What does a manicure service include?

### Core Service Components Every professional manicure begins with consultation assessing current nail condition, discussing desired results, and selecting appropriate treatments. This initial conversation ensures the service addresses your specific concerns—whether that's strengthening weak nails, treating dry cuticles, addressing uneven nail growth, or simply maintaining already-healthy nails with aesthetic polish. Hand and nail cleansing removes surface dirt, oils, and bacteria before treatment begins. Technicians thoroughly wash hands with gentle antibacterial soap, ensuring the clean foundation that allows treatment products to penetrate effectively and maintains the sanitary conditions expected in professional beauty services. The actual treatment follows established protocols designed to maximize both health and aesthetic outcomes through systematic attention to nails, cuticles, and hand skin. Each step serves specific purposes—there are no filler stages included just to extend appointment time. ### Nail Preparation and Shaping Old polish removal uses appropriate removers—standard acetone-based formulas for regular polish, specialized gel removers for cured gel systems. Complete removal is essential because any residual polish creates barriers preventing new polish adhesion and hides nail condition issues requiring attention. Nail soaking in warm water softened with oils or cleansers lasts 5-10 minutes, sufficiently softening cuticles for safe manipulation while hydrating nail plates to prevent filing damage. Quality soaking solutions include moisturizing ingredients, essential oils for aromatherapy benefits, or antibacterial agents if minor infections are present. Professional nail shaping creates your chosen nail form—round, square, squoval, almond, or other preferences—using proper filing technique. Single-direction filing prevents the splitting and weakening caused by sawing back-and-forth motions. The file grit matches the task: coarser for initial length reduction, finer for edge smoothing and perfecting shape. Nail length adjustment addresses overgrowth through careful filing rather than clipping when possible. Filed edges resist snagging and breakage better than cut edges. However, significantly overgrown nails may require initial careful clipping before filing to achieve desired length efficiently without excessive file wear. Buffing smooths nail surface ridges and creates uniform texture for polish application. Conservative buffing improves results without the dangerous nail thinning caused by over-buffing. Professional technicians buff minimally—just enough smoothing for polish adherence. ### Cuticle Care Protocol Cuticle softening solution applies to all nails, breaking down the sticky dead skin (pterygium) adhering to nail plates. This specialized remover requires 2-3 minutes to work effectively, creating the conditions for safe cuticle manipulation without damage. Gentle cuticle pushing uses wooden or rubber-tipped tools to move cuticles back toward nail base, revealing more nail length and creating the clean nail bed that characterizes professional manicures. This pushing must be gentle—excessive force damages the nail matrix underneath, potentially causing permanent ridges or irregular growth patterns. Cuticle trimming addresses only excess dead tissue and hangnails using sterilized nippers. Proper cutting removes dead skin without cutting living cuticle that protects nail growth areas from infection. Professional judgment about what constitutes trimmable excess versus protective tissue makes the difference between beneficial and harmful cuticle work. Cuticle conditioning follows cutting, with rich oils or serums massaged into cuticle areas and under nail edges. These treatments contain vitamins E and A, natural plant oils, and conditioning agents preventing the dry, cracked cuticles that tear and create painful hangnails between appointments. ### Hand Treatment and Massage Hand exfoliation removes accumulated dead skin cells using sugar scrubs, salt scrubs, or chemical exfoliants. This step brightens dull skin, smooths rough texture particularly around knuckles, and clears away the dead cell barrier preventing moisturizer absorption. The exfoliation typically includes hands, wrists, and sometimes extends to lower forearms. Professional hand massage lasts 5-10 minutes in standard manicures, using rich creams or oils selected for your skin type. The massage addresses multiple goals: improving circulation that nourishes nail beds and promotes healthy growth, releasing tension from keyboard work and repetitive tasks, and working moisturizer deep into skin for lasting hydration. Massage techniques typically include palm pressure points relieving stress, individual finger manipulation addressing each digit, wrist rotation reducing strain, and forearm stroking promoting lymphatic drainage. Quality massage provides genuine therapeutic benefit rather than cursory product application. Intensive moisturizing applies rich hand creams formulated with ingredients like shea butter, glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and natural oils. These formulations address the chronic dryness caused by frequent hand washing and environmental exposure. The extended massage period allows deep product penetration for lasting hydration. ### Polish Application System Nail dehydration using alcohol or specialized prep solutions removes any oils or residue preventing polish adhesion. This crucial prep step ensures polish bonds directly to nail plates for maximum durability rather than sitting on oil films that allow quick lifting and peeling. Base coat provides the foundation for lasting manicures, creating a protective barrier preventing staining from dark polishes, smoothing minor nail imperfections for even color coverage, and containing adhesion promoters helping color polish bond. Strengthening base coats add fortifying ingredients for weak or damaged nails. Color polish application follows professional technique: two thin coats rather than one thick layer. Thin applications dry faster, create more uniform coverage, and remain flexible for better durability. Each coat uses the center-stroke-then-sides pattern ensuring complete coverage without flooding onto skin or cuticles. Adequate drying time between coats prevents the layers mixing and creating bubbles or streaking. Professional technicians wait 1-2 minutes between coats, balancing thorough drying against appointment efficiency. Top coat sealing completes the application, adding glossy shine and protecting color from chipping and fading. Quality top coats contain hardeners extending wear time and quick-dry compounds reducing the smudging risk during vulnerable early drying. Top coat application includes "capping" nail edges—wrapping slightly over tips to seal and prevent the edge chipping that typically initiates manicure failure. ### Enhanced Service Additions Many salons offer service tiers incorporating additional treatments beyond standard manicure components: **Paraffin Treatment**: Warm paraffin wax dipping deeply moisturizes through heat-enhanced penetration while providing therapeutic warmth for arthritis relief. The wax encases hands for 10-15 minutes, then peels off revealing dramatically softened, moisturized skin. **Hand Masks**: Intensive treatment masks containing specialized ingredients address specific concerns—brightening for age spots, hydrating for severe dryness, anti-aging for lines and texture. Masks typically remain on 10-20 minutes under warming mittens or wraps. **Extended Massage**: Spa Manicures may include 15-20 minute massage versus standard 5-10 minutes, providing more substantial therapeutic benefit and relaxation. **Premium Products**: Enhanced services sometimes feature luxury product lines with higher ingredient quality or specialized formulations addressing particular hand and nail concerns. **Aromatherapy Elements**: Essential oil additions throughout the service create relaxation through scent therapy while providing specific therapeutic properties of different oils. ### Professional Standards and Hygiene All quality manicure services include strict sanitation protocols: sterilized metal tools for each client, disposable items like files and buffers, sanitized workstations between appointments, and fresh towels and bowls. These hygiene standards prevent infection transmission and demonstrate professional commitment to client safety. Aftercare guidance forms part of complete service—technicians should explain optimal drying time, activities to avoid during curing period, home maintenance techniques extending manicure life, and signs of problems requiring attention. This education helps you maintain results and develop better nail care habits.

**Available at both locations**: - **Newcastle City Centre**: Complete manicure services including all essential components for healthy, beautiful nails. - **Gosforth**: Over 25 years of manicure expertise ensuring thorough, beneficial treatment with no shortcuts. **Our Manicure Services**: - Standard Manicure: £18 | 30 minutes - All essential components - Gel Manicure: £25 | 45 minutes - Standard service + durable gel polish - Luxury Spa Manicure: £40 | 75 minutes - Enhanced treatments and extended pampering [Book Your Manicure](#) - Available on Treatwell, Fresha, and Booksy