As more and more established chains in related industries (fitness, beauty retail) want in on the growing popularity of nail care, I’m noticing a positive trend for nail techs: jobs, nay, make that career paths even, that offer full benefits like medical and dental insurance. I saw this when I visited Walgreens at State and Randolph in Chicago and more recently earlier this month when I visited fitness center Equinox in Century City, Calif.

Veteran celebrity nail tech Melissa Bozant [http://www.lanailcoach.com] (left, with me) recently started working at the Equinox Spa full-time, and she’s focusing on building the spa’s nail traffic, which originally came almost exclusively from the Hyatt hotel next door and was therefore seasonal.

The nail set up, plus the overall spa, is lovely. Housed in Equinox’s massive fitness and well-being center — which includes an organic smoothie bar, yoga studio, cycling studio, and outdoor pool and cabana area — it features European Touch pedicure chairs, high-end polishes like Dior Vernis and Chanel Le Vernis, and custom-made products by Melissa and a friend of hers who created a line called Sublime Bliss.

The spa wants to ramp up its nail department and is looking to hire about four more nail techs. Melissa wants to train these new techs in how to run their own businesses and where to find clients in a spa without walk-in traffic. She has a lot of experience in clever marketing strategies to bring in clients. For instance, she connects with event planners at hotels for referrals and sets up nail bars at clients’ home cocktail parties to create a social experience around nails.

To apply for a job at Equinox, e-mail your resume to matt.lee[at]equinox.com. The job’s benefits include a 401(k), medical and dental insurance, free membership to all Equinox clubs, discounts on retail products, and discounts at partner businesses.

—Sree