Sunset Approves Bubble Bath Car Wash on Main Street; QuikTrip Store Planned Next Door
Sunset has approved a QuikTrip-owned Bubble Bath Car Wash at 1689–1691 N. Main Street, on the stretch of Main just south of 1800 North. The City Council granted the conditional use permit on Sept. 15 by a 4–1 vote, according to the meeting minutes the council approved Oct. 6. Council Members Ricky Carlson, Katherine Hunter, Nakisha Rigley and Nancy Smalling voted yes. Council Member Hope Thompson voted no, and the minutes do not record a reason.
The Planning Commission reviewed the request the previous Thursday and sent it to the council with a recommendation to approve.
Who is behind it
Bubble Bath is a car wash brand owned by QuikTrip, the Tulsa-based convenience store chain. Braxton Kee, who told the council he works for QuikTrip and Bubble Bath, presented the plan alongside engineers from Kimley-Horn. He said QuikTrip bought Bubble Bath several years ago from San Antonio, Texas, where its existing car washes operate.
Is the QuikTrip store approved too?
Not yet. The site plan shown to the council places a QuikTrip store directly north of the car wash, with the two buildings sharing some materials and traffic circulation. But the Sept. 15 vote covered the car wash only. We did not find a separate approval for the QuikTrip store in Sunset’s posted agendas or minutes, so for now the store is planned, not approved. We will report when it comes before the Planning Commission.
QuikTrip opened its first Utah store in Marriott-Slaterville in August and says its next one is planned for Springville in December 2026, according to the company’s announcement.
How the site would work
Kee described an east–west tunnel wash with access from Main Street. Drivers would loop to pay stations set parallel to Main, then into the tunnel, with a bailout lane before the entrance for anyone who changes their mind. Vacuum stalls would sit in the middle of the lot, and the car wash would have its own trash enclosure. The building would use the brand’s red roof with stacked stone.
What about water?
Kee said the wash recycles part of its water and uses about 19 to 36 gallons per car, compared with roughly 150 gallons for a bucket wash at home. Those are the company’s figures. Public Works Director Jason Monroe told the council that even in a drought year Sunset would stay well under its state water allocation, and he did not expect the car wash to make a noticeable difference.
Community giving
Kee said QuikTrip directs about 5% of its profits to charitable causes. The Utah share goes to communities that have a store, so once the Sunset location opens, local groups could apply through the company’s website. He also mentioned a free fourth-grade math curriculum the company offers to schools in its store communities.
Why this corner
The site sits near 1800 North, where UDOT is building a new I-15 interchange. UDOT’s project page says the interchange opens to Hill Air Force Base only in November 2026, with the full set of public on- and off-ramps opening in 2027. Read our 1800 North interchange timeline.
What we don’t know yet
The meeting did not cover a construction start date, an opening date, hours or pricing for the car wash.
Project details, dates and approvals are set by Sunset City and the applicant and can change. Check the Utah Public Notice Website for the latest Sunset agendas.
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