WE RETURN from a hectic holiday in rainy Ireland with unkempt nails that remind us of weather conditions back home – terrible! We visit Polish for a nail pick-me-up treatment.
We are given a quick tour of the facilities; the hair salon, make-up room, massage and waxing rooms and Moroccan bath suite before settling ourselves in the main section of the salon; the nail care area. The chairs have cloth partitions on either side, creating a sense of privacy. If you come with a friend, the partition can be pulled back for a girly chat.
We notice our own private iPad station by our pedicure chair and are presented with a menu of six films to choose from. We choose chick-flick Notting Hill and pop on our headphones happily while our therapists get to work soaking our hands and feet in Organic Dead Sea Salt. Once our skin is softened, our hands and feet are scrubbed, cuticles trimmed, nails shaped, hands and feet massaged and moisturised.
We decide to try out MinX Nails (nail stickers) and choose a hot pink leopard print design. Our therapist Jessa holds each sticker under a heated lamp briefly before pressing them onto our nails. She used a nail file to remove the excess sticker. We love the end result and the flamboyant pattern works well on our short nails. We’re instructed to avoid putting our hands in hot water, as this will dissolve the glue.
Polish is an all-rounder. There’s a private nursing room for mothers and the nail care seating area has been specially designed with plenty of space for pushchairs or prams. The Internet facilities and location near ADEC and local universities make it an obvious choice for teachers and students. And for ladies in general – who doesn’t enjoy inexpensive pampering? By the way, the best day to go is on a Thursday – you’ll get free cupcakes, homemade by the manager herself.
Catriona Doherty
Details
What? Nail care
Where? First floor, next to the Universal hospital building at Shaikha Jameela Towers, behind ADEC on Airport Road
Cost: Basic manicure and pedicure AED 100, MinX Nails manicure AED 150
We say: Without exaggeration Polish is one of the top nail salons in Abu Dhabi
Contact: 02 445 2053
