Have you ever thought about how much work we make our bodies do? Going about our daily lives, we put our hands and feet through quite a lot. 

Whether that’s washing up dishes, cleaning the house, or just walking to do the groceries or rushing after your kids at the playground,  our hands and feet work tirelessly and are exposed to chemicals, dust, dirt, all kinds of weather and so on. 

It’s why every so often, it’s not a bad idea to treat yourself to a nail spa.

What happens at a nail salon?

Step 1: Nail Polish Removal and a Deep Clean

First things first, a nail technician will clean your nails, removing old polish as well as dirt. Expect to have your hands soaked in a cleansing solution. Additional boosters can be added at this stage, such as an exfoliating spa scrub to remove dead skin and moisturising treatments to soften calluses on both your arms and feet. 

At The First Refresh, our Nail Reset spa experience offers add-on refreshers such as refreshing mint or raspberry spas, for you to soak, scrub and mask your hands with nourishment. 

Step 2: Caring for your cuticles

Your nail tech will clean and trim cuticles, and file them to ensure they’re in good shape. If your nails have been growing a little out of shape due to uneven clipping when you’re hurriedly trimming them by yourself in between mani sessions, this is the stage it gets a little bit of help to be restored to looking its best again! 

Step 3: Apply the base coat

With your nails all prepped, a strengthening base coat layer is applied onto your nails. This base coat is important because it helps to provide a little extra support and strength for your nails, while smoothing out nail surfaces. It also helps to make your nail polish last longer, giving the polish more sticking power.  

Step 4: French nails, acrylic overlay nails, ombre nails… it’s time for the nail art designs

After the base coat dries, it’s time to apply the nail design of choice, whether that’s your go-to gel colour or more intricate nail designs for a wedding, followed by a top coat to seal up the polish and cure the nail.

Why go for regular mani pedis?

For starters, it’s a great me-time activity to destress and treat yourself. Treating yourself doesn’t always have to be a long lunch with friends, it can sometimes be a quick spa right from the comfort of your own home (we know how tiring commuting itself is…). Schedule an at-home nail spa experience, lay back and relax. 

Regular mani pedi sessions help to do a deep cleanse of our nails, ensuring they are kept healthy and strong. Just like how a facial is incorporated into your routine as a supplement to your existing skincare routine to ensure your face skin is at its healthiest, a nail spa session supplements the moisturising and DIY work you do for your nails. Experienced nail technicians will know to recommend just the right spa experience for your hands and feet too.

P.S. Let’s not forget that a bright, cheery coat of gel nail polish also looks good on those online work calls and adds that extra touch to your work-from-home ‘office wear’ get up!