Townhouse Fitzrovia

Townhouse was founded in 2018 by Juanita Huber-Millet, who is its founder and creative director. The business was set up to bring together treatments, hygiene, design and service in one salon, so that a nail appointment covers the full experience rather than a single step. Its London flagship is in Fitzrovia, at 88 Great Portland Street, and other London salons are in Covent Garden and Canary Wharf, with a concession inside Harrods in Knightsbridge. In the US, salons are in Beverly Hills, on West 20th Street in Flatiron and on West Broadway in Tribeca in New York, and in West Hollywood, Los Angeles. There is also a salon in Wilmslow.

A visit starts with a choice of service. Manicures include gel, polish changes, a Russian manicure that uses an electric file for cuticle work (offered at the Los Angeles and New York salons), and quick express and signature options. Pedicures include a Hot Chocolate Pedicure, which can be paired with a cat eye finish. Add-ons include cat eye, soft French finishes for gel, Performance Polish and BIAB services, custom nail art on any gel manicure, and seasonal nail art from the Cozy Club collection in a choice of colours. Extensions treatments run 70 to 125 minutes. Bookings are taken online only, and most appointments are made in advance, so walk-in availability is limited. Clients who arrive more than 10 minutes late may have their appointment cancelled and be charged the treatment cost. Changes or cancellations made more than 12 hours before the appointment are free.

Hygiene is handled through set practices: tools are either single-use and recycled or sterilised in a hospital-grade autoclave between clients, and each client receives a new file and buffer used only on them, which they can take home. Only products supplied by the salon are used in treatments. The salon advises removing gel, BIAB or extensions within their recommended wear time, usually around two to three weeks, and booking a removal instead of peeling them off. The Flawless Finish Guarantee offers free repair of chipping or lifting within seven days on gel manicures, including Signature, Luxury and Extensions and the BIAB or Super Gel Overlay add-on, when photos of the affected nails are emailed within that window. It does not cover Polish or Express treatments. The salon is cashless, accepting debit and credit cards, and tips are passed in full to the nail artist who provided the service, including card tips.

Townhouse Club offers three monthly memberships. Member, from $60 a month, includes one Signature service a month. Insider, from $110 a month, includes two. VIP, from $225 a month, includes unlimited Signature services, subject to terms, plus 20 per cent off retail and other services and a free drink per appointment. Member and Insider plans include 15 per cent off retail and other services, and all plans include the Performance Polish upgrade and members-only pricing. Members can book extra treatments at member pricing. Only VIP members can pause their membership, for one month at a time up to twice a year, with at least seven days notice. Membership pricing varies by location and is shown at checkout. Townhouse Rewards gives five points per pound spent, with 500 points equal to five pounds of credit, though points cannot be used at the Harrods concession.

Treatments are built around hygiene, design and service in one visit, with single-use or autoclaved tools and a fresh file and buffer for each client.