Managing Editor Sree Roy heads to Chicago to check out Nailcessity in the heart of the big city.
Modern Day Spa, Arlington, Va., showcases its reception area.
A 15-year resident of Rome, Stephanie Alliman owns Ari’s Nails, which caters to English-speaking tourists who flock to see the city’s ancient ruins, expatriates who have decided to stay, and Italians looking for some nail pampering.
I found Be Beauty by posting a message on the NAILS Facebook page (www.facebook.com/nailsmag) that I was looking for a salon in San Diego. Nail tech Brian Garces messaged me back to come to the salon where he works. When I looked it up online and saw it was in a cute little 1920s-era bungalow, I was sold.
Chicago-based Pure Rain Nail Spa’s success is a result of owner Ulzii Tsogtbaatar’s experience in business management and years of being a nail tech. The salon attracts young professionals and a larger-than-average base of male clients.
Java is my friend, so it’s a good sign when I head into a salon and they have a coffee bar. Food too? Even better. I can grab a bite to eat and be pampered at the same time. That’s what I found at the Body Shoppe Spa in Yorktown, Va.
Sharmadean Reid, salon owner, magazine founder, blogger, and stylist, brings nail art to London with the trendy WAH Nails salon, gathering a following of young, creative women.
The Painted Nail — a cozy, shabby chic-style space with white-washed wood floors, big comfy white armchairs, vintage-inspired chandeliers, and pretty purple walls. Clients (including many celebrities) come in to get their nails done, but stay for the camaraderie.
It’s sometimes instructive to take a look at the nail salon industry from the other side of the chair: the client’s side. That’s why it can be especially insightful to chat with a select breed of nail salon owner: the client-turned-salon entrepreneur.
In opening Tierra Mia Organic Nail Spa, Justin Mitchell and Karina Restrepo bring water-based polish, Latin flair, and a designer’s keen eye to the Philadelphia nail world.
