How much does it usually cost to have your nails painted at a salon?

If they’ll just do paint it could only be $5 or 10 bucks. A manicure could be from 10 to 35 and of course would include the paint. If all you want is the paint I’d go to one of the cheaper shops.

I usually pay between 15 and 25 for a manicure at a neighborhood place. They usually charge a few bucks more foe a french manicure because it takes more precision.

French manicure at a cheap place, standard starts at $15–20. I don’t know where you live though, could be different. I’m in SF.

French manicure is about 15 bucks around here. It’s cheaper to get plain paint.

To get a full set of acrylic nails is about $25, to get a manicure with a fresh coat of polish is about $10 w/o tip :)

quite frankly, with the way the economy is I’d do them myself for free :)

Just a manicure meaning straight polish, $12, french manicure $15.

Every place is different though I’ve gotten manicures for $10, as well as the quality too, you might want to pay a little more for it to be a bit better as well.

Thanks for the helpful answers, everyone!

@Judi, is there a difference between just paint and a “manicure”? (Obviously I’ve never really gotten one before, not that I paid for myself anyway, and that was a long long time ago). Do they file your nails or massage your hands or something? I guess I wouldn’t mind if they cut them all to about the same length and shape. It seems like it’s just impossible for me when they white part longer than a milimeter. I don’t know why.

@tinyvamp, I said I don’t want fake nails, just polish, but thanks for the info. And bully for you if you can paint straight lines with your non-dominant hand. If only we were all so talented, I would do my own french manicure too…

whoa, totally didn’t mean to cause an aneurysm with my answer. it was kind of like I was typing out my thoughts without filtering out the excess my adhd does that to me, sometimes . in all honesty it was meant as a helpful answer but maybe I shouldn’t have said anything at all.

~

Wow, a full set of acrylics for $25.00!!
I pay $45.00 for fills but my girl is the best in the world ;-)

I pay $22 for a manicure and $12 for a nail polish change in between manicures at the urban day spa I go to. In a small town not too far from here, it’s $10 for the full manicure, but without the soothing atmosphere or the personal extras (such as when I want a multicolor job). Those rates don’t include tips.

The manicure includes soaking, filing for length and evenness, grooming and cleaning up rough cuticles, massage, etc. The polish change is just removal of old polish and new application, nothing more.

A gift certificate for a manicure at a nice salon is a lovely gift. My son’s girlfriend gave me that one year and started me going.

Thanks for your awesome answer, Jeruba—lurve to you! It really cleared up my confusion! But then of course brought up more: how much should one tip a manicurist? about 15% or what?

@La chica, I usually tip on the generous side of 15%. I always give my gal $5. At the counter there is a discreet little envelope holder, and I put $5 in one and write her name and mine on it and drop it in the tip box. I actually do this in advance and pay in advance so that when I’m done I won’t have to touch anything.

Another thing I usually do is bring my own polish. This is not because I don’t love their color selection and brand quality but purely because I want to be able to do touch-ups at home. I can rarely get completely dry before I mess up somehow, But—congratulate me!—yesterday I got my nails done brilliant red (theirs) and green (mine) for Christmas, and I let them dry all the way to hardness without ruining anything.

Very nice. great idea!

So, when you leave, are your nails not completely dry? Should I expect my nails not to be completely dry?

(I never realized I had so many questions about this!)

You can usually hang around until they’re completely dry, but typically you won’t want to sit that long, maybe just 5 to 10 minutes.

Why not buy a bottle of polish and some polish remover yourself and find out beforehand how long it takes you to dry a couple of coats and a top clear coat to hardness? I think it takes about half an hour, maybe more, before I’m safe with it. But I make a lot of clumsy moves and forget to be careful. I am too impatient to dry thoroughly before I start doing stuff.

Also be careful what you wear. You want your arms bare to the elbow for the massage, but you won’t want to put a coat or sweater on or button or zip anything if you can help it* before you’re entirely dry. Where I live (California), that’s not a big problem, but if I were in snow country I would consider carefully—maybe a shirt or sweater with long sleeves that are loose enough to be pushed up, and a cape or shawl just to get me to the car without having to slip into a coat with sleeves.

*Or go to the bathroom.

Awesome! Thanks for all the tips! I guess I’ll probably bring a book or my ipod if I decide I’m not too broke to get a manicure after i do all my channukah and christmas shopping. i usually watch tv after i paint my nails b/c you don’t have to touch anything, but i can’t exactly bring my tv to the salon, lol.

You’re welcome. Have fun. It’s a small enough indulgence but feels luxurious to me.

Here’s my Christmas nail job.

@Jeruba: Why just two green ones?

Edited to add: I love how your nails match the tablecloth!

Well, er, uh…because that seemed like the right number. Anything too systematic or predictable would have offended my essential love of chaos.

When I handed my husband my camera and said “Come on out here, please. I want you to take a picture of my hands,” and then posed them at one of the many decorated surfaces in the front of the house, he didn’t ask a single question, just took the snap and handed back the camera. That’s what 30 years of marriage will get you.

That’s a good husband, Jeruba. You oughta’ think about keepin’ him ; )

Oh, I will, for a while, at least. When we got married I told him forty years would probably be enough with any one man, so I’d like to reconsider my options after that. But I’d say he’s looking like a fairly good bet.

nice hat.

Thanks! I had fun trying them on.

lol