For nail art lovers around the world, a dream has come true: sisters Donne and Ginny Geer have finally opened their salon named after their beloved Tumblr and Instagram account. Hey, Nice Nails is not only the nicest compliment a woman can get, it is a cool nail salon in the hip arts district of Downtown Long Beach, Calif. As someone who has been to a lot of salons, I welcomed the youthful vibe of this space. It is more like a museum that houses nail art and inspiration and the techs are more like old friends who create cool nail art while listening to rap music.
The salon can be hard to find. There aren’t any signs up because it is by appointment only. However, these window displays definitely let you know you are in the right place.
The building is from the 1920s. The Geers worked tirelessly with their mom to make the salon their own, though they did keep the Art Deco windows.
As I said, this place is a shrine to nail art. If you’re waiting or don’t know exactly what you want done you are in for a treat — literally. This salon has lots of treats in jars for you to grab, such as candy (when I was there it was Cadbury eggs and Reese’s), mini nail files, and even gumballs. Then there’s Nail Candy (the Geers’ new book), a rack where you can exchange your old polish for a fresh bottle, Japanese nail magazines, walls of nail art and charms, and even the Geers’ own sketchbook is out for you to peruse. The table up front holds business cards and fliers for other local shops in the art district. There’s even a kitchen in the back, where you can relax with a coffee or a glass of wine. I could have spent all day in this salon looking at everything. And that’s actually OK, as Donne and Ginny are not the type to rush you. In fact, there’s a bowl of quarters by the door so you can keep feeding the meter if you decide to stay longer. When I was visiting they had some friends in the salon hanging out after getting their nails done for Coachella, including a girl who traveled all the way from London.
Nail art Display at Hey Nice Nails!
The polish exchange rack at Hey, Nice Nails
The Geers have hundreds of bottles of polish. Everything from professional brands to indie brands to fashion brands are available here. This is the view from just a portion of one wall.
More nail art displayed on the walls.
I loved this magnetic wall behind the tech’s tables. The Geers simply add magnets to all their embellishment containers and then stick them on here for storage. It makes a great display and is easy to access.
The Geers’ sketchbook. I loved looking through this and seeing their creative process.
ChaCha Covers from Etsy are one of the cool finds the Geers use to embellish nails.
The Geers actually decided to open a salon while in production on Nail Candy. The book is full of tutorials and nail inspiration.
You can catch the Geers in the Nailgasm documentary.
Donne and Ginny are currently the only two techs working in the salon, so they do not accept walk-ins. They are working on a guest artist program where they will have someone else set up to do nail art for walk-ins though. I would recommend making an appointment at Hey, Nice Nails about a month in advance, as these girls are popular and only getting to be more so. They also recommend booking the proper amount of time on Style Seat. Nail art can be time consuming, so have a design picked out beforehand and remember that for any additional services (like gel extensions or acrylics, etc.) it will add even more time to the appointment.
Luckily for me, Ginny already had an inspiration photo that she liked for my nails. It was an Oscar de la Renta Spring 2013 pink dress. It was hot pink and everything I loved in a dress and in nail art. Ginny said we could do a more subtle color if I preferred, but when I said I actually love hot pink, she was equally excited. The girls at Hey, Nice Nails love bold design and color. Ginny used Young Nails primer, Gelish gel-polish, gold pigment, and embellishments to create this gorgeous nail look that was so me. Thank you Ginny for the wonderful nail art and thank you Donne for taking great pictures!
Ginny kept her camera roll open to check her inspiration picture while painting.
My nails look more than nice!
Me and Ginny (right).
My sincerest thanks to Donne and Ginny who are amazingly talented! I am so glad these girls followed their passion for nails and opened this salon that is truly unlike any other. I’ve gotten the nicest of compliments on my nails and I love them even more knowing that they were done by two very nice people.
Hey, Nice Nails | 316 Elm Ave. | Long Beach, CA 90802
(562) 435-8415
