BY KELLY ALESSO
With Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial start of summer, long behind us, I’m happily making the transition from ankle boots and pointy pumps to strappy sandals and flip flops. For me, as for many Chicago women, baring my toes calls for a great pedicure.
While I love having my nails done, most affordable pedicures feel virtually interchangeable from salon to salon – not to mention quite bare bones. I’ve had some that amounted to little more than cutting, filing and a polish change. While this functional approach to nail care gets the job done, sometimes I find myself in need of a greater degree of pampering.
If you’re looking for a pedicure that feels more luxurious and indulgent, you’ll love Urban Spa Nail’s Urban Botanical $40 Manicure and Pedicure Combo. You’ll start with the salon’s basic mani/pedi combo, but in addition will receive a botanical scrub and aroma oils for your legs and feet, a hot stone massage of your lower legs and a paraffin wax treatment for your heels. So your upper body doesn’t feel neglected, there’s also a neck massage and more aroma oils for your hands and arms.
For my most recent pedicure I chose the warm cocoa treatment, which featured a deliciously aromatic chocolate scrub followed by chocolate cake scented oil. Not only did I smell delicious when I left salon, the hot stone massage did a great job of working residual stress out of my calves and the paraffin wax left my heels baby soft and callus free.
Of course, that pampering doesn’t matter if you’re stuck with an poorly painted nails. Urban Spa Nail’s nail technicians are also skilled at delivering flawless manicures, particularly Lisa, a nail technician who pays extra attention to those easy to chip nail tips.
The salon provides services for men as well as women and offers complete party packages for special events, such as bridal showers, wedding parties and birthdays, including complimentary champagne.
Urban Spa Nail, 3149 N. Halsted. For more information call 773-529-1681 or visit urbanspanail.com.
Kelly Alesso is a marketing strategist by day and an aspiring home cook and artisan cheese maker by night. When she’s not seeking out ingredients for her latest cooking adventure, she loves discovering Chicago’s many dog parks with her cockapoo, Oliver, enjoying a well-crafted cocktail, and planning day trips. She also has an odd love affair with grocery stores. To read more about her culinary adventures, visit her blog at The Pink Apron.
