These Are Just A Few Differences

Sometimes it seems like you've seen the harsh reality of the nail biz if you've been to one of those nail salons that advertises a full set for only $20, then when you're all finished, they tell you a new and higher cost. Not only do they try to pressure you into the extra services that you may not want and charge you for them, but you also may not be happy with your new nails in the end. The idea of getting a new set of nails put on is fantasized by many. Most feminine people (I'm saying it this way because I actually have had a couple men in for manicures and/or acrylic nails) enjoy their trips to the nail salon every other week. Some feel that they need nails as a way of making themselves feel better or prettier, others go to the salon because they feel like their nails need the extra support. Whatever the reason, everyone expects to be pleased with the quality and functionality of their new nails. That is not always the case though, and below, I will discuss a few of the differences between the common and often large Vietnamese-American nail salons, and smaller "white" nail salons... Location, Location, Location

I'm currently living in a moderately sized city in Northern Ca. Including all of the surrounding cities, there are probably about 150,000 people. That's a lot to me, since my hometown and the town where this dream of mine was born only had about 15,000. It seemed so small... and yet, we still had FOUR Vietnamese nail salons, not to mention all of the "white" nail salons. It seemed like there was a nail salon on every corner! Here today, it seems like everybody and their brother does nails, whether it be in a salon or out of their home. I am always hearing "oh, (so & so) does nails out of their (garage/living room/mother's-uncle's-best-friend's-roommate's) house" and I always want to ask these people if they are actually licensed to do nails in the state of California. A lot of the time, they are simply people who have bought product from the local beauty supply and decided to take a stab at the craft. They usually have no experience or education, which makes it crazy dangerous.

If you look at most strip malls, you will probably find a salon.

Can I tell you if it is Vietnamese or "white"? Probably.

Can you? Probably.

The easiest way that I have found when trying to figure out the type of salon has been to look at the windows. If you see the prices on the windows, chances are they are a chain salon. Also, the word nail in it's title is usually a dead giveaway. Names like Beautiful Nails, Crystal Nails, Rose Nails, Honey Nails... all names I've seen on the doors of Vietnamese nail salons. "White" salons tend to have names that also include hair. My salon, for example, is called Brushed Full Service Salon. There are tons of others here as well... Be Glamorous, Envy'd Creationz... you get where I'm going here?

"Bigger Is Better" Is Not Always True When I say I'm going to discuss some differences, I don't mean that I'm going to try to turn you off from ever going to a chain salon, I simply mean that it is my personal and professional opinion that going to a smaller and more personal salon will produce much more positive experiences. I have heard of some techs in chain salons who are truly amazing, and I have heard that some techs in smaller salons are just absolutely horrible. It's not always the Vietnamese salons that cause damage to nails. In my years as a nail tech, I have seen my fair share of other "white" techs who have a hard time making people happy in the salon. Sometimes, it's a direct result of the beauty college the nail tech attended, and other times it is because the nail tech is feeling rushed, bored, anxious, or just doesn't seem to care enough about their business to do the job that is expected of them. The bigger salons are usually the chain salons... Vietnamese salons.... chop shops... they have tons of names. Some names are okay, and some are not, but whatever you call them, they are the ones that employ a ton of people to perform nail services, but the majority of them only speak English as a second language. In these salons, you will see almost every nail tech wear a mask. You'll see nail files and buffers that may or may not have been used on a prior client. You'll see walls of nail polish, but not many pigmented or glittery acrylic powders. You might even see a huge collection of gel polishes. They often have more than 4 big pedicure spas. These places are very popular for pedicures. I even sometimes encourage my clients to see them for pedicures. When I do refer outside of my own salon, I'm sure to inform my clients to ask questions about cleanliness; Are the implements disinfected? Was the spa disassembled after its last use and disinfected for a minimum 10 minutes? If your tech declines to answer, do not put your feet in that water... get up and leave! Overall, these salons are not bad, I just wish they would stop abusing that hey he rights and responsibilities set forth by the State California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology. Smaller salons are more commonly referred to as the "white girl salons", even though we are not all white. I can only assume the reason behind the term is that English is their primary language. On average, these salons can accommodate about a half dozen techs. I personally have rented a booth in a salon that had six other nail techs.

In these salons, you will usually find a lot of glitter and mixed acrylic powders. My personal stash of glitter and acrylic consists of three scrapbook paper storage drawers... not to mention the amount of foils, sequins, gems, etc. We often have a lot of decorations to add onto the nails, intend of using lacquer as the basis of our designs. I'm not saying that other places don't do it like we do, but we do tend to use more colorful acrylics and glitter acrylics.

Speed or Pace... That Is The Question

The reasons people do the things they do is often quite complicated. Do you go to your salon of choice because of how fast they are, or because your nail tech takes their time? Do you choose them because of their attention to detail? How about because they're very friendly? Everybody has different reasons they choose the salon they choose.

Most Vietnamese nail salons around are extremely fast, at least here in Northern California they are. In my city, the average time it takes for these salons to complete a set of nails is about 45 minutes. I remember when I was a teen and went to a salon like this, I was in and out in what seemed like a matter of minutes! When I was done, I would go to my car, get out my file to make my adjustments, then be off on my merry way. I never thought twice about it...

These days, it takes me about an hour to complete a full set, with decorations and various other designs. It takes other "white" nail techs about the same amount of time. Some techs do only take 45 min, others can take up to two hours. You just never know...

Value

Since some nail techs take a long time and some don't, you really don't know the value that you're getting until you experience it for yourself. I don't feel that separating this subtopic would be beneficial to anyone because there is value in the work of all types of nail techs. What some people consider strong points in a nail tech, others consider weak points.

You are going to find the best value in a nail tech that you can sit and relax with... someone who knows when you need a therapy session to go along with your nail session, or if you just need some relaxing quiet.