Recommendation: Book two months in advance during F1 season. Do not ask for a “quick wash.” They do not know what that means. If you would like contact information, price lists, or specific driving directions to Spa Auto Valentin in Francorchamps, let me know and I can refine the article with that practical data.
“I noticed a gap,” Valentin explains, wiping a speck of invisible dust off a matte-finished Porsche 911 GT3 RS. “People spend €300,000 on a machine. They obsess over horsepower and lap times. But when the drive is over, they take it to a tunnel wash with bristles that haven’t been cleaned in a month. It is like wearing a tuxedo to bed.”
But if you understand that a car is an expression of physics and art; if you feel your heart rate drop when you look at a flawless reflection in a midnight-blue fender; if you believe that driving a clean car is simply a better way to live—then Spa Auto Valentin is a pilgrimage site. spa auto valentin
On a recent Thursday before the Belgian GP, a motorhome transporter dropped off three McLaren Arturas. The owners weren’t there to watch the race—they were racing. Valentin’s team had 48 hours to perform a “Concours Prep” on vehicles that had just done 180 mph through Eau Rouge.
Valentin spent 18 hours applying a specialized tar remover by hand, one square centimeter at a time. He saved the original paint. The cost? €1,800. The repaint would have been €15,000. Spa Auto Valentin is not for everyone. If you view a car as an appliance—a toaster with wheels—take it to the automatic wash at the gas station. Recommendation: Book two months in advance during F1 season
Unlike standard shops that attack dirt with force, Valentin uses the principles of chemistry. A citrus-based foam is laid over the paint like a sleeping bag. It dwells for five minutes, encapsulating road grime and lifting it away from the clear coat.
Only then does a microfiber wash mitt—stored in individual sterile containers—touch the paint. The mitt is moved in straight lines, never circles, to avoid holograms. Every panel has its own bucket. Every bucket has a grit guard. “I noticed a gap,” Valentin explains, wiping a
To call it a “car wash” would be an act of linguistic violence. It is, as the name implies, a spa —a place of thermal healing, deep cleansing, and rejuvenation. But instead of tired humans, the clients here are titanium-wrapped supercars, vintage thoroughbreds, and daily drivers that their owners love like children. The story of Spa Auto Valentin begins not with a business plan, but with an obsession. Founder Valentin (who prefers to let his work speak louder than his biography) grew up in the shadow of the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. While other children dreamed of driving the cars, Valentin dreamed of preserving them.
