7 NYC Nail Salons We Keep Going Back To

Tucked away on a quiet block off Madison Square Park, this salon not only offers mani-pedis using its signature vegan polishes but also gives you the option of getting your nails done while listening to a guided meditation. Even if you don’t go that route, the Scandinavian-Zen environment and rose petal–infused soak will put you in a relaxed mood in no time.

51 E. 25th St.; dearsundays.com

A trip to this downtown spa is all about finding your chill. That can mean visiting the salon side for a simple polish change, gel manicure or nail art with names like No Apologies and EIC (founder Cyndi Ramirez was editor-in-chief of Taste the Style) or hanging out with a wellness-boosting latte in the adjoining sunny café.

149 Essex St.; chillhouse.com

If Essie’s cheekily named polishes are already your go-to, then it’s worth popping into the brand’s flagship inside the Samuel Shriqui Salon, where Essie Weingarten herself is a regular. Settle into one of the leather chairs and get lacquered up by one of the trained technicians. Regular and gel options are available, as is Weingarten’s signature mani (a coat of both Blushing Bride and Mademoiselle) if you want to put yourself in the polish guru’s Ballet Slippers.

35 E. 65th St.; samuelshriquisalon.com

The North Brooklyn chainlet has a huge selection of brand-name polishes—not just the usual Essie and OPI, but also Chanel and Dior—plus a memorable pedicure experience to match. The leather massage chairs are housed in a plant-filled sunroom where you can enjoy a sea salt foot bath and hot stone massage. Splurge on the luxury Dead Sea or Milk & Honey pedicure treatments when you need to—in the words of Parks and Rec’s Tom and Donna—treat yo self.

Multiple locations; primpandpolish.com

Dubbed a modern manicure studio, the Soho spot specializes in nail art that’s truly Instagram-worthy. Started by onetime beauty editor Eleanor Langston, the mani-only Paintbox curates a seasonal collection of customizable graphic designs—current looks include the bejeweled Perfect Pair and glitter-streaked Power Surge—that will have everyone asking where you got them done.

17 Crosby St.; paint-box.com

The beloved lacquer brand combines a modern aesthetic with its nontoxic products to make getting your nails done feel less hectic and stressful. Tenoverten’s lofty industrial-chic salons—filled with custom-made chairs and limestone tables—are also open late (9 or 10 p.m,. depending on the outpost), so you can avoid the post-work mani rush.

Multiple locations; tenoverten.com