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SEARCHIt’s that piece you can’t live without. That special pedicure chair that fits the contours of your back so perfectly well, or that communal nail bar where clients circle for quick chats, or even that snazzy retail shelf bringing in extra dollars every month. It’s the item that makes the greatest impact on your day, and here’s why you’re thankful for it.
Nail Art Organizing Drawers
Danalynn Stockwood
Genesis Salon, Fitchburg, Mass.
“I love my little organizing drawers for all my nail art
supplies and video tape boxes. I use video tape boxes
[inset] for each of my clients, and store nail files,
cleaned implements, buffing blocks, and other
things they need for their services.”
How long have you had this piece of furniture? 3 years
How much did it cost? $2 a unit, purchased on clearance
Why did you feel you needed to purchase this item? Before I had my nail art supplies just organized inside my nail table. But as my nail art supplies expanded, I needed a more efficient system. This piece centralizes my nail art product collection, which makes looking for something very easy.
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Zero Gravity Chair
Holly Savage
Simple Pleasures Day Spa, Quispamsis, N.B., Canada
“My clients and I love this chair because it raises their feet to a nice height and saves my back a lot of stress. The chair puts the body into a weightless position, elevating the legs above the heart and relieving weight from the spine and hip area.”
How long have you had this piece of furniture? 1½ years
How much did it cost? $2,800 CDN, amortized over 10 years, so $280 per year, at $23 per month
Why did you feel you needed to purchase this item? When I was establishing my business I decided to purchase a chair, and I wanted a chair that was functional as well as stylish and not a typical spa/salon furnishing. I offer a wide range of services with pedicures making up about 45% of my overall business. I decided to purchase the Zero Gravity Chair from Human Touch because it offers a comfortable experience for my clients. It benefits me as well because I can move the chair back into any elevation, which saves me from having to bend into awkward positions.
Nail Table
Susie Turk
Hollywood Nails, Midvale, Utah
“My favorite furniture piece is my nail table,
which I bought at Ikea along with two
clamp-on swinging adjustable lamps.”
How long have you had it? 2 years
How much did it cost and where did you get it? $21 from Ikea
Why did you feel you needed to purchase this item? I modeled everything after my school nail table and work space. It’s what I was most comfortable with after having just graduated nail school, and now two years later I still love it. You buy the table in five pieces, the top, and four legs with hardware. You screw the legs in and voila, you’re done. It’s really big and for just $21 it was a great deal. >>>
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Saddle Stool
Rachel Hendrickson-Hitt
The Hair Salon & NAILS Wood Dale, Wood Dale, Ill.
“I am only 5-feet tall and in a normal chair my feet don’t reach the floor, but with my saddle seat stool [inset] I have better posture and my feet can comfortably rest on the floor.”
How long have you had this piece of furniture? 3 years
How much did it cost? $150 at the America’s Beauty Show in Chicago
Why did you feel you needed to purchase this item? Before I got this stool I tried several different office chairs, but since I am very short nothing was comfortable for me. I have always struggled to be positioned where I want at my table and still be able to rest my feet easily on the floor. This eventually led to back, shoulder, and hip pain. Since making this purchase my posture has improved and I am able to go through my work day with less physical fatigue. I love it so much that when I travel between two salon locations, I take it with me.
Glass Top Table/Console
Linda Reetz
Nice Nails, Valdosta, Ga.
“My nail table is glass-covered and easy-to-clean,
and the console stores everything conveniently at my
side and holds my Sunflower lamp/ventilation system
(which I couldn’t get a business license without) and
my UV lamp for easy access for my clients.”
How long have you had this piece of furniture? 2 months
How much did it cost? $300, from Office Max
Why did you feel you needed to purchase this item? I operate out of a hair salon and the room I have is only 8’ x 12’, with a sink in one corner and the water heater closet in the other, so I don’t have much room to add a separate storage cabinet. When I found out how much shipping was going to be to have an actual manicure table shipped to me, I decided I would rather spend the money on more storage.
I also was told at the building permit office that I needed a ventilation system for a business license, and this table perfectly housed my Sunflower lamp/ventilation system.
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Comfy Leather Couch
Kimberly Huffman
The Nail Inn, Venice, Fla.
“Everyone that sits on it for the first time says ‘I
could go to sleep here,’ so I put up a sign [inset]
that says ‘If you should fall asleep, I pick your color.’”
How long have you had it? 3 years
How much did it cost and where did you get it? $200 from a consignment store
Why did you feel a need to purchase this item? I used to use a comfy leather chair when I was the only one doing pedicures. But opening up a salon I knew I would need more stations for the potential of having other techs, so I searched for a black leather couch after drawing up my idea for the base.
Our pedi-couch gets used daily by myself and two other coworkers either for pedicures, foot detox, or husbands who want to nap while waiting for their wives’ nails to dry.
Standup/Sit-Down
Manicure Station
Patricia “Trish” Mullins
Nail & Body Works, Clay City, Ky.
“Working at this station allows me to lean into my work
instead of bending over it. It brings my clients’ hands
up closer to eye level, and if I get tired of sitting, [inset]
I push the stool back and stand for a few minutes.”
How long have you had this piece of furniture? 2 months
How much did it cost? I asked a good friend of mine to make it for me and he’s been so kind to work with me on this. He hasn’t given me a price on it yet, but I am making payments to him until he gives me a price, hoping that will prompt him to give me a bill.
Why did you feel you needed to purchase this item? Before I had a regular nail station and I would stay bent over my work. By the end of the day my shoulders and neck would be hurting. I talked with my chiropractor about standing or sitting on a bar stool to work and he thought it would be a good idea and that it should help with my neck problems.
Then I saw my good friend G Elizondo of Young Nails at a trade show and told her about my shoulder and neck pain, and she told me about her specialized tall manicure table and gave me the blueprints. The credit really belongs to her.
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