At the newly renovated Nail Spa in Shangri-la Mall, I had the chance to try the Essie Spa Manicure and Pedicure. It's basically a hand and foot spa using Essie products with a hydrating mask.
First, my hands and feet were soaked in warm bubbly water. The Essie soak had a lovely scent that brought me to visualize being in a sunny beach like Boracay. I couldn't really identify the scent and I didn't bother to ask lest my fantasy be disturbed. To continue with my Boracay-esque fantasy, my arms and legs were scrubbed thoroughly. This was a finely grained scrub reminiscent of the white sands of Boracay (hey it's my fantasy). It's not as finely grained as a facial scrub like Clinique's 7 Day Scrub (super good), but a good body scrub nonetheless. It's not a scrub for sissies and the therapists (technicians?) didn't have to scrub hard and long to exfoliate my skin. It had the same scent as the soak but don't worry, I didn't imagine rolling around in the Boracay sand - OA na yon!
A greenish clay-like mask was then applied on all the extremities and was left to do its magic while my nails were thoroughly cleaned and prepared for polish. Therapists Rose and Leona listened and cleaned my nails within my boundaries (cutting cuticles on the fingernails were not allowed except for toenails). After rinsing all the mask, my arms and legs were given a massage. It was supposed to be 15 minutes for the arms and 20 minutes for the legs but I didn't time it. Finally, the polish proper included applying a base coat, two coats of polish (I chose to have: a single coat of a beige-y sheer polish from MAC with an Essie sheer pink polish on top), and a top coat. I wanted to try the pink over beige look which I read from a magazine. The results were ok, maybe I should've chosen a slightly more opaque beige topped with the sheer pink polish for that pinkish beige effect (which I could actually just find in one bottle I suppose but gusto ko eh ;p ).
Over all, I was happy with the service. I loved the scrub the most as I now have super soft and smooth arms and legs. The massage though was ok as I have a theory that the best hand and foot massages are still from the 'massage' spas as opposed to the nail centers' massages. I also don't relax while I have my nails done. I am hypervigilant when it comes to pedicures since I developed an ingrown toe nail after a pedicure from one of the branches of a popular chain of beauty salons.
The Nail Spa still has the best manicure and pedicure in my opinion. It is their specialty and the ambience coupled with the skill of the nail therapists do make it a luxurious experience (hence the equally luxurious price). Also, I love the Essie top coat as it keeps my nails looking shiny and new even if it's more than a week (bad I know, don't let the polish stay too long ladies to keep your nails from turning yellow). They also have a wide range of top polish brands from the lates collections to choose from aside from Essie - MAC, OPI, Orly, China Glaze, Shu Uemura, Chanel, etc. I saw a lot of black, orange, and purples - maybe next time!
For more information and menu of services please visit nailspa.com.ph
(for some reason, I can't figure out how to create a link in the reviews section of multiply)
THE NAIL SPA
5/f Shangri-La Plaza
Edsa corner Shaw Blvd.
Mandaluyong City
6874991 or 6877011
PS. Forgot to let you know that since the Essie Spa Manicure and Pedicure are part of the range of premium services offered at the Nail Spa, you get a free basic nail care kit which includes a nail file and an orange stick.
