I recently used a birthday gift voucher at a local spa. I spent ages going through their various treatment options online & eventually selected one of their back massages. After booking it, I realised I had absolutely no idea what to expect. Would I have to take off more than just my top half of clothing? Did I need to tie my hair up? Would a ‘back massage’ include neck and/or arms too? (Incidentally: yes, yes and yes!)
Now, I thoroughly enjoyed my treatment once I got there, but as a self-confessed over-thinker I would have felt far more relaxed going in if I’d had a bit more information about what to expect. So this blog post is for anyone who like me, wants to know what to expect when attending their first treatment.
Please come with naked nails if at all possible. This way I can fully assess the condition of your nail plate and which products would be best suited to your nails.
Don’t worry about the length of your nails - if they need shortening, I will do this during your appointment; if they need lengthening, make sure you opt for Plexigel Sculpt.
In general, please wear whatever clothes you feel comfortable in, there are no special requirements. The only exceptions are for the Spa Manicure, where it would be helpful if your sleeves are not long (or can be rolled back ) so that they don’t get wet when your hands are being soaked & so that you can properly enjoy the arm massage, and the Transformation or Luxury Pedicures, where the same applies to your trousers.
If you have booked a pedicure which comes with a regular polish finish (rather than a gel polish), please also bring flip-flops to leave in so as not to risk smudging the polish before it has fully dried.
Appointment lengths vary, because I will always ensure that your nails are fully prepped before I start painting them, which means that if your cuticles are particularly troublesome for example, your appointment will take longer than if you have regular maintenance appointments or follow at-home aftercare to keep on top of them.
A full client consultation will be completed through a combination of an electronic form upon booking & an in-person conversation at your appointment. This will cover medical topics such as allergies & injuries, as well as any general issues you may have with your nails that you wish to rectify.
All NbLDL appointments involve me filing and shaping your nails. I will ask you what shape you would like, but don’t worry if you don’t know - I will talk you though some options & can suggest the most suitable shape for you if need be.
I will then carry out a ‘cuticle tidy up’, for which I use CND™ CuticleAway. This is a liquid gel-like product (by ‘gel’, here I mean the consistency of something akin to hand-sanitiser, rather than ‘gel polish’) which naturally breaks down the dead skin on your nail plate, to ensure your nail is clear of anything which may prevent adhesion later in the treatment. I will never hack away at your cuticles & I do not remove live skin - I will only use my cuticle nippers to clip hangnails or similar.
After prepping your nails, they are ready for painting! I will ask you to choose your colour(s) from the Shelves of Selection on display; if you’d booked a treatment with a regular polish finish, this can still be upgraded to a CND™ Shellac™ gel polish finish if you’d prefer, simply let me know before you pick your colour. CND™ Shellac™ is painted on the same way regular polish is, but I will then ask you to place your hand in the lamp after each layer to cure it - after 10-60 seconds it will emerge hard and ‘dry’ but still sticky, until I remove the tacky layer right at the end.
If you’ve opted for nail art, this will be done after your nails are painted. There is a huge range of options to choose from - glitter, foil, stamping, chrome, or hand-painted designs. This is my favourite part of the treatment so I will always be happy to talk you through the various choices, suggest different options, and experiment.
I will endeavour to ask you throughout the treatment if you’re happy (with your nail shape, with your colour choice, with your nail art) but if at any point you want to change something, please speak up - I promise I will not be offended!
All treatments are finished by massaging in a few drops of CND™ SolarOil (a conditioner for your nails) & moisturiser. I will also ask to take a photo - this will only ever be of your hands and/or feet, never of your face!
At the end of the treatment I will talk you through your aftercare (you can also find a blog post on it here so don’t worry if you don’t remember it all) & I'll complete an electronic record of the appointment.
Cash is no longer accepted & I do not have a card machine, so payment is requested to be sent via bank transfer please.
I pride myself on providing a premium service, and welcome any feedback, which can be left in any of the following ways:
• Google review - simply search for NbLDL on Google, select the Reviews tab & then follow the instructions under the ‘Rate & Review’ section; or click here
• Facebook review - head over to the NbLDL Facebook page (make sure you’ve liked & followed us while you’re there!), click on ‘Rating’ where you’ll be asked whether you recommend NbLDL, and then asked to leave an explanation as to why
• NbLDL website - click here, scroll down to the feedback section & then fire away!
I hope that helps paint a picture of what exactly you can expect during a Nails by Laura D Lee appointment. For more info on specific treatments click here, and select the treatments you are interested in, read a detailed description of our COVID-19 Safety policy here, and if you have any other questions, pop them in the comments below!
Comments