There's an odd phenomenon that seems to have presented itself among Manhattan women: absolute finger and toenail obsession. Weekly manicures and biweekly pedicures are seen by many as a necessity, sort of a periodic dose of mood enhancers I guess. Actually, looking at how gorgeous these varnishes are (the nail photos are from nail obsessed Blogdorf Goodman, and by the way, the perfume she mentions today is AMAZING, I especially love the Rose Noir), I understand the mood-lifting effect they have on some people.
I am not judging the nail obsession, I mean anyone who goes to the Union Square Greenmarket on a tri-weekly basis shouldn't be talking...my obsessions just tend more towards food than fingertips. Which if you've ever seen my nails, is very clear. They generally can be described no way other than "raggedy".
However, every couple of months I get in the mood for a little pick me up, and head over to Eve Salon for some nail therapy.
I've always had great experiences at Eve. The pedicures are particularly good, I feel like my toes look sort of like very beautiful pieces of candy when all is said and done. And the manicures last me at least four days (my usual is about a day and a half, so Eve is well above average). At $13 and $26 for a manicure and pedicure, respectively, it's slightly more than the rock bottom place that's probably around the corner from your apartment, but I'd call that still in the realm of cheap. Plus I think the quality is better...never an inadvertent cuticle cut, no stray polish and the lotion smells good.
Also, I LOVE that they don't use those whirlpool baths that most corner nail places insist on. Barbara Walters did some expose on those things a few years back and it turns out that something like 85% of those baths have filters that have never been cleaned, which means you can get some horrible fungal infection that may never go away (the pictures of the beauty victims' legs were not pretty), so I've been a bit (probably unnecessarily) freaked out about them ever since.
The service is, of course, no match for The Best Pedicurist of All Time
that Vivian's
family
employs down in Santo Domingo, but then no one in New York, not even the ones that charge panic inducing prices, can match this woman. So to my mind, in New York, Eve is the next best option. And, if you're short on time, the waxing services are quite good as well. It serves as my back-up waxing place if for some reason I can't get in to see Lana and I've got a hair removal emergency.
For the longest time, Eve was at 400 Bleecker, just across the street from Magnolia Bakery and the queueing customers that love it. It was a tiny shop, the size of a shoebox really, but it was comfortable and well appointed in the manner a very practical, thrifty but stylish woman might decorate her apartment. However, after more than twenty years at this location (which by the way boggles my mind...the changes they must have seen in that neighborhood over the years!), they are vacating to make room for a Kate Spade store, and will be relocating to 55 West 8th Street, just off of Sixth Avenue.
There's a bit of a gap between when their old lease on Bleecker expired and when their new space (which apparently is going to be beautiful, looks to be much more spacious than their old digs) will be ready, so for the time being the salon is operating out of their sister salon in Soho, Haven, which is sort of the luxury version of Eve (prices are a bit higher, although still very reasonable, and you get fancy tea and nice pillows to lounge against during a pedicure). But supposedly the move is imminent, so go pay them a visit in their new home.
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