Gakusei Travels

ネイルに行こう

I decided that while I was in Japan, I’d go get my nails done!

My best friend was the one who actually suggested I do so. At first, I hadn’t planned to, but then an English friendly nail salon kept coming up on my TikTok. I felt like that must have been a sign. This particular salon is called Tiyu Salon in Tokyo. They actually have two shops. One is in Kagurazaka, which is where I went. Their sister store is Tiyu Studio in Waseda.

I could book through their website, and they have all their pricing ranges listed. I booked my appointment a week before I was going to Japan. You can do either a simple design, complicated design or intense design. On their site, they give some examples for what counts as each, but the more charms, art, and designs you get, it costs extra, because it takes them longer to do your nails. I went with a complicated design, because I figured I’d go all out. I also did extensions, which was an extra 4500 yen. You do have to pay a deposit of 8,000 yen (about $50) but they subtract that from your final total.

I ended up getting to my appointment way early. I didn’t really know where I was going, and I overestimated how long it would take me to get there from my hotel. Lol. The shop itself was small yet cozy. It had about four stations with both Japanese and foreign workers.

I only told my nail tech that I wanted my nails to match my purse. I didn’t have any real inspiration pictures, but my purse had cheetah print and a cherry keychain, which I wanted incorporated in my nails. Otherwise, I just let the tech freestyle, and she did not disappoint.

The whole process took about two hours, including getting the extensions. The tech honestly took such good care of my nails, and I really didn’t want to disrupt her focus. The design was so meticulous, and I didn’t want to distract her lol.

In total, my nails totaled to 16,300, which is about $100. But honestly, with all the charms, extensions and 3D art, I think that is such a good price. And honestly, I only paid extra to get the extensions, so if I hadn’t gotten them, it would’ve cost me around $70 instead.

I paid only 8,300 since I already paid the deposit. Just a note though, because I didn’t know this until I went to pay. They don’t take cash. They only accept card. It wasn’t a problem. I just wasn’t expecting it.

But overall, I’m in love with my nails and so happy with how they turned out!