Dali’s Birthday Bouquet

Technician: unknown
Design by:
Price: $$$

Studios are rated in a 1-3 star system. To learn more see our studio list.

Overall:★★★

Coolest Thing: Getting your own private “nail room” with mini TV.

RounGe is the NYC location of a Japanese salon chain, so needless to say the experience reflects the salon’s roots (even their email newsletter is in Japanese). You can probably credit that to why the name makes so sense. The staff’s high skill and smooth, relaxing experience makes this studio one of our favorites.

For this design the total was $200 with tip.

STUDIO: ★★

Hidden behind a Mattress Firm on the second floor, RounGe Nail is a gem in Gramercy. They usually have a sign outside of the stair door, but when I arrived after work it was tucked inside. Walking up the stairs to RounGe felt very much like I was walking into the Mattress Firm. The nail salon is located in the back of RounGe’s hair studio, making it a much smaller space in comparison. Even so, they divided up the space with sheets of plywood to create cubicles, resulting in a sort of dentist-like experience.

In my private room there was a large comfy chair facing a small, old school TV surrounded by shelves of DVDs and example nail designs. Harry Potter was already playing on the TV so I felt no need to change it. The entertainment was also much appreciated considering my appointment took over two and a half hours. They offer you water or tea, and since it winter apparently lasts until April I got a tea. The artist sat to my left, so I would cross my right arm over my body when she needed to work on the other hand. All of the staff was super courteous and (despite the walls being hilariously made of bare plywood) carry an aura of luxury throughout the salon.

Note: I did see a row of regular manicure desks in the back of the nail salon area, so when they get busy there is a chance they might also use these seats. If you want your own room it might be worth calling to request.

NAIL CARE: ★★

I was very satisfied with the nail care at RounGe. The standard of cleanliness and detail is what I like to expect from a salon. My artist was very gentle in removing my previous polish and I never felt she was damaging my enamel. My only qualm is that I felt my artist could have been more consistent when shaping my nails. I asked her for a round shape, but some of my nails looked almost pointed. It’s not the wort thing in the world and it did not ruin the overall composition, it’s just not perfectly to my liking.

ART: ★★★

I arrived with a flowery design for my 25th birthday, which was in April. It involved real flowers, which they had, and I was pleased with the way she formed the little bouquets on my nails. She was very good at replicating my inspiration photo. I’m an advocate for using strong nail glue to adhere gems, therefore they are not covered with a top coat which preserves the shine. This is the method that we’ve seen at the top salons that specialize in gems. However, my artist at RounGe covered the gems with a hard gel topcoat. Even though this is not my preferred method, I don’t interfere with the artist’s choice because if they chose to cover the gem with hard gel, it means that they are not confident enough in their nail glue. I would much rather have a covered gem that lasts 3 weeks than an uncovered gem that falls off after a couple of days.

LONGEVITY: ★★★

I was very happy with the number of coats that the artist put on my nails. They felt very sturdy and lasted a whole month until my next appointment with not breaks, lifts or chips. Most importantly, they looked great for my 25th birthday brunch in the cute cafe in the back of Ladurée in Soho.

RounGe NYC: Gramercy, Manhattan