For Ms. Pinto, who worked in art curation, nails are just another form of art.
She made the switch in 2008 as the recession hit, beginning Vanity Projects as a pop-up at art events. “I said, ‘OK, well, it’s better that everybody spends a little bit of money, even if it’s a small amount,’” she said.
Six years later, the business had grown enough to open the salon. With a clientele including Whoopi Goldberg and Sasha Obama, the salon expanded to include a second floor, an international artist-in-residence program and a second location, which opened in Miami in 2015.
Pricing for soft gels — which typically can be soaked off in acetone, unlike hard gels, which must be filed off — depends on the length, size and brand, as well as any nail art. In New York City, where there are many independent nail technicians, soft gels can start between $100 and $400; Vanity Projects begins at $155.
Ms. Pinto said a partnership for the last five years with the brand Aprés, which created a soft gel extension process known as Gel-X, has allowed her to offer monthly specials of $100 for the brand’s soft gels, to try to attract more customers. She declined to put a figure to the discount; an Aprés representative did not respond to requests for comment.
Nail art and designs — like chrome pigments, illustrations, rhinestones, charms or airbrush finishes — can run up a customer’s bill, too. Depending on what a client requests, Vanity Projects sets pricing tiers for nail design as simple ($10 extra), middle ($50 extra) or complex ($90 extra). Typical appointments from start to finish can run about 75 minutes to two and a half hours.
The removal process has helped make soft gels popular, according to Dr. Shari Lipner, a New York City dermatologist specializing in nail health. The tools involved in removing hard gels, in comparison, can cause the nails to become “very dry and brittle and thin,” she added.
But soft gels and gel polish, which can also cause allergic reactions, are not without downsides. Acetone use can lead to nail dryness, and exposure to ultraviolet light, used with many types of manicures, can increase the risk of skin cancer and early skin aging. (LED lamps also emit UV light.)
“It’s safe for most people to get manicures who have relatively healthy nails,” Dr. Lipner said, adding that “the safest manicure to probably get is a regular manicure.”
Inside Vanity Projects, clients can sit on a plush sofa ($1,800, plus another $1,800 for reupholstering). Branded matchsticks and lighters (each $485 for 500), as well as pens ($520 for 500), are free.
The economy has presented a challenge, Ms. Pinto said, but renting out salon space for events helps offset overhead costs. The business also sponsors visas for many technicians to ensure a staff with specific skills, she said.
In the early part of the pandemic, Ms. Pinto started selling press-on nails online that she paid her workers to design. Now her team is trying to reach a younger market for the product on social media.
And costs add up. Ms. Pinto pays $12 to $20 for each gel polish or paint pot from the Japanese brands Leafgel, Presto and Kokoist. Housekeeping is about $3,000 monthly and insurance is nearly $30,000 annually.
For Mya Edmund — she got the $255 soft gels, her first with a chrome finish — the cost was worth it.
“The removal is less intense,” she said. And she added, “I see how much work they put into it.”
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