Suds & Paws

What is Suds & Paws?

Suds & Paws is a pet grooming game where every job is done with your hands. You sweep the sprayer over the coat, rub circles to build a lather, trace a dotted line with the scissors and tap at the right moment to clip a nail. Each step is graded, the pet comes out looking the way you groomed it, and the owner pays you.

Between shifts you spend coins on gear, stations, decor, staff and skills, and the parlor grows sideways on screen as you build. There are 57 services, seven kinds of animals and six locations. It's free and runs in the browser on a phone, tablet or computer, with nothing to download.

How to play a shift

Tap Open the parlor to start a day. Owners drop their pets into the waiting cubbies. Each cubby has a picture ticket showing the look the owner wants, and a heart bar that drains while the pet waits.

Tap a cubby to bring that pet to the table and work through the steps. The bar at the bottom names each step and gives a hint. After the last step you get a reveal with a before photo and one to three stars, the owner pays, and you pick the next pet. A day runs a little under three minutes, then you finish whoever is still waiting.

If a heart runs out, that owner leaves and your happy streak resets, so take the lowest heart next. Space on a computer, or a tap on the empty table, does exactly that.

The grooming steps

There are 15 steps. The first time you meet one, a demo hand shows the motion.

Every step is graded Perfect, Great, Good or Oops. Shy pets always get a treat first, and a good toss makes the later steps easier.

Controls on phone and computer

On a phone or tablet everything is one finger: press and drag for the sprayer, dryer, comb and scissors, swipe for the towel and knots, and tap for nails and spritz. On the hub you drag sideways to look around the parlor.

On a computer you can use the mouse the same way, or the keyboard: the arrow keys (or W A S D) move the tool, Space sprays, rubs or taps, and the number keys 1 to 6 pick a cubby. Esc pauses.

Stars, tips and prices

Your stars come from the average of your step grades. Mostly Perfect and Great steps earn three stars, a mix of Great and Good earns two, and a rough job still gets one. Three stars pays 30% more than two, one star 30% less.

Owners also tip. Tips grow with your stars and with how much heart the pet had left, so speed matters as much as care. Your happy streak (pets in a row sent home with two stars or more) adds 5% to tips per pet, up to 50%, and pays a bonus at 3, 5, 8, 12, 16 and 20 in a row.

Temperament matters too. Wiggly pets sway, so targets move. Sleepy pets are patient and easy. Shy pets wait less and need a treat first. Proud pets tip big for three stars and very little for one.

Services pay 20% more when they're in your location's focus, on today's themed day, or in season. Doing a service at three stars 3, 8 and 15 times earns Bronze, Silver and Gold mastery (10%, 20% and 35% more).

Events, VIPs and regulars

From reputation 3 some days bring an event: a rainy day, a muddy soccer team, a cat show, a rescue shelter day (shelter pets groom free for triple reputation), a puppy party or a county fair. A rush hour can hit mid shift, with pets arriving twice as fast and tips 20% higher. Show judges and famous visitors reward three stars.

Ten regulars visit with the same pet every time, like Nan Rosie and her old dog Pudding. They share a bit more of their story on the 1st, 3rd and 5th visit where you earn two stars or better, and on the fifth they teach you their signature service.

Spa Studio and Relaxed parlor

The Spa Studio has no clock. Pick any service you offer, the kind of animal and its temperament, and take your time. It pays half price, but stars count fully toward mastery, so it's the place to learn a hard trim.

Relaxed parlor in the settings removes the clock and walkouts from regular shifts. The day ends after a set number of guests, pay is about 15% lower and streak bonuses are off.

Daily Challenge and leaderboards

The Daily Challenge is the same shift for everyone that day: the same six services, the same pets in the same order, four cubbies and two and a half minutes. Gear and skills don't count, so it's a fair test. Your score is the coins you earn, plus 10 for every three star groom, plus 50 if nobody walks out. Back to back days build a streak.

Your first Daily run each day also pays coins into your parlor; replays count for the board only. The two leaderboards are the Daily score and total reputation.

Growing your parlor

Reputation is the main track. Each level gives a skill point and unlocks services, gear and animals: cats at reputation 2, rabbits at 5, guinea pigs at 9, hedgehogs at 14, mini pigs at 20 and parrots at 26.

• Gear: eight kits with three tiers each. A new kit unlocks the services that use it, and every upgrade widens the windows on its steps.
• Stations: drying table, nail station, grooming table and boutique corner first, then extra cubbies, a play yard, spa room, photo corner and rooftop garden.
• Skills: Gentle Hands, Quick Paws, Scissor Work, Patience, Animal Charm and Styling, ten levels each. Points come from reputation levels, awards and finishing all three daily goals.
• Staff: a bather, a front desk that makes pets wait longer, an assistant groomer, and a dog walker who earns coins while you're away (up to two hours).
• Decor: floor, walls, sign, plants, shelf and toys, five looks each. Better decor means longer patience and bigger tips.
• Locations: the Garage, then Maple Row Pet Spa (reputation 9), Riverside Park Kiosk (16), Uptown Fur Salon (23), the Suds Mobile van (31) and Willowmere Estate Kennels (40). Each pays more and has its own clients and its own look.

From reputation 12 you can renovate each location five times, and from 18 you can buy masterclasses for extra skill points.

Tips and strategy

• Build the Drying Table and Nail Station at reputation 2. They're cheap and open most of the early menu, including the Deluxe Bath.
• Serve the lowest heart first. A walkout costs that pet's pay and your happy streak.
• Sweep in rows on the wet and dry steps instead of scribbling, and never park the dryer on one spot or near the face.
• Go slowly around corners on trims. The grade is about the line, not speed.
• Toss treats cleanly. A calm pet widens every later step, which can turn two stars into three on a long service.
• Learn new trims in the Spa Studio on a sleepy pet before they show up on a timer.
• Put early skill points into Patience and Gentle Hands, and hire the Front Desk before the Assistant Groomer.
• Check the themed day on the parlor button. Those services pay 20% more all day.

Questions