The Nail Industry... what's it like where you live?

[ValencianNails]

What's the nail industry like where you live?

It doesn't matter what part of the world you're from, all replies are more than welcome.



Do you find there are lots of salons where you live?

What makes a salon, home salon or mobile therapist stand out more than another one in your area?

What services do you offer that are different to your competition?

Do you find that you have to offer alternative therapies to not only make a living but to make your business different to that of your competition?



Looking forward to your replies Geeks :green:

 

[Klassy Klaws]

In one word "NONE"!
I am the only person in my area that offers Nail Enhancements at the moment.
There are loads of Beauty but not many of the shops offer Enhancements.

To be honest the trend of having nails done hasn't hit here yet which for me isn't very good I am getting more clients who say when they get the enhancements on "Oh they are lovely I am defiantly going to keep them" but I never hear from them again:irked:

I have however had people wanting Waxing, Eyebrow and Eyelash Treatments and Tanning so I am off to do my Waxing Course on Monday

I am hoping that with more people in view eg, hairdressers and shop workers get my nails then I will get more clients as there is no better advert than seeing the nails in the flesh.:hug:

 

[CadenceAlex]

Brilliant thread!

Where I am, there are two sunbed Salons offering cheapo nails for £25 for two sets and a little bit further afield... a couple more cheapo Salons offering more expensive crappy nails but in beautiful looking surroundings!

Within a 3 mile Radius there is one Salon with a good reputation for nails... our very own AmyDeMans Mums Salon... and over the road from her is one of the crappy Salons I mentioned..plus another Salon that do Tip and Dip - BADLY! So there are actually 3 salons offering nails within minute walks of each other.. but only 1 decent one!

As for Mobile Nail Technicians.. there are some fab adverts in the local Yellow Pages but I can't comment on their nails.

 

[jacqui]

There are quite a few salons in my area, but there are even more nail technicians and beauty therapist.
It is so hard to get a job in a salon, as there are more and more young girls just out of college getting the jobs, I don't know whether it's because they can pay them less or if they want to train them there way.

I just recently started working in a new clothes shop and to my suprise there is me and another girl trained to do nails and 2 beauty therapist's working there, this is out of 13 staff. None of them can find a job in a salon.

So, even though there a few salons out there, there isn't any jobs.

 

[Cathie!]

There's loads of competition in my area, some good, some not so good.

To try and make myself stand out from the rest I do my utmost to create natural looking nails....yes, even the bright white french ones..... in my opinion my unique point of difference to the other salons around here is nails which have longevity.....they don't lift, come off in one piece, can be rebalanced and rebalanced without the need for a soak off and full set every few appointments.

 

[Tiger Jay]

What's the nail industry like where you live?From what I've seen, pretty dull. It's wack a white tip on and overlay, and that's just looking at peoples nails in supermarkets, doctors, shops. Nothing I've seen kicks me in the face. It's like they've all been done by the same tech. Now would this be because, the local salons are not aware that the likes of Custom Blending is about? Or is it because they don't want to be bothered with it? Even nail art is the same, flicks every time. mmmmm.

It doesn't matter what part of the world you're from, all replies are more than welcome.



Do you find there are lots of salons where you live?Quite a few! There are 5 I can think of with in a 2 mile radius. One I used to work at myself.

What makes a salon, home salon or mobile therapist stand out more than another one in your area?The salon I have my hair done at, for instance has a top atmosphere! Friendly staff, always smiling, professional. They do offer all the beauty treatments, but to my supprise.........the nail bar is always empty. ???? I don't get it? To be honest I don't even know what products they use, although I have asked.

With out "toooooooooting" to much,:lol: I can't believe that I offer far more nail treatments than most of the salons in my area. Not that I'm complaining. Like I say, things like Custom blending, Airbrushing, and Glitter Tips etc, seemed to be overlooked by the salons. Which is why I think I stand out from them at the moment.
Can't say that people prefer Mobile Techs to Salons as everyone is different. Some want the treatment in the comfort of their own home, some can't wait to get out the house away from the kids.

What services do you offer that are different to your competition?As above.

Do you find that you have to offer alternative therapies to not only make a living but to make your business different to that of your competition?I don't think that I have to offer more to get the business, I just do more. It makes things more exiting for me, and the client for that matter. There has to be a certain amount of job satisfaction, here, and if I can get that by learning new techniques, etc. brilliant!



Looking forward to your replies Geeks :green:

Good thread Sandi!

 

[ValencianNails]

The nail industry is relatively quiet and also 'new' where I live.

Spain seems to be about 7-10 years behind the rest of Europe regarding nail enhancements, especially the UK.

There are a lot of hair salons where I live (same in every town) but no stand alone nail salons, those are only in the city (Valencia) and I've only ever seen 1 or 2.

Mobile technicians only seem to be prevalent in expat areas, the Spanish seem to prefer to go to a salon for their treatments.

I offer Spa treatments (CND Spa Pedi and Spa Mani), as far as I know none of my competition offer these treatments, even at my low'ish prices I'm struggling for work... I'm thinking that people just don't want to pay out for these types of treatments (in my area).

 

[ValencianNails]

With out "toooooooooting" to much,:lol: I can't believe that I offer far more nail treatments than most of the salons in my area. Not that I'm complaining. Like I say, things like Custom blending, Airbrushing, and Glitter Tips etc, seemed to be overlooked by the salons. Which is why I think I stand out from them at the moment.

Do you advertise the treatments that you offer which are 'different' to your competition?

What I mean is... Yellow Pages (for example), in your advert does it state airbrushing, CBM, glitter tips etc?

 

[Tiger Jay]

Do you advertise the treatments that you offer which are 'different' to your competition?

What I mean is... Yellow Pages (for example), in your advert does it state airbrushing, CBM, glitter tips etc?

Because I'm only limited to so many hours work, approx 10 hours a week,what with little 3 year old and hubbys shifts, I actually haven't had the need to advertise at all. All of my clients are word of mouth, and they all have an updated list of services and prices.

May be the fact that it isn't advertised eg, Yellow Pages etc, that the local salons are not aware these treatments are being done. Who knows? What I do know is looking at all the adverts for Salons/Mobile Techs not one of them have advertised Custom blending, Glitter Tips or Airbrushing.

I still don't get it?

 

[gillian w]

where i am we have lots and lots of salons in the area.
There are so many in Hertford (Jade Goody had hers there) that the local paper did a feature on it.
Problem is towns are a pain to park in especially Hertford so unless you are in walking distance in your dinner hour if you want a quick wax youre just not going to bother which is why they keep closing down.
In welwyn garden where i am the ones that stay profitable seem to be the ones out of town in shopping parades that offer good quality service,Dermalogica,st Tropez spray tan,creative and bio sculpture.
Parking i think is a huge factor in the success of a place.
Of course there is also me who services the local area mostly my friends and friends of friends and sweet old ladies.

 

[clara doon]

Because I'm only limited to so many hours work, approx 10 hours a week,what with little 3 year old and hubbys shifts, I actually haven't had the need to advertise at all. All of my clients are word of mouth, and they all have an updated list of services and prices.

May be the fact that it isn't advertised eg, Yellow Pages etc, that the local salons are not aware these treatments are being done. Who knows? What I do know is looking at all the adverts for Salons/Mobile Techs not one of them have advertised Custom blending, Glitter Tips or Airbrushing.

I still don't get it?

snap snap and snap jules I could have written your reply as we are in same boat and its sooooo frustrating isn't it.

this is why I'm dedicating myself to my education over the next year to when I can offer more hours to my clients (little man at school) THEN I can advertise all the services and qualifications I have.(just hope its not going to be to late )

I'm in a rural location and have many Mobile tech in the surrounding villages also in my local town there are 2 creative salons and many beauty salons/hair salons who offer nail enhancements so lots of competition , (however I'm very lucky that we don't have any nss nearby.) This I have found has helped in a way as many local people are used to having their nails done, so have gained all my clients by word of mouth.

but like jules said theses salons, mainly have gone down the white tip route ie new set every month and don't offer ANYTHING different so when I have gained these clients I have kept them but am very frustrated that I can't put my name 'out' to get them all !!lol
my clients like the fact they aren't rushed and view having their nails done as a treat, they know I love what i do and they say it shows with my enthusiasm and love of nails, they like the fact they can have something different, and don't feel ripped off my having to have a new set every month, this is why I have called my rebalance the 'real french rebalance' and my french sets 'permanent french'

 

[blossom]

In my area there I can't think of any nails only salons, but there are about ten/twelve beauty/hair salons who offer nails. There are also 5/6 mobiles.

Nobody particularly stands out as being different or better, I have seen occasionally good work but sadly mostly bad work from most of them on clients which now come to me.
I get most of my work through word of mouth as I work from home so have no shop front obviously, just my freebie line in Y Pages & Thompson, and my books are nearly full.

When I did run a box ad in Y Pages several people said they responded to my ad because it said "Nail Biters Welcome".

 

[butaluna]

In my immediate area (1mile radius), there are about 10 salons, most of them vietnamese. It would seem as though they were all competing to be the cheapest but that is just my first impression. A new one opened up recently about 100 yards from my apartment. I've gone to two of them and swear never to go back (unless I have to for some out of this world reason).

 

[joanne7174]

There are lots of nail salons in Bedford who offer the wonderfull never come off nails !!!! I have a small Salon based on an industrial estate in Kempston Just outside Bedford When Istarted out I found it very hard to compete with the "Salons" in town as girls wanted to pay £20 for a full set and come back every six weeks to have them infilled !!!! I felt like screaming. But Ive been working for 12 months now and Im just starting to get A small clientele which is great and so many of them love the fact that I dont attack them with a electric file !! I see this as a great advertising point !So many thought that your fingers are supposed to hurt after having their nails done !!Now they know they dont and they are telling their mates too !!!!:lol:

 

[angel fingers]

well, northampton used to be known as a shoemaking town, but that industry has been in decline for many a year now. it seems that the nail industry has taken over from it ! there's a nail tech on every corner now. in the town centre we have 4 big nss and another one that is based in a hair salon. there are many seemingly reputable salons situated in and around the town too as well as dozens of techs within hair salons and mobiles.

i keep a look out for peoples nails all the time, and it seems that many sets are from the nss and the biggest 'user' are teenage girls lured in by the cheap prices and town centre location. rarely do i see any quality nails. it seems that people are lured by price mainly.

i pride myself on being able to offer nails for every requirement, rather than a 1 look fits all aproach. i have pensioner clients who want shortish oval nails with a very soft french look, all the way through every conceivable combination right up to a client who is currently sporting lime geen glitter tips about 1/2 inch long with 3d flowers and gems on the 2 ring fingers. i think [without blowing my own trumpet ] that there is no other nail tech in northampton who is better on hand painted nail art, and have many clients who request it.i keep up to date on new developments and training so that i dont end up stale like some of the long established nail salons here.
my prices are low by comparison to many towns [28.50 f/s] but high compared to some of the competition [£20 ish] i use top quality products and take the time to get a good finish.
most of my clients are word of mouth. i work from my own home and have no passing trade. my yellow pages ad just seems to be lost in a sea of other advertisers. next year i'll try yell.com as y.p is a waste of money now.

 

[hayls]

In my area there is 1 soley nail salon, she does white tip and overlay only and offers a basic mani and pedi, that is it!

There are a few nail bars in hairdressers but that is it!

I have advertised myself in the Yellow Pages and have advertised that I do different treatments, things that no ither salons offer.

Where I live the new Yellow pages is only just being distrabuted, so we will see how well I fair from this type of advertising!

Like Tiger, nobody round me offers glitter tips, gel toes, spa treatments etc etc its just all run of the mill pretty naff nails!

 

[Bagpuss]

when i first started out there were 2 places that did nails in my village. Neither had a good reputation.

I took off very quickly and have always felt lucky that i have been busy ever since...to be honest i put it down to good timing more than anything else as since then there have been a few "new" places start up...mobile and salon based and none of them have lasted more than 6 months.

Maybe they think its a quick way to earn a quick buck..or that they just want to jump on the bandwagon and have a play not realising that its hard work and you have to be able to prove yourself.

In the last 3 months...the local hairdressers has set up a nail bar...another hairdressers have started doing manicure's only and a beauty place that shut down (due to having no clients) has opened under new management and it looks very lovely inside but i am yet to see any clients in there....ohh and there is the local sun-bed shop that had a beautician who did nails, with a lovely set up but she has since left as she felt she wasn't earning enough...(apparantly).

I don't know why it doesn't seem to working out for them or how well the new ones will do.........i just know that i am still going strong and have a great loyal clientel.

 

[Paula1969]

Having moved in the last year and a half, I found it very difficult to establish a new client base. There is 1 beauty salon that offers gel and L&P, but I have had the people then come to me to rectify thick nails. But this salon has won awards etc so people are swayed to going there thinking they will get a great job.

Another place opened up recently, she was hiring out debs dresses and had a nail station in the corner, I suppose trying to corner market for young girls wanting nails, I have passed this place many times and have yet to see anyone in there getting nails done.

I think by in large people just want nails where 2 hours previous they had stumps, and they are not aware or don't care how the nails are applied etc, they are just after the finished look.

Also in my area people just want nails for an occasion, they say they will keep up appointment but you never see them again. I do find summer busier than other times as business will be better with people wanting gel toes etc.

My business has definately picked up this year though, I had one client who is a real gossip and knows everybody. Good for me because people have seen her nails and I am getting recommendations through her. Word of mouth around here is definately the best advertisement.

There is a lot of people here with plenty of disposable income but nails don't seem to be their top priority.
As my husband keeps telling me nails are a luxury for a lot of people not a requirement!

I'm certainly not run off my feet with appointments but it ticks over nicely.

Paula x

 

[pure]

I live in a rural area and there are only 2 salons locally which offer nails - both Creative. One I don't know the quality of, the other isn't so great! There are no mobile nail techs at all (apart from me now!:green but it is very early days as far as my little business goes.

I have my first advert in a free advertiser next week, my husband know the owner and he has given me free advertising space so it'll be interesting to see what comes of that.

 

[Mrs.Clooney]

Quite a few nail places where I live, be they salons or home based. I know this because I did my homework when I first started doing nails. However, I don't think these businesses really advertise themselves, either because they want to keep it low key or they have enough work already.

We have our share of NSS as well and they are always busy!!!

I am quiet after caring for my mum and I need a break anyway so I am happy for this. I am getting ready to work and study hard when I start beauty therapy in September. It is then that I will relaunch my advertising and build my business again.