January 21, 2020 by Carol Britton Meyer (courtesy photos)
Two new state-of-the art salons opened recently in Hingham -- The Gloss Bar at 1 Derby St. and Creative Nails & Lounge at the other end of town at 400 Lincoln St. -- offering manicures, pedicures, eyelash extensions, and many other nail and skin services during a time when a little pampering goes a long way for both men and women.
"Statistics show that getting your nails done is one of the few luxuries that people choose first during a bad economy, versus getting your hair done or going on a vacation," said Gloss Bar owner Summer Tobin.
Creative Nails & Lounge owner Hannah Tran, with another salon -- Creative Nails & Spa -- in Norwell, said that since she first started working in the business 20 years ago, the way nail salons operate has changed. "Now it's all about services provided, atmosphere, relaxation, and cleanliness," she said. "That's what our clients are looking for today."
Why the second location? "A lot of our clients in Norwell were from Hingham, so we decided to open another salon that's easier to get to and that also has a larger space," Tran said.
Creative Nails, featuring "natural organic services," has 30 pedicure and 30 manicure stations, a private VIP room for pedicures to host a small, private group for birthday parties and celebrations with friends, family members, or co-workers. They also have a Kids Spa.
Both salons abide by COVID-19 protocols, including social distancing and high-quality sanitization methods, and face mask requirements.
Tran describes the new space as "elegant," featuring modern decor, eye-catching light fixtures, and plants throughout.
"We have a beautiful and accommodating space and a large team of technicians to serve our guests' needs so that they can relax when they're here," Tran said. "Our salon offers a unique beauty and wellness journey tailored to our clients' specific needs."
Services include eyebrow microblading (permanently making them bigger), eyelash and eyebrow tinting, signature spa pedicures, manicure treatments, and stunning nail designs within a warm, welcoming atmosphere.
Gloss Bar follows the sustainable route
The Gloss Bar's goal is "to be safely beautiful for you. For us. For the Earth." All products are responsibly sourced, following the organic/sustainable route whenever possible without sacrificing quality, with a vent at every station.
Although she holds a degree in architectural design, Tobin found that as a young widow with two children to raise, such a career required her to be away from her children for long periods of time.
It was only natural, then, to follow in her family's footsteps and start a nail salon of her own that gave her more time with her family. "I didn't want to miss their childhood," said Tobin, who works as a team with her brother and sister-in-law, Tai Phan and Lisa Lam.
The Gloss Bar offers 700 regular and 500 gel polish colors, and 260 dip line colors, "providing our clients with the luxury of choosing whatever color fits their mood that day," she explained.
With such a wide array of colors, how can clients choose what's right for them? "Often they come in with an idea of what nail color they want and then they narrow it down," Tobin said.
Other offerings include nail designs, facials, waxing, and eyelash extensions within a comfortable space featuring "a gender-neutral design and bleached wood," Tobin said. "This way men can enjoy a pedicure without feeling that the space is geared toward a particular gender. We have a lot of men among our clientele, and once they have their first pedicure, they don't ever want to stop."
The salon is split up into two floors to separate clients from staff when they don't have appointments in order to give them their own personal space. Everything in the shop is custom made, including the shelving.
"Our salon is a very inclusive space," Tobin said. "We're very supportive of the LGBTQ community. Some of our staff are part of it, and we wanted to create a safe place for everyone."
A firm believer that it takes a village to raise a child, Tobin supports local causes. "I'm very fortunate to have a lot of community support," she said. "I've gotten to know a lot of people and have made a lot of connections."
For further information, including a complete list of services, visit thegloss-bar.com and creativenailslounge.com.