There are thousands of ‘nail bars’ in our towns. They are high street shops that have been converted into therapist salons and they are manned by operatives from all over the world. Care should be taken to select one that looks clean and has tidy, professional looking therapists. The tidier the operator, the neater the finished manicure or make-over it is going to be.
There used to be health ‘farms’ dotted around the country – Henlow Grange is one that springs to mind – where they offered day spa tickets with a three course lunch thrown in and the choice of various treatments within a particular price bracket. These venues were generally considered only for the more affluent of society; they were definitely not cheap but with the explosion of discount codes popping up at every opportunity, the general cost, and quality has been reduced substantially. The high street salon, like the hairdresser, is nearly a sweatshop unfortunately.
Nail treatments range from basic manicure with topical treatments for various nail conditions and these sessions can treat infected nail conditions in a limited capacity. The operators will have all been on the courses to train them in managing the fastest possible manicure or other treatment, so the owner can cram as many appointments as possible. But back to the treatments. . . Popular options include choice of regular polish which lasts between 3 and 5 days; gel/shellac which is cured under a special lamp to create a really diamond hard finish which can last generally up to 2 weeks. Then there are some very technical procedures available such as builder gel/BIAB (builder in a bottle!) which creates stronger overlay for growth and lasts between 3 and 4 weeks. There are also acrylics which is a mix of liquid monomer and powder that hardens into a tough layer. These are highly durable and typically used to add length by using artificial tips.
There are many more treatments available these days than we ever had and hands have never been so fancily adorned!
