It has been a long time since I was in a salon located within a shopping mall; let’s be honest, it is definitely not the norm in Manhattan. It was the day before my much needed summer vacation to Bermuda, and I had just finished a client meeting. With 40 minutes to spare, I had to find a salon that could quickly turn my nails into holiday worthy works of art. Now don’t panic I was not about to have nail art done, I just wanted something classic, chic and quick. Lavi Nails seemed like the best option – lots of chairs and mani stations, and nail technicians sitting around waiting for me. I asked them if they could do my mani and pedi simultaneously to save time and they were more than happy to oblige – a good sign. My feet were actually looking pretty good so my pedi was completed in next to no time – my technician literally uttered two words to me through the whole process. My manicurist however was a chatter-box who was very convincing – she upsold me to a gel manicure – “better for vacation” she said. How could I refuse, she made a good point and I could think of nothing more tacky than being in Bermuda with chipped nail polish after 3 days. Well let me tell you how unhappy I was when I was by the beach and noticed that my left index finger had a chip. That was not suppose to happen given it was gel and my normal manicures last longer. How did I fix it, you ask? I cut my nail down to the quick. There, problem solved or so I thought. By the time I returned to Manhattan 5 days later, 3 of my nails had chipped from the cuticle up. According to our Editor it seems my manicurist had painted too close to my skin, which is why it lifted and chipped. Nonetheless my pedicure lasted almost 3 weeks and I was happy with the amazing service I received from the staff in this salon. I also loved that they had the movie ‘Titanic’ playing on a large screen, who doesn’t love a bit of Leonardo while being pampered? I would most definitely return to this salon.
Until next time,
Ruth
Ambience: Open space, relaxing with a movie playing on the big screen
Cleanliness of salon: Clean and spacious,
Polish: ‘Bachelorette Bash’ – Essie Retails $8 (Pedi) and ISS Soak Off Gel Polish – Venice (Mani)
Polish job & chip factor: Fabulous polish job, slight chip after 5 days
Brands they stock: OPI, Essie, ISS, VIP
Color range: Vast color range, a lot of quality polishes to choose from
Customer engagement: Friendly, professional and engaging
Price range: Basic mani: $12 and pedi: $23. Special mani/pedi: $30, Gel mani $30 and pedi $50
