Where the W Nail Bar Ladies Get Their Beauty Fix
W Nail Bar owners Manda Mason and Lauren Hunter are on a mission to change the way people think about nail salons. The sisters had a vision and started from the bottom-Manda went back to school on nights and weekends to earn a managing esthetics degree and a managing manicurists license, while Lauren channeled the passion from her impressive lululemon career into a passion for the beauty industry-and, early this year, opened their boutique in the Short North. "We decided to chase after our own dream," Lauren says.
THE VISION
It started with [the question], "If we could wake up anywhere every day, where would it be and what would it be?" So we decided on a spa. We decided to open up the nail bar because we couldn't find anything that we liked. We did a ton of market research and found where the gaps were. We don't come from the nail industry-but we love getting our nails done.
THE EXPERIENCE
Our store looks like Restoration Hardware and Free People had a baby. When you walk into the bar, there is someone who greets you and checks you in. You sit down and we grab you a glass of wine or water. The nail technician then takes you over to our bar to order what polish you're looking for; we have pedicure condiments that go into our copper pots.
WHAT'S DIFFERENT AT W
We don't use the jet system for our pedi chairs; our copper pots allow us to take the time to clean them properly after each guest.
NAIL TRENDS YOU LOVE
People want the purest colors. They want the whitest whites and the blackest blacks.
WHAT YOU LOVE ABOUT YOUR JOB
We are able to provide a service that makes people feel good about themselves. We are passionate about our business and stand by what we do. We feel like we are hanging out with friends.
STYLE ICONS
We love Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Kim Kardashian and Maren Roth, who owns Rowe Boutique. She is just so cute; we look up to her for fashion inspiration.
Manda & Lauren's Beauty Go-Tos
Hair Stylist: Abby Hegenderfer at Salon Lofts
Esthetician: Sarah Goetz at Holistic Skin Care
Makeup Pro: Tim Maurer of Mukha
The W Nail Bar,
946 N. High St.,
Short North
614-299-9587