Nails by Rene

Wow. Hands down the best pedicure I’ve ever had. I’ve tried all kinds of places, from the very cheap (e.g., Makiki Nails, Tip N Toe) to the expensive spa places (e.g., Aveda, Heaven on Earth) — and the pedicure I received from Rene is in a different class entirely.
Rene works out of the Connie Gayle Salon on McCully and Beretania. When you first meet her, you immediately feel at ease. She’s warm, a good listener and intuitive, the kind of person you feel you can say anything to, and she’ll understand. I learned that she used to be an entertainer (classically trained dancer and singer), so from the get-​go, I picked up that she’s someone with impeccable standards — something she had to have in her previous career.
I came to her salon with extremely dry and gnarly cuticles because I’ve had the bad habit of taking the cuticle clippers to them and «having at it.» My toes were in need of some real work. In the past, I’ve had technicians who applied the same cookie cutter procedures to my feet that probably worked for most customers (honestly, I don’t blame them — my toes were in very bad condition). Rene was different. She meticulously worked on my cuticles with care and sensitivity, going over them several times to make sure they passed her standard. She also spent a lot of time smoothing away the dead skin on every part of my feet. (Bless her heart and the customer scheduled after me — my toes required so much work, Rene called her next customer and asked her to come later so she could spend more time on me!) When she painted my toes, she applied a base coat, then three coats of color, with the middle coat a different tint to give the resulting color greater depth. She asked if I wanted rhinestones, and I agreed — yes, it’s the holidays! Then she put on a top coat. When I looked down, I couldn’t believe they were my feet. The areas around my toenails were smooth, like I was born with supple, healthy cuticles. Each toenail was shaped with a kind of delicate femininity. Really, it is the subtle attention to shape that can make or break the way a pedicure looks.
I’ve never been a loyal person when it came to pedicures, only because I’ve never had one that really stood out, and I never felt the kind of personalized attention that Rene gave to me. Rene is «my pedicurist» from now on!
A few notes. Her pedicure is $ 55, and she takes only cash or check. She does not do acrylics. Rene is an easy recommendation for anyone who wants an excellent pedicure.