Salon01 is a full-service day spa at City Center in Carmel. With an entrance on the Monon Trail, it has good visibility, so I was pleasantly surprised to see it listed on SpaFinder. I had a pedicure with Andrea, who's spot in the salon tucks you back in a brightly lit corner with a view of the Trail. My pampering pedi was relaxing and nicely done. Andrea talked me into a manicure at the same appointment--and I was glad she did :) I had the Shellac manicure, which is a "hybrid" product--a gel that goes on like polish and cures in UV light. I was skeptical of claims that it would last for 2 weeks without chipping and denting, because I'm very hard on polish, my nails are weak and split easily, and I'm an occasional nail biter. But the Shellac is amazing! Nails stay glass-shiny for the full 2 weeks or more; the stuff just won't scratch or dull like regular polish. My nails feel as strong as they did with acrylics, and I haven't had a single break. The Shellac comes off with remover, so there's no need for filing down and filling, and it doesn't damage nails like acrylics. Andrea did a great job of shaping my formerly sad-looking nails, and since I'm on my second Shellac now, my nails look long and gorgeous. I'm hooked! Salon01 has a large retail section with their own signature line of products as well as a handful of others I'd not seen before. (You won't find the run-of-the-mill salon lines here.) They also seem to offer more than the website would have you believe including chair massages and full bodywork with massage therapist Michael, whom Andrea swears by. The salon is upscale without being snooty. Service at the check-in/out desk is thoughtful and polite. Automated appointment reminders by phone allow you to cancel or reschedule quickly and easily.
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