When we first got Luke, we bathed him ourselves, but then decided to take him to a groomer. We took him to one five minutes away and it was awful. The groomers didn't listen, cut our pup and didn't tell us, insulted my mother on how she combed him, etc. So we left and went to another one and we love it. Our groomer listens, cuts Luke just right, and Luke likes it there too.
So yes, we go to a groomer. The price is a bit high, but Luke is worth it.