Manicure/Pedicure In Jakarta and Where to Go

I don't know if I am being overly critical or just plain fussy but I find that manicure and pedicure services in Jakarta are not up to par as compared to the other Asian cities like Bangkok, HongKong, and even Singapore! And by all means, the services aren't cheap as compared to overall standard of living locally. To have manicure/pedicure at somewhat a decent place with clean tools usually starts at 220,000 idr (22usd)...and you are not guaranteed OPI or internationally known brands. Nail salons at shopping malls will set you back about 450,000idr (45usd/52sgd)- funny how manicure in Jakarta cost the same in Singapore. Whoever said Jakarta is cheap?!

Once, I accompanied my friend to a salon at Kemang where she wanted to have a hairwash and blowdry and I decided to have a manicure/pedicure there while waiting for her. The girl/manicurist came with a large plastic container (like the ones you store miscellaneous stuff in the wardrobe/storeroom) and inside it, the tools and various jars of creams were all mingled together. She picked up a set of tools and started working on my feet.

I was really quite appalled and disgusted, thinking of the number of people that these tools have been used on..were they even cleaned after each customer? let alone sterilised... And thank goodness I brought my own set of nail polish colours as they dish out an array of random brands of nail polish for my selection. And I don't even wish to comment on the outcome of my mani and pedi..nails were not filed straight and polish not painted on neatly. The reason I go for manicure and pedicure is because I sucked at doing it myself..so it really pisses me off when going to the salon is the same as doing it myself!

One would think that it was probably going to cost little and that's what I thought too. It's not a fancy salon but just some neighbourhood ones at Kemang. However the substandard manicure cost me 250,000idr (~25usd/32sgd). Even in an expensive city like Singapore, I can get great manicure at less.

Okay enough of the complaints, I thought you ought to watch out where you decide to go for a manicure in Jakarta.
1. Firstly if the tools are sterilised  2. Hygiene level of the place/therapists  3.Types of nail polish

Oh just fyi, some of the OPI products might even be fake..I found it really strange that my nails turned yellow after one particular manicure session. It had never happened to me when I used OPI products. To be on the safe side, I buy my own favourite OPI colours in Singapore and bring it with me for my manicure sessions.

Here are some places which I thought it is quite decent to have manicure/pedicure without spending too much:

1. Tip and Toe | Kemang Raya No.69, Jakarta, p.+62 21 718 1731

Nothing fancy, but clean and cosy place. The manicurists are well trained for Jakarta standards. Do check your nails after they file them though, just to make sure they are all even (noticed this problem across the salons here). They use OPI products although I am not sure of the authenticity, but I've tried it anyway and seemed okay. Tools are sterilised so I'd give it a huge plus for this.

Classic mani and pedi includes a foot/hand soak, scrub, removing cuticles/calluses, lotion, trimming of nails and polish. Cost approximately 200,000idr (~20usd/25sgd).

2. Puri Santi Spa / Jamu Spa |  Jalan Bunga Mawar 19, Cipete, p. +62 21 7662423 (Puri Santi)/ Jalan Cipete VIII/94B, Cipet, p. +62 21 765 9691 (Jamu)

Puri Santi Spa

Nice places with great ambience to go for a cream bath and do your manicure at the same time. Would recommend to go with a girlfriend too, as it's nice to just lay back and chit chat. The therapists are a hit and miss, however with careful monitoring the results would not be too bad. Although if you are someone who are very particular with your manicure, I would suggest you probably skip the manicure services in these spas as they are definitely not the most well-versed, and just stick to the spa servics.

Classic mani and pedi cost about 200,000 - 250,000idr (~20-25usd/25-30sgd). 

3. Mejiku Nail Salon | Jl. Hang Lekir Raya No.9, P. +62 21 7100 5600

(Left) Mejiku Nail Salon.
(Right) My french manicure done. Colour too pink for my liking but overall decent job done for the price.

I came across this salon recently as it is just a short distance away from my place. It is nested within a mansion which also houses an aesthetic clinic. The salon's interior is more like a home salon but good news is that the prices also reflect it; one of the cheapest rates I've seen in Jakarta. They use mostly imported products from OPI and some korean brands, the tools are also sterilised (another plus point).

However the staff speaks little english- harder to communicate if you want anything more than just a normal polish job, and the classic manicure procedures are different from the usual routine. I think this is a great place if you want a manicure and normal polish job done. I tried the french manicure and wasn't impressed with it as the manicurist couldn't do the tips evenly however at 150,000idr (15usd/20sgd) for both french mani/pedi, I really couldn't complain much.

Instead of soaking hands and feets in water to soften the cuticles first, they used a cuticle softener solution; their procedures also do not include scrub nor lotion. Classic mani and pedi cost approximately about 130,000idr (13usd/18sgd). Really value for money!

*** UPDATE: 18 June 2014 ***

4. Tokyo Nail Collection| Kamome Bldg 2F, Jl Melawai Raya 189B, p.+62 21 720 7384 | 

Very clean interior and equipments. Just look at how organised the tools are!

I think I have almost found my favourite nail salon in Jakarta! I chanced upon this little Japanese abode when I was trying to find a place to do gel nails- a gel product hardened by curing under an ultraviolet or L.E.D. (light emitting diode) light. Located near Blok M mall, Tokyo Nail Collection is housed within this small building that has couple of Japanese restaurants.

I stepped into the salon and was greeted by a bright and clean interior decor (very Japanese MUJI style) ; I also noticed that the customers were all Japanese. Ah ha! I have found these Japanese housewives' little secret :p

The manicurists led me to a desktop, where one can view an e-catalogue and choose your designs from there. And of course they thought I was Japanese and set the catalogue in the Japanese language function. There's only two languages by the way, Japanese or Bahasa...which neither applies to me but oh well, I navigated through the images (must be hundreds of them) to choose my favourite nail design. One can also see the price of the designs.

Once I finished selecting the designs and let the manicurist know how I want my nails to be done (for e.g: trim or no trim, square or round, etc...), she printed this info together with the nail design I chose on a slip of paper which will be next to you for the rest of the session. I guess the Japanese are pretty ingenious to have such a foolproof system, the manicurist have no reason to accidentally 'forget' (very common in Jakarta) which design you choose..

The salon use the traditional Japanese gel application which I prefer over the hyped 'gelish' polish these days.

I was really impressed how organised everything in the salon was; again so Japanese! The only reason why it is almost my favorite nail salon but not my top favourite yet- is that the salon does not offer the usual manicure spa (for e.g: scrub, exfoliation, etc) however they do tidy your cuticles. After an hour and a half, I really loved how my nails looked (I did both mani and pedi) and the price is pretty reasonable too. The salon charges according to designs and mine were 199,000idr(~19usd) for manicure and 299,000idr(~29usd) for pedicure. Total is about 50bucks but it is definitely worth the money; the workmanship, cleaniness and products used are definitely the best I've tried in Jakarta so far.

It's been a week and guess what? No chipped, cracked or peeled off nails! My manicure still looks as good as new except for some of my new nail growth.

My manicure after one week.

P.s: The salon currently offers a 50% off for first time customers. :D Don't wait..Go try it!!!
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I'll add on to this list as I continue finding my favourite nail salons! Do drop a note if you know of any good ones!