TWO NEW NAIL SALONS IN WILLIAMSBURG, BROOKLYN

Finally. After what seemed like forever, there are now a few nail shops opening up on or near Bedford Ave. With so many complaints crying “dirty hipsters”, these services are just what the neighborhood needed. It also beats having to go all the way into the city for a decent pedicure.

A few weeks ago Nail It (209 Bedford Ave) quickly opened up on Bedford Ave in the former Pinkberry shop that was abruptly shut down. When I went in today to ask about the place for the blog, the women looked confused and said that they couldn’t answer any questions. When I asked “Do you have a website?”, they told me that I’d have to speak to the owner for them to be able to answer the question. *Sigh* Customer service is already sucky and they’re only a few weeks old.

Then there’s Primp & Polish (189 Grand Street & Bedford Ave) that opened about a month or so ago in front of Iona’s. The manager was cheerfully potting a plant as I arrived and took the time to walk me around while explaining to me some of their special services such as gel nails and Minx.

I’ve had gel nails before and they’re very durable. It’s a coat of gel mixed with pigment as opposed to nail polish. They’re very shiny and last about two weeks while their application dries much faster than regular nail polish. Minx are detailed graphic designs on a film with an adhesive back that are placed on top of the nail and set with heat. Primp and Polish provides a catalog of all the designs they carry. Traditional nail polish is also available and includes Chanel, Essie, and OPI.

And as far as cleanliness is concerned, they use only disposable items that are thrown out after every service and they sterilize metal tools before every service. Client’s personal tools may also be stored on site for those who prefer bringing their own.

I’m going to try Primp & Polish and probably pass on Nail It. I’ll let you know how it goes.

**UPDATE 12.22.2010**

Last month I listed Primp & Polish nail salons with high hopes and promised to try them out and get back to you. Before I begin, I’d like to state that I prefer to keep this blog as positive as possible but I feel I have the responsibility to be honest so here goes. I tried Primp and Polish a few times and was disappointed with the quality of the two pedicures and one manicure. I also spoke to some others who went there and they felt the same. I don’t recommend it. My nails looked worse than when I arrived each time and the woman who took care of me each time told me various times that my nails were “too short” after I told her each time that I need them short as I work with my hands. She insisted on using colors I wasn’t interested in after I said no thank you each time and she made me bleed twice and burned me once with the hot stones. The owner is nice but the quality of the work there isn’t up to snuff for me. In fact, I’m going to blog soon about my favorite place in the whole city that has consistently provided A+++ service for years. Stay tuned!