Today I had one of the best manicures I have had in a really long time. I went to The Woodhouse Day Spa over in the village by my house and it got me thinking which is ultimately better; quality or quantity?
I think after that manicure I can safely answer that quality is way better than quantity. Let me start from the beginning. I am a big fan of having my nails painted. Sometimes they are normal colors. However, sometimes I get a little crazy and have a glow in the dark french manicure. I am not very talented at painting my own nails and have since given up on painting them myself. With that in mind I am always on the lookout for a great manicure and pedicure home.
Frequently I go back and forth on should I just go to one of the cheaper places and do a walk in or should I book an actual appointment and have a proper manicure. I have had the dips on my nails for about a month now and while the regrowth was very visible there was no chipping or anything. I was overall happy with them but I want my real nails back.
In Cincinnati I had a guy who was terrific;however, he is exploring the world for a year and I was outta luck. In Michigan I just keep bouncing around. I haven’t found the right place yet. So I decided in the spirit of blogging I would try somewhere new and then use it as a blog post.
When I arrived at the Spa I was promptly greeted and then taken to an area where I could have a warm robe, shower, and check my belongings. I decided to skip the robe. It’s summer so I’m good without it. I did check my purse in one of the lockers which you pick the combination and lock it. (The worker explained if I forgot the combination to simply hit the button and someone from the staff would help me.)
From there we went into the quiet room which is painted in soft hues with gentle relaxing music on. There was an assortment of complimentary nuts and fruit infused water. While I was waiting for my appointment the receptionist offered me a drink I gladly accepted a mimosa and then was sitting there drinking it when my manicurist came to get me.
Once I was in the manicure area the manicurist Tanya was super friendly and kind. She set to work removing the Dips from my nails (btw when the dips were removed my nails just felt really weak and fragile….. I’m done with the Dips.) She explained that they can be harder to remove and that this might be a process. She wasn’t kidding. She soaked my nails then buffed the polish off with a file and continued the process until it was all removed. Then she talked to me and used a gentle moisturizer on my skin and put my hands in warm mittens. She had me sitting in those mittens for probably 20 minutes but hey,no complaints here, they felt amazing! During that time she left the room and returned with a fresh mimosa that I was able to enjoy as soon as I was out of those mittens!
Then when the mittens were off she used an agave serum and gently massaged my arms and hands. (At some point I began to think I had died and gone to heaven!) From there she added cuticle oil to my nails and gave them a few minutes of tlc. Then she put a polish on my hands and more oils to help the nails grow back stronger and better than ever.
While I was waiting for the polish to dry I was moved to the quiet room to just relax and let the polish dry (I was also offered another Mimosa but turned it down.) I stayed in the quiet room to let the polish dry and did some quiet reflection I think for this girl quality is always going to beat out quantity and I have officially found my nail home in Michigan!
The Real Elle Woodz 