Heather Opay

Heather Opay is the owner and a licensed nail technician at The Nail Studio, where she works as a solo salon owner and educator. She has been licensed as a manicurist in Minnesota since 2000 and has more than 25 years in the nail industry. Her first 15 years were spent as an employee, and she has worked as an independent technician for the last 10 years.

She studied art and art history at college for a few years before pursuing her manicurist license. Her specialty is gel over natural nails, and the Structured Gel Manicure is a central focus of her work at the salon.

Beyond the chair, she teaches nail professionals about gel application, retention, pricing and client experience. She joined Thrivers Society in 2022 for business-building training.