I came to Arrow Hand Car Wash on Citrus Street to give it another try after years, and overall I'd…read moresay it was a solid experience, just not a "wow I'm rushing back" kind of place. When I first pulled up, I genuinely thought it was closed because there was absolutely nobody in the drying area and nobody by the vacuums. After about 20 seconds of me awkwardly sitting there questioning my life choices, a guy finally popped up to take down what service I wanted. I went with the deluxe wash which came out to almost $50, and honestly I'd get that same package again if I were to come back. Years ago I remember this place being packed, but today it was super slow. I'm guessing it's just how things are lately, but it definitely threw me off at first.
Walking in was a whole little journey. You enter through this area with tons of car products everywhere, people sitting around outside, and you kind of have to weave your way through before you finally reach the cashier on the left. The lady working there was really sweet and friendly and tried setting me up with their membership where after 10 washes you get a free basic one. I signed up because why not, but realistically I probably won't be coming back that many times. They do have different packages and specials though, which is nice to keep in mind. I asked how long the wash would take and she said about 45 minutes, which sounded fair, but it ended up being closer to an hour. It didn't bother me personally, but if you're in a rush, just know the timing might run a little longer than expected.
Now here's where things went downhill a bit. There is literally nowhere to sit inside. Everything is outside, and the waiting area is basically right on a super busy street with cars constantly pulling in and out. It was chaotic, loud, and not relaxing at all. On top of that, there's a random massage chair outside which felt very out of place like who is trying to get a massage while breathing in car exhaust and listening to traffic. Then the trash truck pulled up and started doing its loud reversing concert right next to us and I was like yep, this is my peaceful car wash moment. Even after it left, it was still nonstop noise. I really think adding some seating inside would make a huge difference, especially on hot days or windy days.
When my car finally came out, it looked good overall, but I did notice that the lower black area under the car wasn't touched and still had dirt on it, which made me realize they might not hit every single surface. Nothing crazy, but just something to be aware of if you're super picky. For a regular wash, it was definitely decent. Price wise though, I can get a similar wash for about $40 in La Puente, so this one felt a little on the higher side for what you get.
One last funny thing, when I tipped the guy he didn't say thank you, and when I paid with card the cashier asked if I wanted cash back in a way that almost felt like a tip hint. I didn't even realize it until after and thought, ohhhh okay I see how this works here. I had already seen some reviews mentioning that, so just be mindful of it.
Overall, good wash, nice staff, but the chaotic waiting area, higher price, and small missed spots are what keep it at four stars for me. Not terrible at all, just not my new go to car wash either.
