Cheap Find : The Neighborhood Salon

Of late, it's become a habit to have my nails done at home. There's been a huge boom in home-service type nail and spa services and I've gotten so used to the convenience of not having to dress up, get into a car, get stuck in a traffic jam just to go to the nearest nail salon. They bring everything to you instead. My choices have always been (according to preference): 

Nails At Home - but lately, it's been so difficult to get my technician of choice. I guess she ended up being everyone's first choice as well. That's how good and nice she is. 

Celebrity Nails - because the service they extend is always up to standards and they have a lot of branches. They've never ever said they don't have anyone available when I call them.

I Do Nails - that is, until they decided to put up a salon in Eastwood and focus on that instead.

I suddenly realized that I've never had the most convenient option of all, which is a freelance manicurista or a friendly (aka super cheap but decent) neighborhood salon. When I say neighborhood, I mean something that's really close by and doesn't charge an arm and a leg for basic services.

Until ... I decided to ask a friend who lives a few streets away from me, just to check if she knows of such a place. Guess what? That same night, around 730pm I excitedly went off for a much-needed mani-pedi, at a never-before-seen (by me) salon just 5 minutes away from where I've been staying for the past 17 years. Talk about ignorance! In all fairness to me though, the place apparently just opened its doors in August last year hehehe.

Look at what I ended up with. Bright red nail polish, no murdered nails, a really clean application, all for just P130.00 plus tips for two girls. So cool! 

Those of you who live in the Mandaluyong area and would like to know where this place is, drop me a message at nonstopbabble@yahoo.com. I'll give you full contact details and location, if you ask me. 

And oh ... the red nail polish I'm wearing is from a blast from the past brand --- Caronia! Being a small and conservative establishment, I didn't really expect to find Essie, OPI, Orly, China Glaze and the like in their selection. I love red nail polish and I didn't really mind trying this out. It's the perfect red shade. 

I wonder if I can go back for that P160 foot spa this weekend. Hihihi!

Me time @ the Nail Loft

Aside from weekly home service massages, the other thing I simply cannot do without is a good mani-pedi. I finally got to try the Nail Loft after hearing about it from my friend, Brenda and reading about it everywhere on the internet. For the past 3 months now, I've been calling on Nails @ Home to give me my mani-pedi-footspa right here at home. But this new place sounded so intriguing. So I drove to the nearest branch which is along J. Abad Santos (just off Wilson St. in Greenhills) in San Juan. Must have been a bad decision to go at 3pm on a Saturday because I had to circle the block 3 times before I found a parking spot. But the security guards of the building were extremely helpful. The place was about 80% full when I walked in. The receptionist welcomed me and knew almost instantly that I was the one she spoke to on the phone earlier. She ushered me into a vacant seat and soon after, my attendant Sherlyn stepped out (she's the same one Brends recommended that I ask for).

The Reception Area - the first thing I noticed when I entered was how good the place smelled. None of that irritating nail polish smell in the air.

My feet were first soaked in a basin filled with warm water while my hands were scrubbed

Impressive selection of nail polish : Essie, Orly, OPI, China Glaze
I went for Essie (always my default choice) Baby's Breath


Guess who kept me company? Their magazine selection is also up-to-date


I was given this spot because it was the only vacant one when I came

They have two of these couches as well. Perfect for you and a friend.

There you go! Clean and all set!

Maybe I should also mention that my package came with a complimentary cucumber eye mask which almost made me fall asleep hehehe and while I was waiting for my nails to dry, Sherlyn brought me this as well

I couldn't believe that a relaxing afternoon at Nail Loft only cost me P290 (exclusive of tip)
Beat that!

I will definitely be going back!

NAIL LOFT BRANCHES:
J. Abad Santos St. San Juan
Commonwealth
Scout Gandia QC
Project 6 QC