When someone wants a girls’ weekend getaway to New Orleans, one might create an itinerary to try some amazing seafood, listen to live jazz music, and party all night in Bourbon Street. However, sometimes planning out the same mundane activities can be so cliché. After frequently traveling around the world for the past few years, I’m constantly on the hunt for finding little gems in every city I visit, and when I discovered Paint’d, I knew I needed a visit. Who wouldn’t want to be pampered while traveling?So, Silvia (AKA @LovelySilvia) and I packed our bags early Friday morning and headed straight to the luxury nail salon to kick-start our fun girls’ trip, and let me just say…it’s not an experience you would normally expect from any other nail salon.
As soon as you enter inside, you instantly feel the luxury ambiance of Paint’d. Because this nail salon is located along Magazine St in the Lower Garden District, seeing a contemporary, chic salon in the middle of colorful, historic-built wooden houses makes it a stand-out from blocks away. However, don’t be fooled with the word “contemporary:” this salon has the all the personality and pizzazz to fit the New Orleans culture.What struck me the most about the salon is the bright pink palm tree wallpaper. One may not typically think of this from seeing pink palm trees, but I was instantly zen when I began my appointment. The sleek white tables, salon chairs, and pretty lighting fixture are also notably trendy and cohesively fit the high-class design of the salon. Although Paint’d is a new business, I have no doubt that their interior design is what will make their nail salon iconic from the rest.
Fabiola, Co-Founder of Paint’d, welcomed us when we arrived, and we were greeted with a glass of rosé at their bar area. Super refreshing! What I really adored about the nail design consultation process was the adorable nail menus provided to help us pick our gel design and color palette. From the rose gold font in the front cover to the seasonal nail designs and recommended color palettes, I could definitely tell the time, effort, and careful consideration it took with how they created their menus and market strategize their brand. The process was easy and breezy as we chatted with the nail technician, Fadeke, and I decided on the Rosé All Day design with a pink and sparkly gold color palette.Before we jumped right in into painting our nails, we were also treated to a nice hand scrub! The scrub they use is from Deborah Lippmann, which is super nourishing and gives a great warm, marshmallow sweet scent! It was definitely much-needed after being on the road for 5 hrs coming from Houston. During the hand scrub, I really enjoyed conversing with Fadeke about New Orleans, and she was so sweet with sharing some of her favorite spots in the city. After the gentle hand scrub, my nails were clean, soft, and 100% ready for the salon experience!
During my visit, I had Kian as my manicurist, and I really loved my experience having her paint my nails! While gel nail painting can be tedious and time-lengthy, I felt like time flew during my appointment as Kian and I chatted. It felt like chatting with a old friend as we conversed about New Orleans food, TV shows, music, and traveling. I observed how gentle she was with holding my hand as she shaped, buffed, and painted my nails. As a musician and blogger, I rarely pamper my nails as they go through constant hard labor from playing instruments and typing all day. As I was seeing my nails transform into a work of art, I gained a deeper appreciation for the talent and work it takes for a manicurist to do their job. When my nails were finished and dry, my hands were treated to an oil and lotion massage at the end of my appointment.Being the typical social media content creator that I am, I had the time of my life taking photos around the nail salon with my fresh new mani! Thank you so much to Fabiola and Aimee for allowing Silvia and I to visit! It was such a treat to meet a local business in New Orleans and allow myself to be pampered at the start of my trip. As I planned on taking food, fashion, and scenic photos, I can definitely say that I was more excited to photograph around the city with my pretty nails as the latest accessory! If you are interested in booking an appointment with them, please visit http://www.paint-d.com/ and let them know I sent you! What kind of nail design would you prefer? Stay tuned for more posts on my trip later this week by keeping up with me on my Instagram, @reesarei.
