Anyone with a watchful eye will have noticed the boom in nail salons that have opened their doors lately in Florence. It’s no surprise as we all resume normal life post-pandemic and with all the partying that brings. Indeed, the international nail beauty industry is on the rise with “celebrity manicures going viral and the most in-demand manicurists becoming fully-fledged influencers”, as Vogue.com published in a January 2023 article.
The Parlour
Ph. Pietro Savorelli
Ph. Pietro Savorelli
The Parlour has set tongues wagging, in a good way. Five years ago, Esther Tadjiev left her senior vice-president role at Sotheby’s in New York. While on garden leave, she came to Florence and signed up for Italian classes. Within two weeks, she knew that going back was no longer an option. While working for luxury real estate agency Lionard, she espied a gap in the market for a beauty parlour. “I was very religious about my manicures and pedicures in the US. It’s just something I was missing in Florence.”
Rocking a central location along borgo San Jacopo (the former Uashmama store), soothing Terre di Siena and sage walls greet customers as they sink into sumptuous purpose-designed “thrones” with river views. Esther spent considerable time researching products, travelling to meet cosmetic brands big and small, before selecting Yorkshire-made Navy for the salon tools and eco-friendly, vegan and cruelty-free BioSculpture gel products. I’m greeted warmly by Esther and her team of fully trained, certified beauticians, who soak my feet before applying a callus-softening pack and carefully carry out a curative pedicure. A Mimosa cocktail and treats from Wild Buns added to the serenity of the situation, which was made all the more relaxing through side-by-side chatter with my fellow beautees.
Prices start from 35 euro. Coming soon: blow dry, eyebrow/eyelash lamination and waxing services. Plus, three-month, six-month and yearly memberships will start in September.
Nails and Beauty
The sun is streaming through the windows at Nails and Beauty’s Ponte alla Carraia store. Tomorrow I’m off to a gala and my nails are looking under the weather. Clay dust has become embedded (hours of tennis), my cuticles forlorn (lack of care) and there’s a cracked tip that’s driving me mad on my middle finger (too much suitcase carrying back and forth from England). It’s time to become presentable. The friendly staff welcome me into the all-white space with pink accents, immediately repairing the damaged talon and shaping all the chelas. Having dipped my fingers into a washbowl, I’m forced to relax: no tapping away at my iPhone.
“Right now, many of our customers, who are Americans studying at nearby schools, are having their nails painted white or pale pink,” the Neapolitan beautician explains as we choose from the kaleidoscope of CND Shellac colours on offer. I follow suit with two coats of a natural shade of powder pink.
Prices start from 25 euro.
Salons in via Nazionale 120R, piazza Nazario Sauro 20-21 + via dell’Agnolo 109R
Other nail salon favourites in Florence include Papaya (via del Moro 40R), Maniboo (borgo Ognissanti 4), Nails & Co (via Santa Caterina d’Alessandria) and ILYOS Hair&Nail Spa (via del Giglio 27R).
