When CA Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that more business including nail salons were able to start opening, of course, following elevated safety protocols, I eagerly awaited learn when my favorite nail shop would open. For those in the know, I’m talking about the uber Instagrammable and upscale nail boutique chain MiniLuxe. I first discovered this nail salon on a visit to Boston, MA where some of my closest friends and I spent an afternoon at one of their Back Bay locations. In case you’re curious, we went to the one on 31 Newbury St. Since my first visit to MiniLuxe, I was thoroughly impressed by both their service and the shop’s commitment to cleanliness. Before going to this nail shop, I mostly did my manicures at home and I had never had a pedicure. Like I know-what?! The hour we spent getting our nails done was both relaxing and joyous. From the associate offering our chatty crowd some wine, to the nail technician sporadically asking me how I was this MiniLuxe trip did it for me. I now both loved the ritual of a good mani-pedi day and coming on a trip to MiniLuxe. Before I left for the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, I popped into the West Hollywood shop. Honestly, without this visit my cuticles and hands may have never recovered! Running around and waving down people in 15-degree weather is bad enough, now imagine doing it with dry skin and nails. It also was such a smart move to get my nails done before hand because I’d be running press or handling talent and people stopped to say, “Wow Will, you’ve got great nails!” My second trip to this nail salon was the West Hollywood location. As a new part of my, “Get red carpet ready with me” regimen I visited the Beverly Hills MiniLuxe location. It was the day before this year’s Academy Awards, aka the 2020 Oscars. I booked a seat for one of the publicists on my team and myself. She had never been to MiniLuxe and I had a blast introducing her to this glamorous experience. We laughed, sipped on some champagne as we celebrated our nominees, and both left with hands deserving of holding an Oscar. The location I went to today was MiniLuxe’s Brentwood location, and it was the only site of theirs in SoCal that I hadn’t visited yet. It is only nail salon open that’s part of this chain at the time of me writing this. And I didn’t have a single doubt that during my visit I’d feel secure. This chain, no matter where I’ve gone, has always practiced excellent cleanliness. Whether I’ve done a manicure or pedicure, I’ve always seen disinfected equipment being used, seats being wiped, and everything practically spotless. Because of the state’s mandates I also knew there would be heightened cleanliness practices. Taking my past experiences and these new rules into suggestion I thought of inviting my grandma to return with me to my favorite nail salon that was finally open. If you know me, you already know that my grandma is the most important person in my life. I’ve made that my grandma and I have gotten multiple tests for COVID-19, I order her groceries online, and if I ever have to leave, I wait to see her until I am changed, showered, and wiped all the surfaces down. I love both spending time with her connecting over interests. And I also love inviting my grandma to experience some parts of my behind the scenes life working in Hollywood. Today we took a trip to MiniLuxe in Brentwood and I must say we both loved it. As soon as we walked in, we saw social distancing being practiced. My grandma speaks mostly Spanish, and the associate who checked us in happened to speak Spanish. He made my grandma feel comfortable by asking her what colors she liked and if she wanted to see any more. I was at ease especially because my pedicure bath was ready. The hour flew by and by the end of it I could tell my grandma was smiling under her mask. We were sat apart and the whole time I looked over. The nail technician was gentle and kind to my grandma. When I was done, I paid, and I saw my grandma was done. She had a rich crimson color on her nails that literally glowed once we finally got outside. I felt good about the experience and when I asked her if she liked it she sweetly said, “Si.” Honestly, I’m so happy to see that business in Los Angeles, CA are committing to this new normal very well. I think that trust is a huge factor that plays into people returning to establishments they used to go to. In my case, I’ve always had a top-notch experience at MiniLuxe both alone and with my friends, and now family. I want to know, have you gone back to your favorite salon while in quarantine? If so, what is your favorite salon?
Thank you for reading these Words by Will! See you in the next post - WS |
Author William SamayoaMarketer by profession and storyteller by passion. L.A. raised, proud Latino, and pop culture enthusiast. Categories
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