Saunders & James DUO Nail Studio
Nail salon in Oakland, CA · 2 locations
The first salon opened in the Rockridge neighborhood of Oakland in 2020, and founder Michelle Saunders James built it around nail care. The salon describes its aim as setting a new standard in nail care.
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The first salon opened in the Rockridge neighborhood of Oakland in 2020, and founder Michelle Saunders James built it around nail care. The salon describes its aim as setting a new standard in nail care.
The College Avenue salon is the main location, open Monday from 11am to 6pm and Tuesday through Saturday from 10am to 6pm. DUO Nail Studio, about seven minutes away on Piedmont Avenue, is a newer location with two stations, dedicated to manicures for independent contractors and open by appointment only.
Each visit begins with a short custom consultation during which nail health is assessed, so the service can be chosen with the client's nails in mind. The salon also provides mobile nail services on location for corporate offices, on-set and production work, and private events such as weddings and birthdays.
Nail art comes either from a seasonal in-house collection of dozens of named designs or as custom hand-painted work built from a client's ideas. Custom requests are sent ahead of time by email with inspiration photos. The salon may not be able to accommodate every request, and some custom designs carry an additional charge.
Each visit starts with a custom consultation that looks at nail health before any service is chosen.
Specials & promotions
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Complimentary UV protective gloves for gel manicures
Upon request
On their website as of Oct 30, 2026 · Where we saw it
Services
Final prices may vary.
Extras that can be added to a visit, including extended wear basecoat, extra cuticle care, extra massage time, gel and builder removal, French manicure options, Precision E-File Prep and artificial nail removal. Add-ons should be booked in advance.
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Gel Polish Removal: Hands $10
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French Manicure: Regular Polish $15
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Gel Polish Removal: Toes $15
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French Manicure: Gel Polish $20
Curated and custom nail art on accent nails or full sets, in regular or gel polish, priced by number of nails and polish type.
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Regular Polish, 2 Accent Nails $15
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Gel Polish, 2 Accent Nails $18
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Regular Polish, 4 Accent Nails $25
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Gel Polish, 4 Accent Nails $30
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Regular Polish, 10 Nails $60
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Gel Polish, 10 Nails $80
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All Heart Price at booking
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Basket Weave Price at booking
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Beauty Mark Price at booking
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Beveled Edge Price at booking
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Blue Moons Price at booking
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Citrus Wraps Price at booking
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Clouds or Cows? Price at booking
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Day Trip Price at booking
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Don't Leaf So Soon Price at booking
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Eclectic Carnival Price at booking
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Evergreen Price at booking
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Fall for Ombré Price at booking
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Fiery Fall Floral Price at booking
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Frames Price at booking
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Fruit Punch Price at booking
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Green With Envy Price at booking
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Just Dance Price at booking
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MVP Price at booking
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Pattern Play Price at booking
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Plant Based Price at booking
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Princess Cut Corners Price at booking
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Put a Bow On It Price at booking
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Putting on the Glitz Price at booking
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Red Envelope Price at booking
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Rhythm & Rose Price at booking
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Sail Away Price at booking
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Secret Admirer Price at booking
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Shimmy Shimmer Price at booking
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Spark of Joy Price at booking
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Star Shine Price at booking
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Stop & Stare Price at booking
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Sweet & Salty Price at booking
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Swirl of Events Price at booking
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Swish Price at booking
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Tailor Made Price at booking
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The Big Top Price at booking
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The Highline Price at booking
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Tropical Holiday Price at booking
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Tweedy Price at booking
Aprés Gel-X nail extensions.
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Aprés Gel-X Nail Extensions $100
Photos
Meet the team
Their website doesn't list the team, so we don't either.
- Highlights
- Seasonal nail art collection with dozens of named designs, curated in-house
- Custom hand-painted nail art from client inspiration photos
- Gel Bottle TGB gel products cured under a combined UV/LED lamp in about 60 seconds
- Precision E-File Prep, a specialized cuticle and nail prep technique offered with specially trained manicurists
- Free repairs within four days if nails peel, chip or break, documented with photos
- Mobile nail services for offices, film and set work, and private events
- Good for
- gel manicure and pedicure clients
- nail art requests
- independent contractors (DUO)
- corporate, on-set and event bookings
- men (Supernatural service)
- groups of up to five (larger groups should book 30 days ahead)
- clients who may want to walk in, after calling first
- Treats
- nail health
- gel polish removal
- cuticle care
- peeling or chipping polish
- nail extensions
- nail art
- removal of acrylic, hard gel and dip powder (the salon does not apply these)
- Techniques
- gel polish
- builder gel
- Precision E-File Prep
- UV/LED curing
- hand-painted nail art
- French manicure
- extended wear basecoat
- hand and foot massage
- gel polish removal
- artificial nail removal (hands only)
Products & treatments
- Gel Bottle TGB
- Aprés Gel-X
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Other locations
- Nail Care 5829 College Ave., Oakland, CA 94618 Rated 4.8 out of 5 (38 on Google Maps) (opens in a new tab)