The Russian manicure
A Russian manicure is done dry, with an electric file, working the cuticle back rather than cutting it away. Done properly it gets colour closer to the skin than any wet manicure can, which is why the result still looks fresh at week three instead of showing a line of regrowth at day nine.
It is a slower service and it requires a technician who has been trained on it specifically. It is also not for everyone — very thin nails or a compromised cuticle are better served by the essential manicure, and we will say so rather than sell you the longer appointment.
BIAB, builder gel and extensions
BIAB and builder gel are structure, not decoration. A thin apex over the natural nail takes the flex out of the free edge, which is what stops the splitting that sends most people to acrylic in the first place. Overlaid on your own nail it grows out with it and is infilled rather than soaked off.
Where length is the point, extensions are built to the shape of your own hand — almond, square or a soft coffin — with the safe removal of whatever is on there now included, so nothing new is built over an old problem.
Pedicures and the rest of the menu
The pedicure collection applies the same precision below the ankle, from essential maintenance through to gel. Nail art, chrome, cat eye and Japanese manicure sit alongside as add-ons rather than a separate universe.
The nail room shares the atelier's diary, so nails can be booked into the same visit as a blow-dry or a colour. The full nail menu, with prices and durations, is on the main menu.
Questions we are asked
- What is the difference between a Russian manicure and a normal one?
- A Russian manicure is done dry with an electric file and works the cuticle back rather than cutting it. Colour sits closer to the skin, so it looks fresh for noticeably longer.
- How long does BIAB last?
- Most clients are infilled every three to four weeks. Because BIAB grows out with your own nail rather than being soaked off each time, the nail underneath is left alone.
- Do you remove gel or acrylic applied elsewhere?
- Yes, and safe removal is included in the extension services so nothing new is built over old product.
- Where is the Bond Street Nail Atelier?
- Inside the hair atelier at 11 Blenheim Street, Mayfair, London W1S 1LL — a minute from Bond Street station.