Anna Ngock welcomes Nailpro to Gloss Nail Atelier in Sterling Heights, Michigan.
Est: January 2017
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Anna Ngock welcomes Nailpro to Gloss Nail Atelier in Sterling Heights, Michigan.
Details
Est: January 2017
Owner: Anna Ngock
Location: Sterling Heights, Michigan
The Backstory
Having worked in the nail industry as nail tech in many salons through my 20+ years in the industry, I saw that most salons were not designed around the comfort and mobility of back-end service providers, salons were being built without the nail tech in mind, and sanitation was lacking. I designed my salon around the needs of nail techs on top of ensuring comfort and safety for guests visiting the salon.
The Look
The overall design of our salon is non-cluttering, clean, bright and spacious. Client needs are fulfilled all while ensuring nail techs are in a thriving comfortable environment that allows us to constantly evolve our space and protocols to meet the ever-changing landscape of the nail industry. The design of the space is to ensure safety, mobility and comfort for both guests and back-end service providers. All surfaces are disinfectable, no fabric upholstery is used in any of our furniture. On the floor, just steps away from their nail stations, nail techs have their own sink and cabinet right on the floor; equipped with towels, virucide to sanitize tables between each service and to wash between services. All our nail stations meet the IMC code for safe ventilation and are equipped with proper HVAC to ensure safe air quality for staff and clients. Every nail station is equipped with two LED UV nail lamps built into the tables for nail tech comfort. Nail techs are provided with consumables to ensure all implements can be autoclaved per use.
Signature Services
Our salon provides structure manicures, hard gels, acrylic services, sculpted acrylic services, Apres Gel X Nails, mani and pedicure topped with gel polish, brows and lashes. One of the most exclusive services to our salon is the sculpted nail services, my personal favorite.
The Goods
Salon favorite brands are the Apres Gel Coulier color lines, OPI, The GelBottle, Kokoist, Voesh Pedi in a Box and Light Elegance Hard Gels are one of the top products used by our salon across the board. There are no mysteries to the acrylic product lines used by our salon: Tammy Taylor and Young Nail acrylics are my top favorites. Staff favorites are Gelish Structure, Luminary and Light Elegance’s Jimmy Gel. And we are proud to be an MMA-free salon when it comes to acrylics. My personal favorite brand is Light Elegance Hard Gels made from scratch right here in the USA.
What's New?
Our salon staff does not offer regular polish. As a proponent and embracee of new technology constantly seeking out what’s next, the [AI powered] robot is exactly what our salon needed to provide fast polish and quick manicures for the regular polish market. The robot is that one coworker my staff needed to fulfill the need for any guests looking to have a quick service done. Nail techs doing repairs and fixing smudged nails can be taxing and impeding especially when working by appointments. The robot can dish out fast polishes and have the ability to self service smudged polish with the user as well. Our guests have asked to take a photo of the robot to share with family and friends and stopped in the lobby to see it in action. Many would like to try it, and this will bring in a market of regular polish wearers that our salon was not able to fulfill previously. (Prior to this robot, our salon did not offer regular polish services).
Social Butterfly
Our salon is active on Instagram @nailglossmi. [It] produces mainly content for nail lovers, and engages content relating to nails and beauty related matters. Trending pop culture content is shared through our stories with user polls.
What's Next?
Gloss Nail Atelier is constantly evolving and we’re always looking to tomorrow to see where we can level up as a salon and to make our industry better for our staff and our clients.
Up Close With Anna Ngock
What was your first job in the nail industry?
My very first job in the nail industry was as a manicurist, providing only mani and pedi services.
What inspires you?
As a teenager, I was an advent page flipper of Elle, Vogue, Teen, Glamour, Time, Life, Allure, US Weekly and Cosmopolitan magazines. In these magazines, there was an implied note of beauty flowing in the continuity of the subjects photographed (hair, facial expression, attire, composition, synergy and the like.) I draw inspiration from these images and aspire to curate unique nails to fit each client that sits with me. The small details may be missed by the unknowing viewer but satisfying to me as a private unspoken achievement. Being able to ask clients their nail goals and giving them exactly what they asked for, curated, and much more in depth to hit the mark they did not know existed is the hidden aspiration.
What was the most challenging thing that happened while opening your salon?
The most challenging thing for me while opening my salon was the hiring part. It took time and patience to find the right staff to connect with my vision for the salon environment I was looking to create.
What piece of advice would you give to a new salon owner?
My piece of advice to any new salon owner is to make sure you do things right and keep the salon safe for clients and back end staff (Safe products, safe air quality, proper sanitation and sterilization practices).
“I can’t discuss my salon without mentioning…”
I can't discuss Gloss Nail Atelier without mentioning my amazing talented team of nail artists and techs, my hard working front desk and our gracious clients. These people work with all their hearts and altruistically drive me to always work hard for them in return. Our client’s support for Gloss consistently fuels my motivation to better our salon.
What nail looks do you think will be trending this fall?
This fall, one of the trending looks will be jewel accents and pops.
