Just joined EF. Looks like I am not the only one trying to find a good nail specialist.
Well, ladies, let me tell you what. I have been doing my nails for the past 15 years all over the world. From US (DC), Russia, Austria, Ukraine... you name it. My conclusion is that Switzerland is the WORST place in the world for finding someone decent. The Swiss just don't have the hands to do it!!! You can forget right away finding a good price. This simply does NOT exist here. You must be metally ready to say good buy to at least 60 CHF (regular manicure with nail polish).
So, for those who are ready to pay and can forget their amazing nail experiences in NYC or anywhere else, I can suggest the following. My recommendation is that you find someone foreign. The Swiss manicurist are not able to do it!! They are lazy and don't want to work. I have tried them and it was waste of time. I wish I never went.
So, what you need is somenone NOT Swiss. I am Russian (from Ukraine) and can recommend you a Russian lady on Forchstrasse. She worked in several salons, then had a nail desk in MANOR, where the turnaround of customers was huge. I mean she is not 100% the I approve (I am a perfectionist when it comes to nails). but I would say good 90%. Don't get me wrong, it is very hard to please me, I am a tought customer. She is the best that someone can find in Switzerland .
Hi cricket. I am a new user. I am trying to find a place with reasonable mani/pedi prices in Zurich, was wondering if you could provide some more info about your friend. Thanks so much!
Try "aestheticart". They're perfect. A bit pricey but well worth it. I always ask for Sandra - she knows what she's doing and she doesn't stop until eery nail is perfect.
I regularly did gel nail last year and I was always satisfied - bored to death until she finished - but it was well worth it once I was out of the shop.
Very nice studio as well - all white and clean.
Be prepared to spend some time there for beauty needs patience.
I absolutely love the Schminkbar at the Bahnhofstrasse in Zürich ( http://www.schminkbar.ch/ ). It is a cool trendy place (moroccan atmosphere) where you get a quick manicure (30 mins) for 35.-. They do massages, waxing, etc and also offer fun packages like "coffee-cake-pedicure" which I love to book when a friend is in town.
You just need to book long in advance - it is always full!
Its my new favourite spot for pedis. A little grumpy as they seem to be fully booked during the summer months - I've to wait 2 weeks for the next appointment.
They are, they always are, also in the winter months! I got an appointment for a friday in late July yesterday for a quick pedicure and I had to take one at 3pm, everything later was fully booked.
The woman who set up that business is very successful - and yet her success is based on something so simple: spa treatements, in a nice setting reminding you of your holidays, with drinks and cookies and stuff... genius
You sound like a perfectly spoilt, unpleasant person in this post. I do my own nails, as do a lot of Swiss women I know. They may not look perfect but when I think of "amazing experiences", having my nails done, regardless of what country, is so far down the list, it doesn't even figure. Seriously.
My husband and I are moving to Adliswil in 6 weeks and going for manicures/pedicures is definitely on my "things I'm going to miss" list. It's so nice to have the name of schminkbar before I even get there. It looks fabulous! Maybe I should book now for August!
Go ahead! It will make you feel good, especially as moving places is so stressful! When I moved to Zürich 18 months ago finding the Schminkbar felt like having found a little heaven of peace and quiet
[QUOTE=Calanda;710342]So, for those who are ready to pay and can forget their amazing nail experiences in NYC or anywhere else, I can suggest the following. My recommendation is that you find someone foreign. The Swiss manicurist are not able to do it!! They are lazy and don't want to work. I have tried them and it was waste of time. I wish I never went.QUOTE]
Calanda, having your nails done here is not part of the traditional beauty regime New York women (or some others, for that matter) have in this country. In New York, not going to a beautician is an absolute faux-pas, but here, as Kittster said, it means nothing. Among my friends I am the only one who goes regularly for beauty treatments, and we are all successful professionals who can afford them. However, I don't think it means that people in this country aren't well groomed. And saying that Swiss are lazy is a bit contradictory to the Swiss and their ethics. I mean come on, almost everything works in this country, it is clean and the buses run on time
Agreed. Pedicures are my indulgence and I've had terrible disasters in various other countries too - not just Switzerland. To say that the Swiss just dont know how to do it is a rather sweeping generalisation. You just got to look harder and keep trying.
And I've tried Natalia on Forchstrasse. She isnt all that.
I only found the Shminkbar a year after I got into Zürich and had a couple of unsatisfactory services. I did find one near my old home in the city - she was rock solid and very detailed. Shame I moved but found Shminkbar in the end.
Have to agree, but my experience is based on lots of traveling and living overseas. Best nail professionals are eithe Eastern European or Asia. Sorry ladies, the local salons are not a particularly good value for money and the service is pretty laughable...
Ohh pleeaaasess...This is pretty basic and not even luxury as such, just good grooming. I'd rather pay someone a reasonable fee to get this done vs. waste an hour of my time struggling at home..I do not think that Calanda intended to be mean at all, she might come across a bit demanding, but to be honest, I find the same thing surprising here - lots of salons, difficult to find good ones with reasonable prices, quality is average..