I love getting my nails done. It’s an extra special treat when I go, because I usually do mine at home. When I was visiting Birmingham last weekend, the Townhouse nail salon caught my eye. It had everything an up-market London nail salon did – along with London prices – and I decided to treat myself and my sister to some gel nails. Here’s how we got on…
Meet Townhouse
Townhouse was launched in 2018 by Juanita Huber-Millet. They started as an independent salon in Fitzrovia and quickly grew to now 40 locations around the UK. They also recently acquired the London Grace nail salon chain. It was actually this that convinced me to book in with Townhouse Birmingham, as I had a great experience at London Grace in Portman Marylebone a few years ago.
Townhouse has a very slick presentation – it’s the clean girl aesthetic personified. Think lots of marble and wood in varying shades of white, with pops of millennial pink and some fake plants for good measure. I’m not really swayed by this sort of thing, but the cleanliness and professional approach was what sold me on Townhouse.
On arrival, we checked in using the screens at the entrance, were promptly welcomed by a nail technician, and seated in the waiting area for a few minutes. It was a five-star service from the get-go.
Cruelty-Free Gel Nails
The other thing that swayed me to book in with Townhouse is their use of cruelty-free products. I don’t believe beauty ever needs to be tested on animals, and it’s why all of the products in my beauty reviews are cruelty-free as standard.
At Townhouse, they use polishes by Nailberry* and The Gel Bottle, both of which are cruelty-free and vegan. Nailberry actually goes one better, also being non-toxic and certified halal. However, regular polish doesn’t have the staying power as gels, and whenever I get my nails done I want them to stay for as long as possible!
A standard gel polish at Townhouse Birmingham costs £40. This is without a pre-soak or any nail art – both are extra. BIAB is a whopping £20 extra, too. However, I will say I think the service and overall finish are well worth the £40 price tag.
Our Appointment at Townhouse Birmingham
We were seen to by Chrissie (me) and Yirah (my sister). Both were so personable and friendly, we ended up having a four-way conversation for much of the appointment. We started off by choosing a few colours each on their table-top iPads, and doing colour swatches to see what the gels looked like against our skin. I loved this – I’d never been given this option in past appointments and I know there were times I came out regretting my colour choice for this exact reason. In the end, I went with Bartlett Street, a dewy pink gloss that was warm but not too warm for my colouring.
Chrissie was incredibly gentle with my nails, expertly pushing my cuticles back, and hydrating my hands at every step. She applied my polish quickly and recommended an additional coat to build up the colour further, which I agreed with. I was so happy with how my nails turned out – both the colour and the uniformity of shape too.
My Overall Rating: 8/10
For my gel nails appointment at Townhouse, I’m giving a very happy 8/10. It’s five days later and my nails still look pretty, but a few are starting to peel up at the edges, so I know they’ll not last the usual three weeks that my gels usually do. That being said, the service was 10/10, and the salon itself was also 10/10 for cleanliness and ambience. Would I go back to Townhouse? 100%, and my sister agrees. Now if only they opened one here in Brighton…
