A members’ club is only as good as its community.
Whispered complaints that Soho House has started letting in any old finance bro with creative aspirations can be heard from White City to Shoreditch. And it’s true — if you’re paying a significant proportion of your monthly salary for access to an exclusive space, you expect to find like-minded people along with the highest standards of service and luxuries that justify the hefty price tag.
It is with this in mind that I arrive at Wagworks (wagworks.co.uk), worried that my scrappy little Maltipoo puppy Sunny isn’t quite the right fit for London’s chicest members club for dogs. Yes, you read that right. After the success of the Fulham branch which opened in 2022 and has become the go-to daycare facility for pampered pooches, also offering vets, grooming, and expert behavioural consultations and training, a new 800 sq ft Wagworks is set to open in the heart of Islington in October.
It will bring everything members in SW6 pay up to £925 a month for to north London, with the added benefit of a cafe for the dog owners to gossip in after drop-off.
My anxiety isn’t unfounded. For a start Sunny hasn’t been groomed since I watched a YouTube video, bought some clippers and misguidedly thought I could give her a little trim myself (disaster). Then there’s her overly-clingly temperament (not cool), her enthusiasm (too much) and her penchant for tearing up and eating toilet paper (annoying). Thankfully Ollie, an ex hedge-funder and the cofounder of Wagworks, put me at ease.
“Every dog is different”, he says as we sit in the stylish reception area of the Fulham branch — it smells, not of dog surprisingly, but of a lovely fragrance which is piped out of diffusers throughout the space, it also helps that the air filtration is industrial grade and fresh air is circulated more often than in a Spin studio.
“There’s no one right way of being a dog. We just get to know them and figure out how they’ll enjoy the routine.” I ask whether dogs are ever rejected for membership. Rarely, Olly assures me – only if there’s a safety issue or if a dog just won’t enjoy the social side.
After an initial consultation in the “scent den” – a Scandi-style room full of soft cushions and boxes of toys to explore while sniffing out pots of sage and rosemary – dogs ease in with a series of shorter sessions. It’s basically reception-class settling-in, but with marginally more bum sniffing.
“Certain dogs will prefer hanging out in certain groups”, Olly explains. I’m picturing the jocks (Jack Russels?), the geeks (pugs?) and the mean girls (poodles) sitting in their cliques. Olly adds that “the idea of someone turning up with a dog that no one's ever met, and dropping them off for a day is quite frankly terrifying 'cause you've got no history”. I look down at Sunny, who is all wide-eyed and shaky about being here, and silently implore her to not terrify anyone.
The club runs from 7am to 7pm. While we chat, I watch four dogs being dropped off by women in stylish coats and oversized sunglasses, clearly en route to the office. “In Fulham most clients live locally and drop on their commute,” Olly says. “In Islington, we expect more people who travel into the area for work.”
WagWorks provides a day of “enrichment, socialisation and rest” for urban pooches with busy professional owners. Membership starts at £430 for five days access a month, climbing to £925 for unlimited access. That might sound steep until you realise posh dog daycare is the latest frontier in the humanisation of pets. We have yoga, swimming pools, Guinness and wine for dogs as well as bespoke rooms at five-star hotels and menus at fine dining restaurants. Owners spend an average of £120 on their dog’s birthday or ‘anniversary’. London is now home to 1.2 million dogs – more than the number of children under five. Getting your dog into the right daycare is almost as competitive as getting your kid into private nursery (there’s already a wait list at the Islington club).
It has been found that the same neurotransmitters that power human love also spike in dogs during positive interaction with us. Olly’s mission was to create a care model worthy of this bond – not just a van that scoops dogs up, dumps them in a field for a couple of hours, and drops them home exhausted. His wife Chi, who studied psychology, and world-renowned dog behaviourist Winkie Spiers, designed the WagWorks experience around what a dog actually wants to do in a day: sniff, chew, explore, rest.
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At 11.30am, I witness the first scheduled “sleepy time”. The lights dim, classical music plays and beds are rolled out. (Sometimes they listen to reggae — apparently proven to be especially calming.) “Rest is vital,” Olly says, “so that when you collect your dog they’re not strung out and over-adrenalised.”
Throughout the day dogs are taken for short group walks, given challenges and games, and plenty of one-on-one attention from staff. At pick up owners are handed a report card that says things like, “Monty was a great role model today”. There’s also a salon and basic vet services on site.
Sunny is whisked off for a “hygiene tidy,” and 15 minutes later the dog groomer returns, gently telling me Sunny’s fur is “quite matted.” I’m mortified obviously, but she’s offered the ‘full works’ and an hour later, emerges looking like a brand-new dog — well-coiffed, perfumed (with WagWorks’ signature “Diva” scent) and is swishing her tail like she owns the place.
It’s giving, girl on her first night out at Dean Street since becoming a member. It truly is Soho House for dogs, all that’s missing is a tray of Picantes and a waiter telling her not to take photos.
