The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

Getting a top-notch manicure in Cairo is never an easy task, but hunt hard enough and you’ll find it. In search of some quality nail treatments and the new ‘Caviar’ polish, we headed to a very pink salon in Mohandiseen, aptly named the Nail Spa. Recently refurbished, the establishment is spread out over two floors of a building on the quiet El Fawakeh Street.

We walked in early evening without appointments and requested one mani-pedi (120LE) and a full set of Caviar for our fingernails (15LE/nail). A change of polish costs a reasonable 25LE. While seated in the pink-themed ground floor lobby area, we noticed a range of imitation bags and purses for sale, conveniently displayed next to the white leather couches. We didn’t wait long though; the receptionist quickly allocated us our nail technicians and directed us upstairs.

Noticing we’d come with a companion, they seated us next to each other on large, comfortable arm chairs in front of the pedicure basins before offering complimentary refreshments of tea or coffee. Two technicians worked on each of us; one started with our feet whilst the other concentrated on our hands, making us feel both fussed-over and relaxed.  During the thorough treatments, our nails were cut and filed into shape, our feet and hands were exfoliated and massaged, and our cuticles and dead skin were cut right back.

After the pedicures were well under way, we realised that the collection of nail polishes were inconveniently displayed downstairs and that we should have chosen them in advance. Never-the-less, without too much fuss, we headed down and grabbed a selection of bright colours from their diverse and vast collection of nail polishes, which were then carefully applied to our toes with a base and top coat.

After slipping on some foam flip-flops, we were led to a table to have the Caviar applied to our fingernails. There were a range of colours – bright, metallic and pastel – with the option of mixing three colours together. We opted for a typical mixture of bright pink, pale pink and white, which ended up looking like a type of candy. The technician took her time and made sure the Caviar was patted down correctly and sealed with a hard top coat. We couldn’t blame the application process for the fact that Caviar never seems to last more than a couple of days before it starts chipping.

As well as nail treatments, the Nail Spa also offer acrylic nails, full body waxing for around 200LE, sugaring and threading, but booking these treatments is recommended.

Our overall experience at the Nail Spa was both relaxing and gratifying, with the friendly and welcoming staff producing fine-tuned and neat, quality results.