FRIENDS of Stephanie Grace Trocio will be familiar with her self-admitted OC tendencies. In the years I’ve known her, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a strand of this neat and stylish woman’s hair out of place. It’s no wonder that everything in her recently opened salon, called Polish Nail and Waxing Lounge, is kept tidy and spotless, all tools thoroughly sanitized. A proper foot wash and rinse in a separate wash area is done before every foot treatment, not just a soak in a tub. Manicure and organization junkies will love looking at and choosing from the wall display of nail polish bottles, each color with its own little cubby.
The first floor of the salon is reserved for nail care and foot massages, while curtained sections upstairs provide privacy for hair removal, facial treatments, and body massages. Prices are very affordable for the cleanliness, ambience, and quality of service. All nail polish comes from high-end brands like Morgan Taylor, Zoya, Orly, OPI and others.
While deciding on the look of the space, Stephanie made conscious choices in the salon’s contemporary tropical interiors. The color palette is neutral, the furniture reminiscent of resort lounges. These help create a relaxing atmosphere while at the same time, not being too frou-frou at all for the gentlemen who come in for their personal care treatments. I also appreciate the separate locker with key beside every seat so that you don’t have to keep your bag on your lap or on the floor, or worry about it when you have to go to the restroom. Individual reading lamps help the manicurists as much as they help those like me who like to read books while getting my nails done.
I’ve already been back at Polish twice in the last month. Friends and regular readers are familiar that I always get a gel manicure before I go on a longer trip. Of the three salons in Cebu I’ve tried for gel nails, only the treatment by Polish stayed on for two weeks before it started to peel off. On some people, gel nails won’t come off til you take them off, but on me for some reason, they sometimes start discoloring or peeling after only a few days. I was really pleased about having perfect fingernails the two weeks I was away. My pedicure by Polish also did not budge the whole two weeks. When I returned, I got a regular manicure using Zoya nail polish and it also lasted more than a week before chipping.
Polish is open daily and is located on the second level of Bonifacio District, F. Cabahug St., Panagdait, Cebu City.