• Bloomie Nails

  Multiple locations, bloomienails.com

  Finding a cheap manicure in New York isn’t a problem. Finding a good one, however, can be. Which is why Bloomie Nails has become a favorite with women and men alike. There are five salons—three in Chelsea, one in the East Village, one in midtown—and all are clean and bustling with activity. Manicures are basic (filing, cleaning, moisturizing with hand massage, polish application) and fast (about twenty minutes)—and they only run $10. Choose from dozens of nail polishes, peruse (carefully!) a range of current magazines while waiting for nails to dry, or watch tiny TV monitors mounted at most drying stations.

From the 2003 Best of New York issue of New York Magazine