Getting your nails professionally done is a unique (and costly) experience every girl (or boy, if you please) deserves. Recently, I had my nails done for the first time, and I am in love – though my wallet is not. This idea started when my best friend got her nails done at Queen Nail Spa a little over a month ago, and those nails were the envy of my existence, so I decided to get mine done as well. Personally, I chose gel acrylics, with a stiletto tip. That said, it’s a miracle these words were comprehensible enough for spell check to understand what I was trying to say.

At Queen Nail Spa, you have the option to book an appointment or go as a walk-in, which will affect your wait time. Some days they may be able to see you instantly, others it may be an hour wait. While you wait, you may choose a nail color, read through some available magazines, watch the tv posted in the corner, etc. At your appointment time, or after your brief wait, you’ll be called back to sit at one of the many desks. You tell the nail technician what you’d like done, and the process begins. For nails like mine, it goes as follows: your nails will be trimmed,  the surface of your nail will be filed down with an electric file, and the dust from your nails is brushed off. The acrylic nails are glued on to your own, trimmed to the desired length, and filed down to the chosen tip (options include oval, square, round, almond, stiletto, coffin/ballerina, flared, lipstick, arrowhead, mountain peak, etc.). Then the surface of your nail as well as the acrylic nail are filed once again. Next, a liquid monomer is spread over the first nail, mixed with a white powder, that forms the gel, which is brushed over your nail and shaped to match the tip of your acrylic nail. This is repeated for each nail. Then each nail is painted with your chosen color, and your hands are placed in a UV light dryer one at a time; this happens twice. After your nails are finished, they put cuticle oil on your nails and lotion on your hands, and you’re ready to go. You pay at the end, my total coming up to $50.

Having your nails done is an incredible feeling, and it makes each move of your hands feel pretty and important. I would recommend it to anyone who can budget in the fills required to keep up your nails (about $30 each time). Though having fake nails can make some things significantly more difficult (such as opening soda cans, typing on a keyboard or touchscreen, holding just about anything, etc.) after an adjustment period, you adapt to the change, and can really enjoy just how beautiful your nails truly are.