Akiko Nails: Bowery, Manhattan

Psycadelic Pride

Technician: Asumi
Design by: @sunnysunkuku
Price: $$$

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

Overall:★★★

Coolest Thing: The staff seated Jess and I next to each other, we didn’t even have to request!

Before our appointment at Akiko, Jess and I had a rather traumatizing experience at a different salon that will remain unnamed. It was overbooked, poorly run, and we ended up sitting there for what felt like 5 days, but was actually only like 3 hours. Our time at Akiko was a breath of fresh air. The studio was spotless, the staff friendly, and the results were wonderful.

The total for this design was $183 with tip.

STUDIO: ★★★

The studio was surprisingly quiet for a Saturday when Jess and I arrived for our appointments. The first thing I noticed was that the studio was oddly spacious; the way they arranged the tables and waiting area left a large amount of empty space in the center. Not something you see often when the rent is so high. There were only about 7 manicure desks — no pedicures here — and they saved the two in the middle for Jess and I. The interior decor was very trendy, lots of millennial iconography, half glazed pottery and artsy photos of people stretched out digitally. They offered us tea or water, which I would have taken if I had not just eaten breakfast. The overall vibe was very clean, professional and relaxed; none of the artists were in a rush, on the contrary, they all seemed to be taking it slow.

NAIL CARE: ★★★

At the previous, tragic salon, I ended up getting a plain, soft gel manicure because we needed to escape A.S.A.P. It had been a long time since I had solid color soft gel mani, and I was so surprised how easily it came off. I probably shouldn’t have been so surprised since it chipped like a week after I got it. With the acetone it was like poof! Gone.

Jessica got hard gel extensions at the previous nail salon, so going to a studio where they had solid removal technique was a must. Akiko is a Japanese salon, (fun fact: Akiko is a common Japanese name, where Aki means “sparkle” or “autumn” and ko means “child”) and like most Japanese salons, the technicians were very gentle during removal. My tech Asumi was quite meticulous with the electric file around the bed of my nail which I appreciated. She ended up cutting my nails quite short again, because the very ends were still damaged from a couple of appointments before. My nails feel a lot healthier, so I’m happy with her decision and am learning to appreciate short nails.

ART: ★★★

I knew that I wanted to get a colorful design to celebrate pride and the spirit of the summer. I decided to defer to the instagram of our favorite Seoul based nail artist sunnysunkuku for inspiration and she did not disappoint. When I showed the picture to Asumi, she studied it carefully and got started right away. After the number of bad appointments I’ve had, it was a joy to see her artistry and direction take place. She started off by painting half of my fingers with a black base, and the other half with white. She took the eye motif from Sunny’s design, but adapted the feature nails and other patterns to better suit the shape and size of my nails. This was the first time in a while I really felt like I got a full manicure that was worth every penny. I almost wish I had given Asumi more freedom, and would be happy to go back and see even more of the talent that is at Akiko.

LONGEVITY: ★★

My nails are holding up well. It’s week four and my cuticle areas are starting to act up. A little bit of drying, flaking, but my nails themselves are growing back faster and healthier than they have been for the past months. Some of the nails did lift, making it annoying when I run my fingers through my hair. I can’t complain too much though, seeing as it’s been so long. I haven’t had them redone yet because I wanted them to last until pride (should have probably made the appointment later in the month LOL). She put a sturdy amount of hard gel on my hands so although they’ll look grown out, I’m sure they’ll make it through the parade.