This Is What a $120 Manicure Looks Like - Wall Street Journal

Not to mention $200 and $350 ones. Rising costs are making manicures less of a whim and more of an investment. ‘It’s worth it, but I have to have a nail budget.’

By Tatiana Boncompagni

What costs an arm and a leg, but only makes your hands look nice? A glossy gel manicure—at least in 2024.

“Five years ago, I paid about $40 for my nails,” said Rachel Green, 35, a Dallas marketing director. “Now, it’s $120. I literally have to have a nail budget.”

Across the U.S., women like Green have experienced price hikes at their nail salons—sometimes as much as 15%, said Gerard Quiroga, the CEO of Bellacures, a chain of nail salons in California and Texas.

Nail salons like Vanity Projects (above) have clients handing over $100 or more for a high-tech manicure.

Quiroga said the change is due to increased operating expenses like rising wages and retail rents. Upgrades in “beauty tech” have also driven prices up (think: longer-lasting lacquer gels), along with a higher demand for nail art, which requires a more-developed skill set, along with extra time and materials. Still, said Quiroga, “consumers are definitely not stopping.”

Why have women held on to hand-care? “It’s my quiet time,” said Green, the mother of two small children. “I treat it as a tiny mental health break.” Katie Lloyd, 34, COO of the Bevy, a Los Angeles matchmaking service, agreed. “I always feel like a new woman after my nails are done.”

Here, four case studies: a quartet of particularly pricey treatments and women committed to investing in them. Plus, their advice for making such costly manicures last longer between sessions.

Japanese Gel Manicure, $120

For her 40th birthday, Miami startup executive Chris Gentilini ordered a black cake to match her signature onyx-tipped manicure from Vanity Projects, a salon near her favorite yoga studio. “It’s classic,” she said of the look, “with an edge.”

Gentilini gets Japanese gel manicures (similar to one pictured here) every three weeks. A technician first strips away old polish, then adds acrylic extensions and paints nails with light-reactive “Japanese gel” which originated in Tokyo. When held under a UV light for 30 seconds, the gel hardens into a slick, solid coating resembling hard candy.

Rita de Alencar Pinto, Vanity Projects’ founder, says supply and labor costs have shot up 20% since 2020; she’s had to raise prices by the same percentage. Gentilini says the expense is still “worth every penny.” To protect her investment, she’s become vigilant about wearing gloves when doing dishes, which helps preserve the manicure between appointments.

Russian Manicure, $130

Meryl Cohen, 69, lives just minutes from a dozen salons near her home in Old Westbury, N.Y. But once a month, the retired financial analyst drives 40 minutes to Gilded Ritual, a day spa in downtown Manhattan. She splurges on Gilded Ritual’s “Russian manicure,” below, during which a technician eliminates the cuticle with a special drill followed by exacting, swift snips.

“The results last much longer than a traditional manicure,” said Lissette Ynfante, Gilded Ritual’s operations manager. The salon justifies higher prices for such nonstandard treatments because the specialists need extra training.

To save a bit, Cohen books five appointments at once, paying $650 up front to recoup 10% per session. Still, Cohen says the splurge is worth it. Without a visible cuticle, her nails appear longer and her glossy polish doesn’t chip: “Until the last day, they look like I’ve just gotten them done.”

3-D Nail Art, $350

“I don’t get facials; I don’t get massages,” said Lucy Wu, 48, a residential real-estate agent in New York and Florida. Instead of spa days, Wu’s biggest monthly self-care indulgence or, as she puts it, “addictive obsession,” is artfully painted nails, like those below.

Every two weeks, Wu goes to Yukie Natori, a salon on the Upper West Side that lacquers her nails and then augments them with 3-D designs like textured florals, clusters of crystals and even acrylic re-creations of Vincent van Gogh’s “Starry Night.”

Besides requiring a nail artist whose skills practically rival van Gogh’s, such 3-D manicures often need over 10 different nail polish colors, along with extra glue and a thicker top coat to protect the intricate designs. Because of the precision involved, they can take over three hours to complete.

“I do spend a lot on my nails,” Wu admitted. “But I see this as a very big part of my self-expression.”

Liquid Extensions, $200

“You can tell a lot about my life by the state of my nails,” said Lloyd, the matchmaking COO. Every three weeks, she visits Nail Lounge in Beverly Hills, Calif., for gel tips, which are painted onto her nails as a jellylike substance, then harden under a UV light. (See a similar version, below, from JennPaintt, a salon in downtown Los Angeles.)

During the session, Lloyd sinks into a puffy leather chair and relinquishes her phone—a treat for the busy exec, who is otherwise always “doing the most.” Instead of sending emails, Lloyd listens to classical music and enjoys a hand massage. Next, a technician uses a tiny drill to shape Lloyd’s gel tips, then shellacs the entire nail with a shiny top coat.

“It’s a reset,” said Lloyd of the manicure, which takes 90 minutes. She goes for a soft pink UV polish that—while more expensive than standard polish—protects against chips and breakage for up to a month.