On the Road: Nails Icon, Montclair, Calif.

 

No Means No

Salon owner Mai Tran (right) is a Vietnamese immigrant, has other relatives in the nail salon business, and is well-aware of the potential culture clashes that can occur. To that end, she trains her techs that it’s OK to take no for an answer regarding add-on services. “Don’t ask the customer why she doesn’t want the callus treatment or make her uncomfortable,” she tells her techs. “Many clients tell me they feel uncomfortable in other salons.” Mai purposely went to an English-speaking beauty school, so she could “get the culture right.”

 

At-the-Ready Retail

Honestly, I think the retail boutique was the main component of my friend Lisa’s — who suggested this salon to me — infatuation with Nails Icon. She kept saying, “It’s a one-stop shop, Sree!” And that’s accurate actually. Let’s see: there are shoes, purses, blouses, headbands and barrettes, necklaces, bracelets, and, of course, polish. Owner Mai says, “My customers love it. While they’re waiting, they look around.”

 

 

A Clean Freak’s Dream

Stainless steel bowls without jets leave little room for bacteria to hide. While this practice is popular in salons in neighboring Los Angeles County, in San Bernadino County jetless spa chairs are rare, Mai says, which gives Nails Icon a selling point to sanitation-conscious clients. The salon also states its commitment to sanitation on its menu, which was key to my decision to book an appointment.

 

Fun Facts

> Not content with just the typical bridal parties and birthday parties, Nails Icon has played host to breakfast meetings, direct sales groups (think Avon or The Pampered Chef), and even Bible study groups. Sometimes the staff works until 1 a.m. on party nights.

> Mai takes karma seriously. “Do not compete against the salons where you learned, then someone will do that to you,” she cautions. How does she beat her competition? Attending shows like ISSE Long Beach and IBS Las Vegas and making all of her clients feel like her No. 1 client. A bystander piped up, “It’s like family here.”

> It may be a little weird when she’s not on the job, but Mai wears a different nail art design on each of her nails so clients can choose from several choices literally at Mai’s fingertips. More conventionally, she also keeps a portfolio on hand.

 

Menu Highlights

De-wrinkle Manicure: $20;

Intensive Callus Pedicure: $30;

Fiberglass/Silk Wraps (full set): $40; Nail Design (per nail): $3;

Reflexology: $40;

Eyelash Extensions: $100

 

Product Highlights

Polish: OPI, China Glaze, Essie, Orly; Brush-on Gel Polish: Gelish;

Lotion: CND; Cuticle Oil: Haken.