Natalye R.
Yelp
Confession: I am edging on 30 and never had a manicure until last month.
Why? In my childhood I was a nail biter, and even when I (mostly) outgrew it, I still just didn't care much about my nails and how they looked, other than that they were clean, and short (for instrument playing).
So when I got married this summer, I decided I needed to get my nails done. And why not splurge? So I option to go to the Cowshed Spa at Soho House.
The idea of an exclusive club that costs a ton of money to be a member of is actually quite stupid, in my mind, but I am glad that some areas are accessible to non-members, spa included.
We arrived and walked downstairs into the dark basement, where we found the spa. Upon walking in, we were immediately relaxed. It's soothing, with calm music and soft lights. We were offered flavored water and tea, then sat down and waited in the corner, since we were a bit early.
Once my appointment time came up, I went and sat down on one of the super cozy chairs. My best friend was allowed to sit next to me and hang out, which was nice. And my manicurest was very sweet and sociable, and all the interactions were pleasant. She also gave me recommendations on color, suggesting a more toned-down shade than the one I originally picked, which turned out to be the right choice.
I chose the 45-minute treatment, since it covered everything, and was recommended for someone who has either never had nails done, or who doesn't do it frequently at all. And I am mostly pleased with how it turned out. Important to note: the manicure lasted about 5 days before it started to chip a bit, which is good considering that my self-manicures usually go about 2 days before that happens, but also just OK when I see that my friend who got a manicure in the states had nails that lasted more than a week before chipping. But all I cared about was that they looked good on the actual wedding day, and they did.
However, the treatment did result in one nail having the cuticles cut too much, which meant my finger bled for about 30 minutes. And the spray-on hydrogen peroxide was applied multiple times to my finger, which is good for sanitary reasons, but hurt so much, and didn't do much to help my relaxation.
All in all, my nails looked nice, but I did notice later that the sides were not fully painted, just the top area. So glancing at them they looked nice, but inspecting them more in-depth showed that they were not fully painted. I get that it's better to leave a blank space than to paint the skin, but I figured with how much I was paying, they would cover the whole nail and then go back and remove extra bits of polish later...
Anyway, I would probably not go here again. Even though it felt nice to treat myself, I can't really justify €45 on a manicure that is good, but not amazing.
Also, vegans take note: Cowshed uses Essie nail polish. I didn't think to inquire about this ahead of time, but if I had, I probably wouldn't have gone there, as Essie is owned by L'oreal and the company does animal testing. Not cool. I think the Essie shades are really quite lovely, but prefer to give my business (whether directly or indirectly) to a company that offers ethical products, and there are plenty of high-end, vegan nailpolishes out there.