Beijing's five most fun nail bars

Alice McInerney picks out the very best places to get your nails done

London Fashion Week saw nails layered with lace, and Fashion’s Night Out saw Chanel linked Cs on the most savvy punters. If all that sounds a bit extreme, look out instead for autumn/ winter’s hot shades: blood red grape, moss green and chunky metallic, then go and get the nails you need at these five nail bars…

Frost Nails

The affordable Frost Nails is the perfect stop after your weekly pilgrimage to April Gourmet, and one of the few places in town you can host your own nail party. Owner Sherry has expanded the shop into a nearby apartment, where you can have a catered nail party.

Their 150RMB deal for an OPI manicure, pedicure and scrub is one of the best in town, and they also provide massage, waxing, threading and tanning services. 3D nails range from 30-90RMB, while air brushing one colour is 50RMB. Makeup artist Meili Autumn recommends swinging by here for a matte nail polish finish in charcoal, smoke and deep purples.

Zig Zag

We love Zig Zag, which has just expanded its location on Wudaoying hutong to include massage and waxing rooms. It’s a great place to unwind, drink proper coffee, order from the surrounding cafes and catch up with friends. They have all the hues of the season, and fantastic promotions.

If you bring a copy of Time Out this month, you’ll get a free manicure (worth 68RMB) if you get a paraffin wax hand treatment (168RMB); and a free pedicure (worth 88RMB) with a paraffin wax foot treatment (198RMB). Paraffin wax treatments increase your metabolism rate, leaving you refreshed and your skin soft ready for the looming harsh winter months.

nail plus

Nail plus has all the OPI and LCN products your nail beds could want, with basic manicures starting from 98RMB and pedicures from 150RMB. If you prefer your nails of a more artificial variety, acrylic nails are 428RMB while the quality gel nails go for 980RMB.

Its hand (248RMB) and foot (288RMB) treatments come highly recommended, and the adjacent beauty plus salon also cater to all your massage and facial needs. It’s worth a visit just for the fantastic Chinglish menu alone – deep down, we all really want ‘toenable’ and ‘bealthy nails’, don’t we?

Sheela’s Nails

This lovely little retreat is decked out with wooden furniture, with a nail bar at the entrance and a more private curtained area at the back. Even better, most of the treatments are great value – manicures are 70RMB and pedicures are 110RMB, while acrylic nails are 380RMB, French nails 420RMB and gel nails 480RMB.

The quality is high, and they boast that it will be 7-10 days before you need another treatment. Sheela’s acrylic flower engraving is extremely popular at 25RMB per finger, but our favourite treat has to be the Cuccio Naturalé foot treatment (360RMB) which soaks, buffs, primes and moisturises using the best pedicure lotions available.

Askido Nails

Despite its location in the un-prepossessing U-Town shopping mall, Askido is tucked discreetly away from the passing masses, and has the feel of a Western nail bar. Their manicures range from 58-178RMB depending on the treatments, and the menu is incredibly informative, indicating time, price, how long the manicure will last for, and a detailed rundown of the procedures.

Gel nails are 370RMB, while silk wrap nails are 410RMB. If you love nail art, it’s 38RMB for dried flower and seashell acrylics, and 2RMB for jewel and diamond engravings. Men aren’t left out either – male manicures are 118RMB, and they also sell various at-home products including day and night hand creams, masks and oils starting from 200RMB. Wifi is available, and their five-person VIP room comes complete with a DVD player.

Directory

Askido Nail Lab Centre 329, Second Floor, U-Town Mall, 2 Sanfeng Beili, off Chaoyangmenwai Dajie, Chaoyang district (5975 4522). Open 10am-10pm daily. 朝阳区三丰北里2 号优唐购物中心二层329号

Frost Nails Second Floor, Jiezuo Dasha, Xingfucun Zhong Lu, Chaoyang district (6417 9148). Open 11.30am-midnight daily. 朝阳区幸福 村中路杰作大厦二层

nail plus B23, Kerry Centre Mall, 1 Guanghua Lu, Chaoyang district (8529 9437). Open 9.30am-9pm daily. 朝阳区光华路1号嘉里中心B23号

Sheela’s Nails 17 Gongti Bei Lu (beside The Olive), Chaoyang district (6417 4656). Open 11am-11pm daily. 朝阳区工体北路17号

Zig Zag 55B Wudaoying Hutong (near Yonghegong), Dongcheng district (8404 0020). Open 11am-11pm daily. 东城区五道营胡同乙55号