Lux Nails and Spa: A little more polished than the rest

When I first stepped inside Lux Nails and Spa, located on 555 Washington Street, I was surprised to find that it was unlike any other nail salon that I've been to in the Wellesley area.  Instead of a noisy waiting area with a few uncomfortable chairs and some magazines strewn about, there was a quiet sitting area equipped with three brand new computers, so I could check my email while I waited. There was also complimentary coffee, tea and hot chocolate.

"There are a lot of nail salons around here, but the way we're set up…we're totally different," explained the store manager, Khiem Nguyen. This is why Lux decided to expand their business  by opening another salon in Wellesley, despite the fact that the town already has several salons. Their first salon is located in Duxbury, Mass.

As I walked around and spoke with different customers, I found that many of them share Nguyen's opinion that Lux Nails is unique from other salons in the area.

"I love the open nail bar," Gale Waitling from Holliston said about the circular manicure bar that allows customers to sit side by side so they can talk to one another while they get their nails done. According to Nguyen, this open manicure bar—which has built-in nail dryers at each station so customers don't have to get up at all during their manicure—is the only one of its kind in the Wellesley area.

 "You can notice the difference as soon as you walk in the door," said Mary Blake, also from Holliston. "It's a very relaxing and calming atmosphere, and I love the warm colors of the paint on the walls."

"The atmosphere is very relaxing, clean, and modern…and the décor is nice," Liz Hylan of Somerville said.

In addition to praising the salon's unique environment, several customers also commented extensively on the quality of customer service.

 "They're so friendly here," Veronica Bacon of Wellesley said. Since the salon's opening on Jan. 6, Bacon has already been in to get her nails done three times.

"It feels like you're getting a high-end manicure, but for half the cost," Marha Pizzella of Wellesley said. "They give more attention to customers, which is something that other nail salons don't offer."

Pizella also commented on the $25 manicure/pedicure introductory special that is currently being offered at Lux Nails to new clients. In addition to this special, Lux Nails is also offering discounts on waxing, body massages and their sauna steam room. They also offer a ten percent student discount on all services.

While other customers commented that the salon is a little pricier than what they're used to, many were careful to add that they believed the service was worth the extra expense.

"Its costs a good deal more to get a manicure, but you get more for your money," said Laura Adamczyk '87, assistant Executive Director of the Wellesley College Alumnae Association. "It's much more of a spa treatment"

 After asking the manager what a typical manicure and pedicure entails, I was astonished when he said, "Well, there's only one way for you to find out…If you have time, we can give you a complimentary manicure and pedicure right now."

Eager to experience first-hand the service that so many customers were raving about, I quickly replied, "Oh, I think I can clear my schedule."      

The manager then told me it would be better if I came back in a few hours to get my manicure and pedicure so that it wouldn't be rushed.

"We're about quality, not quantity," Ha Dinh, the assistant manager, said about their policy to not over-book appointments. "We feel bad not being able to give an appointment to every person who walks in the door, but we'd rather have a customer walk out and then come back later than rush the service and have the customer walk out and never come back."

And after receiving my manicure and pedicure, I can honestly say that the service was definitely worth the wait. Between the state-of-the-art massage chair that I sat in while I got my pedicure, the mini-backrub that I received during my manicure, and the homemade body scrub that left my hands and feet feeling softer than I think they've ever been, I am convinced that Lux Nails is one addition to the Ville that is here to stay.