Russian manicure

No. It is done dry and on the dead skin attached to the nail plate, not on living skin. You feel the vibration of the e-file and little else. If anything bothers you at any point, we stop: no part of the process should hurt.

The e-file does not, the hand holding it might. With the right bit and controlled pressure it removes only the dead skin and respects the natural barrier, which is exactly what protects it. Used badly it does harm, and that is why it is not a technique you learn in a weekend.

It lasts longer because the polish is applied right up to the edge of the skin, so regrowth takes longer to show. With regular polish, the cuticle work holds for almost three weeks; with gel polish, the colour lasts three to four.

Yes, and it usually helps: as the nail is not softened in water or cut with scissors, it absorbs less water and flakes less. What we do not do is work on an inflamed cuticle, open cuts or an infection.

45 min for the nails and the city manicure, which is the version with regular polish, and 60 min for the nails and the city gel manicure. The appointment is booked for that whole time.

The nails and the city manicure is €19.90 and the nails and the city gel manicure €39.90, with removal of your previous polish included.

In two ways. A regular manicure softens the cuticle in water and cuts it; the Russian one works dry and frees the fold instead of cutting it blind. And the polish reaches right to the base of the nail, instead of stopping a millimetre short.

Here, at Calle de José Ortega y Gasset, 94. It is the technique we use for every nails and the city manicure on the menu, not a separate service you have to ask for.