second one is $3, or the Ultimate wash at $15, second one for $5.

The local car wash offers 14 self-vacuum stations, each equipped with air guns to blow dirt out of cracks and crevices....all free of charge so no more need to save quarters. There is no hand drying service offered in South Lake Tahoe, but with 11 blowers at the end of the washing tunnel cars should come out already dry.

Even though March 20 is opening day, weather may cause them to close the rest of the week as a new storm enters the Lake Tahoe Basin.

Management says they will be open daily from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and adjust hours to meet demand by summer, if needed.

Those interested in employment opportunities should contact Sierra Suds manager Loren at 775-379-6170 or loren@sierrawash.com. Prior to opening, those interested in applying can pick up an application affixed to the front gate.