K-Beauty: Nails

I really liked painting my own nails when I was younger, then my mom let me get gel with her at the salon. I tried acrylic extensions with gel for the first time before my senior prom! In my first two years of college, I got acrylics consistently until my nails were thin and dry :(

TLDR

WHERE: I went to Matilda Nail Shop Hannam Branch. Matilda has several locations across Seoul. The ambiance of the salon was amazing and their service was better than any salon I’ve been to in America! 

WHAT: I got a gel manicure from their October 2023 collection. Matilda comes out with new designs every month. You can pick one of their designs or get a solid color from their collection.

HOW: I went with my cousin who lives and works in Seoul. She has a membership at Matilda and goes monthly. Several beauty service companies have membership options (explained further in details).

DETAILS

My cousin and I were the only customers in the salon, and we each had our own nail technician. Like I mentioned, the service at Matilda was impeccable. I had never seen my nails look so clean before! At one point, a piece of dust was cured in the gel by accident. My technician took the time to file the gel down and get the piece of dust out! The design I chose had raised details and iridescent powder. My cousin got a watercolor-like base with a glitter charm in the middle. Since their monthly designs are quite intricate and they pay very close attention to detail, our appointment lasted about 1.5 hours.

As I mentioned earlier, my cousin has a membership at Matilda. She paid a large sum of money and got a higher amount in credit to the salon. Additionally, members get a discounted price for all services. So for example, if you pay the salon 300,000 won at once you can get 350,000 won in credit. Then instead of paying 75,000 won for a manicure, you will pay 65,000 won. Most hair, face, nail, and other beauty salons follow this same system. If you know you want a service on a consistent basis, research some salons and visit them in person so you can get a membership right away!

I was so grateful to my cousin for showing me this Matilda, I would definitely recommend it!