Set in the concrete jungle of Tribeca. NYC, the second storey location of Tenoverten nail salon is a tucked-away haven of nailphilia. The warm and luxurious atmosphere sees its walls lined with the finest in nail polish collections (choose between Chanel, Nars, Essie) and floors topped with plush custom pedicure chairs and limestone slab manicure tables. However, while all this collectively may seem like an upturned nose to the average pedestrian looking for a quick stop and polish, the salon is anything but elitist. Quite the opposite really: their atmospheric aim is to provide a relaxed and social environment that feels more like you are being pampered in a girlfriend’s gorgeous apartment by a professional. Most notably, the salon has a glorious understanding of the varying needs awaiting to be fulfilled by the discerning nail customer: a Quickie Manicure that caters to the gal on the go; a Signature Manicure; and a Luxe Manicure.

Since we had some time to spare, and a pair of hands in dire need of TLC, we sat down to test out the salon’s intriguing Luxe Manicure. First, we selected Peridot by Chanel as our colour of choice (yes, that new colour that is sold out everywhere) before sitting down and being treated to a complimentary cuppa green tea. If the salon had told us this was the height of the luxury experience, we would have been well past satisfied, but it only increased from there. Starting off with their signature manicure — polish removal, nail shaping, cuticle care — a 10-minute hot stone massage was added to an already relaxing hand massage, followed by the application of Weleda’s deeply nourishing Skin Food hand cream. At the end, our hands had never looked or felt better, the treatment the epitome of hand and nail luxury maintenance, and at $40 a totally affordable indulgence.

There was one thing, though, that we noticed was missing from the salon and that was a lack of nail dryers — a staple piece of machinery in most salons. Then again, perhaps those are a waste of space when one has the option of droplets of Qtica’s Half Time Drying Accelerator applied to their nails for an instant, quick-dry effect. Because in the city that never sleeps, who’s got time sit around a hand dryer?

Tenoverten
112 Reade St, 2nd Fl (between Church St & W Broadway)
New York, NY 10013
T: (212) 406-1010
www.tenoverten.com