Polish Me Pretty: The Haute 5 Manis/Pedis in NYC

Summer is fast approaching and if you haven’t already noticed, we can’t wait. But before you throw on the sandals, don’t forget to get your hands and feet into summer-ready shape. Below are our picks for manicures and pedicures that will leave hands and feet looking great and feeling fabulous. Each of these spas offers a unique approach to perk up even the saddest winter fingers and toes.

Jin Soon Hand and Foot Spa

For red carpet and runway worthy nails, you needn’t look further than Jin Soon’s Hand and Foot Spas. Soon’s clients include Sarah Jessica Parker, Hale Berry, Scarlett Johansson, and Brooke Shields. She is sought out by the city’s hottest designers and is uniformly lauded by many a magazine – probably because they all trust her with their editorial shoots. Soon’s salon offers two things that keep her loyal following returning: a fantastic polish job and some serious TLC. All of her employees are trained in her unique method of applying polish and she even has own nail shape, know as the Jin Soon shape. For some soothing relaxation try the Breath of Milk and Honey ($28 mani, $50 pedi). Hands and feet are soaked in warm milk and honey and scrubbed with a sugar exfoliant. To get feet into flip-flop shape, the Spirit of the Beehive pedicure ($60) offers some serious repair for dry cracked skin.

Jin Soon is located at 421 East 73rd St. on the Upper East Side, 23 Jones Street in the West Village and the 56 East 4th St. in the East Village. 212.249.9144

Shizuka Spa

Yes, you may know it as the place where Victoria Beckham gets the Geisha facial (also known as the bird feces facial). However, the Japanese spa also happens to offer a great mani-pedi, no weird animal excretions included. The Nagomi Manicure ($40) and Sakure Pedicure ($60) use organic, natural ingredients.  And don’t worry, they’re ones you wouldn’t be afraid to eat like rice, lemons, olive oil, and soy. They also use sake, which happens to be a moisturizer and antioxidant – and even relieve foot perspiration. Who knew? The treatments include exfoliating scrubs, masks, massages, and combined total just less than two hours of total relaxation. So, sake to your feet and get thee to Shizuka.

Shizuka Spa islocated on the sixth floor of 7 West 51st St. 212.644.7400

Spa at the Mandarin Oriental

The Mandarin Oriental’s Touch of Thai Manicure and Pedicure ($90-95 and $140-145 respectively) create a truly holistic mani-pedi experience. The treatments both center on Thai massages to give tired hands and feet some serious revitalizing. This is not a manicure with an extra massage, but a massage with a manicure. At 80 minutes long, if the deeply relaxing pedicure doesn’t leave your feet floating on air, nothing will. Both services also include chroma-therapy readings, to help you pick the perfect color to balance out your chakras, energies, and supernatural spirit. I don’t know if a manicure can actually inspire inner peace, but if there is a manicure than can, I’ll put money on this one.

The Spa at the Mandarin Oriental is located on the 35th floor of 80 Columbus Circle; 212.805.8880

Sweet Lily Natural Nail & Spa Boutique

For a more laid-back atmosphere, we recommend Sweet Lily Spa. Manicures and pedicures are given in comfy pastel-print armchairs and guests are welcome to sip tea or even champagne while they have their nails done. The relaxed spa is also child friendly and even offers a Little Miss Mani for girls 12 and under. Nail art will thrill the little misses and products with all natural ingredients will please mom. The treatments employ yummy ingredients like cucumbers, walnuts, honey, and oranges to leave hands and feet feeling refreshed. For some fuss-free rejuvenation, try the Healing Hands Treatment ($44). The treatment includes nail-buffing but no polish, and uses ingredients like chamomile tea, sea sat, shea butter and calendula oil to leave hands feeling like silk. Sweet Lily’s often introduces new treatments seasonally, so be sure to inquire about them.

Sweet Lily Natural Nail Spa & Boutique is located at 222 West Broadway 212.925.5441

Bliss

Bliss never fails to offer a little fun—and that is a summer must-have. If you’re on the adventurous side, try the  “minx” manicure  ($55) and pedicure ($85), favored by Beyonce and Blake Lively. A minx manicure is essentially like applying brightly colored, patterned tinfoil to your nails. It is chemical free, doesn’t smell, and needs no drying time. The Golden Cheetah pattern is probably a bit much for most people, but the Hounds-tooth and Fishnet patterns are (relatively) less flashy. And if you can’t pull off gold fingernails quite as well as Beyonce, the pedicures still offer plenty of oomph. If metallic polka-dot toenails still aren’t your style, try Bliss’ Double Chocolate pedicure for a less dramatic treat. Snack on chocolate while your feet soak in hot cocoa and stick to this season’s neutral taupes and beiges for your polish. Warning: your toes will smell like chocolate afterwards.

Bliss’ flagship Soho outpost is located at 568 Broadway. Bliss 49 is located at 541 Lexington Avenue and Bliss 57 is located at 12 West  57^th St.