Flowerly feelers

Oct. 17: It’s a bar. And the high you get here comes from not the chota or Patiala peg, but from the snazzy designs on your nails.

A beauty spa and salon is set to open a “nail bar” to cater to the growing demand for nail art, especially during the festive season.

“We are setting it up in a small corner in our salon where various nail art designs, nail extensions with art will be displayed. There will be over hundreds of designs to choose from. Just as in a liquor bar where one can choose what one wants to drink, our clients will have options to choose the kind of work that suits their nails best,” said Meena More, director of the parlour.

Whether it’s floral or animal print, from amusing geometric designs to intricate stonework, enthusiasts can now look forward to pampering their nails.

“People want to get their nails done to complement their dress or make-up during special occasions. At the nail bar, the designs can be customised to suit the occasion and mood of the client,” Meena said.

Two Calcutta-trained artists will attend to the clients at the nail bar.

The products will come from China.

“Nail extension is an important part of nail art where extensions are glued to the real nails to get the desired length. We bring our products from China as the extensions available in the Chinese markets are better than most found here,” she said.

While the youngsters prefer funky animal prints and floral deigns, the elderly but young-at-heart love to get their nails done with extensive designs, sometimes even studded with stones, during a festival.

The elaborate process — that starts with cleaning the nails, filing them, putting an extension when required, applying a base coat — is a favourite among those who have short nails and want to grow them overnight. Besides, the bar is custom-made for the adventurous lot who want to explore a world of nail colours in solid hues such as pink, red, brown and others.

A session of nail art may take 20 minutes to several hours.

“We have nail art in our salon. Besides getting designs drawn on their nails, clients also like to get stone-studded nail art done. Our artists are trained by experts in this field as we want to give the best to our clients,” said Sita Sunari, an employee of a salon chain.

“Nail art is a favourite among youngsters. We have designs and nail care products to cater to the changing demands of the clients,” said Bobita Talukdar of another spa and salon.

Some like Bobita Neog calls her nails her “canvas” and likes to experiment different colours, designs and motifs on them.

“I was inspired by a colleague and started experimenting with different nail colours. Earlier, I was in Bangalore where sky is the limit when it comes to choosing various designs for nail art,” said Neog, a city-based software engineer.