Dirt-crusted, way-grody nails? They're only periodically acceptable, survey says. Maybe after you've changed your car oil or cooked something greasy or planted a new shrub.
But ask anyone on a first date if both parties should be fairly neat-of-hand and the answer is a big, blinking YES. Thus the idea of a salon for men and their manicures is absolutely an idea who's time has come, settled into a pedicure chair, and opened a magazine.
Hammer & Nails, billed as "The Nail Shop for Guys," is set to make its debut on Saturday, Nov. 9. Not nails, as in small metal spikes that hold things to the wall; nails as in the bits of keratin at the end of the fingers and toes.
Yep, pedicures and manicures are not the province of women, nor have they ever been, truly. Perhaps marketing and movies have told us this is so, but if you've ever been into or by a nail salon, you know that both sexes favor a neater cuticle and unragged ridge.
Hammer & Nails? You're onto something.
The West Hollywood salon -- er, shop -- boasts a look of "soft leather, dark wood, and steel" and a plethora of televisions and headphones, too. Call it tavern-chic with a hefty dose of personal-style care thrown in, to boot.
Or not to "boot" but sandal, rather. The men of Southern California are known for favoring open-toed shoes, what with our usually fine weather, meaning this: A little more care in the toe area is never a bad idea.
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"Hand & foot care in the comfort of the ultimate Man Cave" is promised. Prices and treatments aren't yet posted, but we're fingers-crossing that they're all named after various tools and goods found in a hardware shop. Update: The treatments are indeed live: Good stuff, gentlemen! Clean those nails right up via paraffin, nail buffs, and cuticle oil.
Aside: Are theme-named businesses the best businesses? Discuss.
Whatever the case, a dirtier nail is expected in the garden but not on a date or at a meeting or audition. The all-important handshake isn't solely about grip but the neatness of the nails, too.
