Bonjour

A nail studio runs on things a guest never sees. Files are sorted by grit and retired on a schedule, because a worn file tears rather than shapes. Pigment is mixed in small batches and dated, since gel separates and a separated gel cures uneven. Lamps are logged by hours of use — a bulb past its life still glows but no longer cures, which is the most common cause of a set lifting in week one.

Then there is the part that is only discipline: we do not shorten a service to catch up. If the morning runs long, the afternoon runs long, and the last guest still gets seventy-five minutes. That is why we hold at six chairs.

Oil the cuticle nightly, not the plate. Gel bonds to a dry surface, so oil belongs at the edge where the skin is, and it keeps the seam flexible. Wear gloves for dishes and for anything with bleach — heat and detergent are what lift a set, not impact.

If a corner does catch, come in. A lift caught early is a ten-minute repair. A lift picked at for a week is a full removal and a rest period.

Two hundred and twenty shades, and roughly thirty leave every year. A colour is retired when it stops being asked for, when a better base becomes available, or when it simply does not hold on the coast — humidity is unkind to some formulas and we would rather cut them than warn you about them.

New shades arrive each season, mixed against the light in the front window rather than under the lamp. Sunlight is the only honest test.

Give the front desk your phone number when you pay — that is your whole account. A point for every dollar, posted automatically after each visit. Fifty more when a booked appointment completes, one hundred more in your birthday month if we have your birthday on file.

Rewards unlock on their own: $10 off any service at 250 points, a free gel top coat at 500, free nail art on two fingers at 750, a free full-set upgrade at 1,000, and a free manicure + pedicure at 1,500. Points never expire. There is no app to download and no card to carry.