Wondering if your go-to manicure spot is a good one? Here’s how to tell. A good nail salon should…
1. Sanitize all tools
The most important thing a nail salon should do is sanitize its tools. Since all sorts of bacteria and even blood can be found on these instruments, you don’t want the same cuticle nipper that the salon just used on someone else to be used on you. Make sure your nail technician removes a new or freshly sanitized and cleaned set of tools (you can tell because they’re usually sealed in a sanitized pouch, similar to at the dentist’s office, or taken out of a UV sanitizer in front of you) before she begins your manicure.
If you don’t see this happen, you shouldn’t stay for the service.
2. Clean the foot bath after every client
After each pedicure, the whirlpool bath should be cleaned and disinfected. If you don’t notice anyone scrubbing the foot baths, or you’re ushered to a pedicure chair right after another person’s water was drained, this is a sure sign that the baths aren’t being cleaned.
3. Use a good top coat
You may think you’re getting a bargain with a low-cost manicure, but some salons save money by using cheap topcoats. Not all topcoats are created equal — or created to be quick-drying — so a salon that uses Seche Vite, Essie Good to Go, or another recognizable topcoat is always a good choice. This ensures your manicure will dry to a smudge-proof, shiny finish. Paying a little more for a manicure that lasts is worth it, as the money you saved on a lower-cost manicure isn’t a bargain if you smudge your polish as soon as you walk out the door. Most quick-drying topcoats can fully seal nails in 5-10 minutes, so there’s no need to spend 20 minutes or more at the dryer.
If you’re hooked on a salon that offers cheapie manicures with a no-name topcoat or that charges you a dollar extra for the “good” topcoat, then simply bring your own. Your manicure will last longer and look better as a result.
4. Stock the latest color collections
With all of the nail polish colors available, visiting the salon should be an opportunity to sample them all.
The best nail salons keep an eye on new launches from the big polish brands and make sure to have them ready for clients who walk in. This way, you’re always guaranteed to see what the new trends are and pick from the most current options. If you keep seeing cool colors on other women’s fingers or keep seeing magazine ads for new polish collections that your salon never seems to carry, it’s time to pick a new go-to spot.
5. Offer to help with your bag/coat/shoes
Once your nails are wet, putting on your shoes or coat or carrying your bag to the dryer is a bad idea. A good nail salon should have a friendly staff that offers to help you with this. In the wintertime, the salon should have nail oil and saran wrap on hand to wrap your toes in after drying so that you can slip back into your socks and shoes with some extra protection against smudges.
6. Let you pay before the polish
While you don’t have to pay before the actual manicure, it does make sense. Why go fumbling around in your bag for your wallet with wet nails? It’s up to you when you prefer to pay, but a good nail salon will let you pay mid-way through your manicure (when shaping, filing, etc., is done, but before the polish is applied).
Makeup Expert & Manicurists, Contributing Editor
Jessica is a writer who feels it is a job requirement to own every shade of nail polish. She thinks any bad day can be improved by a trip to Sephora–provided there aren’t 10 people giving themselves makeovers, in front of the new lipsticks.
