You get what you pay for. Be a good human, and bring cash for tips. They have their autoclave out in full view to sterilize instruments. They use disposable spa liners for the pedicure stations. The n... Read More
You get what you pay for. Be a good human, and bring cash for tips. They have their autoclave out in full view to sterilize instruments. They use disposable spa liners for the pedicure stations. The nail scrub brushes are even labeled dirty and clean. Plus the shop is immaculate. From the floors, to the bathroom to the aquarium -- this place is sparkling clean. To me, there is nothing more important than superb hygiene and cleanliness in a nail salon. Then there is service. The ladies and gentlemen are super polite and clearly talented. I love the set up they have at the manicure stations with 2 UV boxes -- one for each hand. I have never ever had a bad encounter with any of the technicians, for some reason everyone is in a good mood! I love it! Now to the technique. I work with my hands. I do crazy home remodeling projects with a new manicure -- from wood working to plastering to toiling in the earth. For work, I wear nitrile gloves nearly every day. Not exactly a recipe for keeping a manicure looking tidy. I'd get gel manicures on the regular in Houston, and the polish would start lifting after 10 days. My nails are just not meant to be long and doing regular gel manicures got them even more brittle. But all in the name of beauty, right? How Royal Nails does their gel nail polish manicures will last a solid 2-2.5 weeks before lifting. You get what you pay for. But... Then... I discovered by observing and having a nail repaired by Mai (that I broke nearly at the nail bed) -- this technique they call a dip. Not tips, like fake acrylics glued on. A dip. Your real nails get dipped into some kind of acrylic gel powder and built up layer by layer. It's a time consuming process, but totally worth it. Your natural nails are thicker than you are used to. But they are now unbreakable. I was totally skeptical. For the first time in my life, I went 3 weeks (could've gone 4) without a single nail breaking or polish lifting. Are you kidding me?This is amazing. A dream come true for someone who can't grow strong natural nails, won't do acrylic tips, and works with their hands. Now with getting a dip, my natural nails are longer and stronger than they've ever been. Finally, let's talk colors. Picking a nail polish color is already difficult. They have SO MANY beautiful gel polish shades of blues, greens, purples. Beautiful bright pinks, tennis ball yellow, every pastel color known to man. And... super cool holographic and metallic nail polish. Hi, I've always wanted glitter rainbow nails! How beautiful are these? $45 for a dip manicure including your choice of one of the 300 gel nail polish colors $5 for removing the previous polish Additional $10-15 for SUPER COOL holographic or metallic nail polish Remember -- bring money to tip in cash. That's what they have posted -- and it is the right thing to do. Pro tip: Call ahead for an appointment. They are popular and busy. Call at least a week ahead of time for a Saturday manicure or else it will likely not happen. Read Less