Inside our autoclave routine
Wash, scrub, dry, pouch and steam at 121°C: how a metal pusher goes from one client’s table to the next.
Your first visit to Nakh: what happens at the table
From the sealed tool pouch to the final top coat, a step-by-step look at a first gel manicure with us.
A first gel manicure takes about an hour, and knowing the steps makes it easier to relax and ask for what you want.
When you sit down, your technician, perhaps Divya or Ruth, will look at your nails and ask a few questions: whether you have had gel before, how you use your hands at work, and whether you are wearing old gel or polish. If there is old gel, removal comes first, by soaking in foil wraps for about 12 minutes. Then she opens a sealed autoclave pouch in front of you with the metal tools inside, and a new file and buffer come out of their own packet.
Shaping comes next. Tell her your preferred length and shape now, because changing your mind after the gel goes on means starting again. Cuticle care follows: the cuticle is softened, gently pushed back and only loose dead skin is trimmed. We do not cut into live skin. The nail surface is lightly buffed to take the shine off, never thinned.
The gel itself goes on in thin layers: a base coat, two coats of colour and a top coat, each cured under the LED lamp for 30 to 60 seconds. Your technician cleans the edges between coats so the gel does not touch the skin, which is what causes lifting later. Finally comes cuticle oil and a quick hand massage. You can pick up your bag and phone straight away; gel is fully set when you leave. Payment is at the table, and the price is the one agreed before we started.
