January 10, 2013
DASHING DIVA (UPPER EAST SIDE)

RENOWNED FOR COSMO MANICURES, NAIL SPA EXPANDS TO INCLUDE MASSAGE
Grace Gold  01.10.2013   |   GRACE GOLD    |   LEAVE A COMMENT
    

ABOUT

Pink is proud at this nail salon and spa that is awash in the playful shade. Dashing Diva first gained fame for offering free cosmo cocktails with manicure bookings on Friday nights when it first opened its doors during the Sex & The City craze. Now the spas offer more pampering services like facials and massages.

AMBIENCE

 Technicians are clad in bright pink t-shirts, which alludes to the girl-tastic feel of the Dashing Diva name. While the 1800 square foot flagship spa opened on 8th Street in Greenwich village in 2003, other locations like this Upper East Side enclave have since opened as franchises – offering the same brand of indulgent “girl time” pampering with an extended list of manicure, pedicure and massage options. Bubblegum pink walls, gold furniture accents and gleaming mother of pearl tile make for a royal experience for Princesses both young and – er, “mature.” 

EXPERIENCE

Choose from the legendary Friday night cosmo manicure that is still the most-requested item, or perhaps the weekend bagels-and-coffee manicure is more your speed. Hygiene is prioritized at all locations, with a new file and buffer pad opened for each customer, and tools kept carefully disinfected. A classic manicure includes a heavenly massage with mint-scented cream, and you can pick from a full array of store-made polish shades that apply with a high shine finish and nary a bubble. The true expertise of the technicians is in gel and custom press-on nails, as well as Virtual Nails that are a less caustic alternative to acrylics. 

Mind-numbing massage specialties include swedish, shiatsu and deep tissue options in affordably priced $50 to $90 segments of 30 to 60 minutes that are worth a trip to the space alone. For those who crave body relaxation in addition to a manicure or pedicure, the 10 minute chair and foot reflexology massages are an excellent option. 

IN CROWD

Not surprisingly, this is a top destination (or pre-game hit) for girls’ night out or catch-up time. It’s also best to call before you decide to stop in, as all Dashing Diva locations are popular spots for private parties – for “girls” of all ages.

WALLET WATCH

Expect to pay a little more for basic services like a manicure ($18 here; often $8 less at neighboring spots), but the space is far cleaner and skills more professional and dependable than at comparable spas.

NEED TO KNOW

Dashing Diva Greenwich Village, 41 East 8th Street at University Place, New York, NY 10003, 212.375.1350

Dashing Diva Chelsea, 177 9th Avenue, New York, NY 10011, 212.620.0200

Dashing Diva Upper East Side, 1341 2nd Avenue between 70th and 71st St, New York, NY 10021, 212.570.0770

Dashing Diva Upper West Side, 590 Columbus Avenue between 88th and 89th St, New York, NY 10021, 212.877.9052

Dashing Diva Upper West Side, 105 West 72nd Street, New York, NY 10023, 212.769.3939

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Filed under: dashing diva deep tissue massage nail salon nail spa shiatsu swedish 
October 11, 2012
EMBELLISH NAILS & BOUTIQUE

A NAIL SALON FOR YOU, YOUR MOM, AND YOUR DAUGHTER
Joanna Wilkinson  10.11.2012   |   JOANNA WILKINSON    |   LEAVE A COMMENT
    

ABOUT:  The two women behind Embellish Salon say they “love pink and bleed orange.”  When you step into the pink-walled salon owned by 2 University of Texas grads, it quickly becomes clear that these ladies not only love the color pink, but love everything girly.  From the manicure bar to the selection of jewelry and shoes, Embellish is not only a place to get a mani and pedi, but it’s a place for women of all ages to shop, gab, and get pampered.  

AMBIENCE:  The pink walls and sparkly chandelier centered in the middle of the salon make Embellish the perfect place for a girl’s girl.  The manicure bar is set up like a real bar, but one that if serving alcohol I imagine would only serve pink champagne.  The pedicure stations are not far away and include several large comfortable reclining chairs for you to relax in and not feel guilty about being self-indulgent.  Up front next to the check out counter is the boutique section where you can get lost looking at all kinds of sparkly things, including shoes.

EXPERIENCE:  When I walked into Embellish I was immediately welcomed by one of the staff members and was offered some refreshing cucumber water (the cucumber helps to make you feel just a little more fancy.)  For a salon with prices starting at just $20 for a manicure, the customer service was quite impressive.  I first made my way into the back for my mini-facial.  Did I mention they also do all kinds of facial treatments and waxing at this nail salon?  What I was expecting with my mini-facial was pleasantly and surprisingly something a lot less extensive than what I got.  I walked out of my facial feeling completely relaxed as if I had just had a full body massage (she actually did massage my arms, hands, and neck.)

After my facial, my worn out pitiful feet excitedly made their way over to the pedicure seat where they got the star treatment with some scrubbing and some clipping.  My toes were then happily painted with a dark wine colored shade I picked out that was perfect for Fall.  Me and my toes left Embellish feeling clean, refreshed, and ready to conquer the day.

IN CROWD:  This is one salon I would not recommend to one of my “secure in his manhood” guy friends who likes to get manicures and pedicures.  Although, if they are truly secure then I guess they might be able to handle the pink walls.  But, this is really the perfect salon for a group of girls or a mother daughter trip.  It’s a girly salon for girls as young as 10 up to age 80 and everything in between.

WALLET WATCH:  This is a very affordable salon and is a great price for what you get.  If you want to feel pampered but don’t want to feel like you are splurging, Embellish is the place to go.  Manicures start at just $20.  Check out their website for the full list of services and prices: http://www.embellishnails.com/

NEED TO KNOW:

There are 2 Embellish locations in Austin.  The smaller Embellish is located in The Triangle.  The one I visited is the location in Westlake.

Embellish Salon – Westlake

3663 Bee Cave Road, Suite 3 
Austin, TX 78746
512-328-9898

Embellish Salon – The Triangle

4615 N. Lamar Blvd., Suite 300
Austin, TX 78751
512-452-PINK (7465)

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Filed under: facial nail salon pedicure 
July 23, 2012
BELLACURE PEDICURE!

Better Safe than Sorry

Christina Marrale  Posted Monday, July 23, 2012 by ,

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ABOUT

Derived from the Italian word, “Bella”, which means beautiful, and “Cure”, which means restoration, popular LA Nail salon Bellacures believe you will leave feeling refreshed, and relieved after a visit to one of their many locations. Originated in 2006, Founder Samir Asemanfar went from frequent nail biter to major beauty industry power player, all with the belief that LA nail salons needed a different, more hip (and clean!) approach.

AMBIENCE

When I arrived for my appointment, I was quite taken back with the adorable, “shabby chic” decor. Guests are first greeted at the rather large check in area with an on display price and service list. Polishes were perfectly organized within a few tall, modern structures with Bellacures own scrub and mask retailing on the counter. The nail area is equally as pleasing, as it’s filled with comfortable chairs, fabulously decorated pillows, and local treats/beverages for guests to help themselves to. As I was escorted to my chair, I couldn’t help but think of how wonderful the space was for a girls night out event or bridal party.

EXPERIENCE

For my service, I chose the Softer Soles Pedi ($55), which is a combination of the Bellacures sea salt scrub, clay foot mask & moisturizing hot towel wrap. This treatment is a great exfoliation for feet that have thick, dry skin…guilty as charged. The signature sea salt scrub left my feet feeling softer than ever, and the clay foot mask/moisturizing wrap helped lock in moisture. Not to mention, the color for polish that was recommended was certainly a winner!

Though my service was rather delightful, what resonated with me the most was how strict they are when it comes to sanitation; a priority that, unfortunately, many Los Angeles nail salons simply overlook. Here are a few main rule Bellacures proudly boasts about on their website:

                                Mask, Hot towels & Polish! Taken with Instagram. Follow along: BeautyqueenCM

They autoclave: What does that mean exactly? Autoclaving is simply a sterilization chamber that hospitals and dentists use to sterilize all metal tools. The tools used for your mani/pedi are packaged in a sterilization pouch after use, and new sterilized pouch of implements are opened for each client

No whirlpool spa chairs: As many of us know (and have heard horror stories) when the pipes are not cleaned properly, bacteria, skin, and hair particles gather up in the pipes and can cause horrifying dangerous infections. Bellacures tubs have plastic liners that are simply thrown away after each client, that way your feet can stay infection free, and it’s minimal cleaning for the staff overall.

Each technician wears rubber gloves: So there’s no second guessing if they sanitized their hands prior to working on you. This helps in avoiding the spread of bacteria of course, another wonderful precaution by the salon.

IN CROWD

Filled with lots of local neighborhood nail lovers, this salon is the perfect spot to drop in for some pampering after brunch at local hot spot Le Pain Quotidien.

WALLET WATCH

Services range from $10 to an upwards of $55 and more. Check the Bellacures website for a detailed price list and description of each service.

NEED TO KNOW

Another great benefit to this Valley nail salon? They give great member perks! Receive 1 point for every $30 spent. After $600 spent (only 14 pedicures!), you have 20 points which gives you $20 to get a basic manicure. Points are universal and members can accrue them at any location. Just be sure to leave your name at checkout.

For a listing of local Bellacures locations (I went to the Studio City location), please visit their website.

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Filed under: bellacures mani nail salon pedi salon review samir asemanfar studio city 
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