Car Wash Palace

What Car Wash Palace does

Car Wash Palace, branded operationally as Waters Express Car Wash, is a Florida-based for-profit operator of express car wash tunnels founded in 1991 and headquartered in Orlando. The company runs 16 locations across Florida, with the majority concentrated in the Orlando metro and additional sites in Stuart, Palm Springs, Haines City, Lakeland, Venice, Davenport, Boca Raton, and Orange Park; two Orlando-area sites are listed as "Coming Soon." Its core product is an automated wash tunnel that completes a vehicle cleaning in under three minutes, complemented by 23 LED-lit vacuum bays offering free amenities such as microfiber towels, mat cleaners, air tools, and hand sanitizer.

The underlying technology stack centers on a license plate recognition (LPR) system used for rapid member identification and tunnel entry, paired with the company's positioning around "purest of water" and eco-friendly cleaning solutions. The LPR layer doubles as a passive data-capture mechanism for member visits, though no analytics product is disclosed. Distribution is entirely brick-and-mortar with no e-commerce or delivery; members are managed through an online "Manage My Plan" portal and a membership sign-up flow.

The business model is a hybrid of one-time per-wash transactions and a recurring VIP Unlimited Wash Club monthly subscription billed via auto-charge. The VIP program targets individual Florida car owners seeking unlimited daily washes at a single low monthly price. Pricing is not publicly disclosed on the website. Marketing reach is limited to organic social (Facebook, YouTube, Instagram), the corporate website with a location finder, and phone/email support, indicating a lean, direct-to-consumer operating motion rather than paid acquisition scale.

Name

Car Wash Palace

Legal name

Waters Car Wash

Website

https://carwashpalace.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Car Wash Palace (Waters Express Car Wash) is a Florida-based express car wash operator with 16 locations, offering a sub-three-minute wash tunnel and a VIP Unlimited Wash Club monthly subscription serving individual car owners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Orlando

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices16 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. VIP Unlimited Wash Club Subscription: Monthly recurring subscription allowing unlimited car washes. Members enjoy peace of mind without planning around weather, with convenient monthly auto-charge.
2. Per-Wash Transactions: One-time wash purchases for non-members at physical wash locations

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Car Wash Palace operates an express car wash tunnel service across 16 physical locations in Florida, delivering washes in under 3 minutes using license plate recognition (LPR) technology for rapid member entry and purified water with eco-friendly cleaning solutions. The primary recurring offering is the VIP Unlimited Wash Club, a monthly subscription granting members unlimited daily car washes with automated billing, complemented by free self-service amenity stations (vacuum bays, microfiber towels, mat cleaners, air tools, glass cleaner, and hand sanitizer) at every location.

Product overview

Waters CarWash operates a network of express car wash locations across Florida, offering a single-tier service model centered on its Express Car Wash Service. The company provides VIP Unlimited Wash Club as its primary subscription/membership product, enabling unlimited daily washes with automated billing. Free amenity stations complement each wash visit, offering customers self-service cleaning tools. The business is focused on speed (under 3-minute washes) and convenience through license plate recognition technology.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• VIP Unlimited Wash Club Monthly subscription program for individual car owners granting unlimited daily car washes and vacuum access at any of the company's 16 Florida locations, billed via convenient monthly auto-charge.
• Express Car Wash Service One-time express car wash purchased at any physical tunnel location, completing a vehicle wash in under 3 minutes using license plate recognition for rapid entry and purified water with eco-friendly cleaning solutions; serves sedans, trucks, and vans/SUVs.
• Free Self-Service Amenities Station Complimentary self-service cleaning station available with every wash purchase, providing 23 LED-lit vacuum bays along with microfiber towels, mat cleaners, air tools, carpet cleaners, pet hair removal brushes, tire shine, upholstery cleaner, rubbing compound, glass cleaner, all-purpose cleaner, and hand sanitizer.

Quantifiable outcome

• 23 LED-lit vacuum bays with free mat cleaners, microfiber towels, air valves, glass cleaner and hand sanitizer
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Spotless Brands: Multi-brand express car wash operator (Shine, GooGoo, etc.) with locations across the US, offering unlimited wash memberships. Regional peer with similar subscription-driven economics.
• Mister Car Wash: Public US car wash chain operating ~430 locations with an Unlimited Wash Club subscription model. The closest direct comparable to Car Wash Palace's express tunnel + VIP membership concept, though at much greater scale.
• ZIPS Car Wash: Express car wash chain with ~280 locations and an unlimited wash club membership. Operates a comparable business model and customer experience to Car Wash Palace's express tunnel + VIP subscription.
• Take 5 Car Wash: Operated by Driven Brands, Take 5 is a fast-growing express car wash chain with a membership program. Direct peer in the express tunnel + unlimited wash subscription segment.
• Tommy's Express Car Wash: Franchise-based express car wash concept offering unlimited wash memberships through tunnel operations. Highly comparable operating model to Car Wash Palace's express + VIP club.
• Quick Quack Car Wash: Express car wash chain with 200+ locations across multiple states and an unlimited wash club subscription. Competes on speed, experience, and membership economics similar to Car Wash Palace.
• Club Car Wash: Mid-sized express car wash chain with locations in multiple states and an unlimited wash club membership. Comparable mid-scale peer to Car Wash Palace's regional chain positioning.

Regional players

• Splash Car Wash: Regional express car wash operator in the Northeast US (CT, NY) with unlimited membership club. Comparable express + subscription model but operates in a different geography than Florida-focused Car Wash Palace.

Broad incumbents

• Driven Brands: Public automotive services parent company (NASDAQ: DRVN) that owns Take 5 Car Wash plus broader franchise brands. A scaled incumbent with car wash as one of multiple service lines; relevant for valuation benchmarks.

Emerging players

• DrivenWash: Emerging express car wash brand under Driven Brands' umbrella, growing rapidly in select markets. Comparable express tunnel + membership concept though at earlier stage.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC-e_5A4rSoqyJVJzB8m4VHA
• Facebookfacebook.com/cwpmain
• Instagraminstagram.com/waters_carwash
• Xx.com/carwashpalace1
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wash-palace

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Car Wash Palace