What to Expect at Your First Manicure

There is nothing you need to do to prepare. You do not need to remove old polish — that is part of the service. You do not need to shape your nails first. You do not need to bring anything, although if you have a colour you love, bringing the bottle is welcome.

One genuinely useful preparation: think about what you want, roughly. Length — keep as is, or shorten. Shape — square, squoval, round, oval or almond. Colour — a shade you have in mind, or something you want help choosing. Having a rough answer to those three makes the first two minutes much easier for both of you.

If you are going somewhere for the first time, walking in Monday through Thursday is usually quieter than Friday afternoon or Saturday, which means less rush and more time to talk through what you want.

Every classic manicure follows roughly this sequence, and none of it should be uncomfortable.

Say them anyway. If the filing is going shorter than you wanted, speak up immediately — length cannot be put back. If pushing the cuticles hurts, say so; it should not. If you do not like the colour on the first nail, stop there rather than after ten. And if you want to sit quietly rather than chat, that is completely fine and no technician will be offended.

These are not difficult conversations and every good technician would far rather hear them during the appointment than read them in a review afterwards.

In the United States, 15 to 20 percent is standard for nail services, calculated on the pre-tax total. Twenty percent or more is normal if you are particularly happy, if the technician has done detailed work, or if you have been squeezed in as a favour.

Cash is preferred at most salons and often goes directly to the technician rather than through the business. If you only have a card, ask — most places can add it, but cash is simpler and generally more appreciated.

If you had a genuinely poor experience, speak to the salon before deciding not to tip. Most problems are fixable on the spot, and a technician who does not know something went wrong cannot put it right.

With regular polish, be careful for the first couple of hours — it is dry to the touch long before it is fully hard, and car doors, bag handles and pockets are the usual culprits. With gel or dip there is nothing to wait for.

Then the standard advice: cuticle oil at night, gloves for washing up, and use your fingertips rather than your nails to open things. If a nail chips or something lifts, go back rather than picking at it. Most salons will fix a single nail quickly and cheaply within the first few days.