Common Questions

Walking into a nail studio for the first time — or your fortieth — still raises practical questions: How much should I tip? What do I ask for if I want a long-lasting set? Is gel really different from shellac? Common Questions is the Polished Cary Nails answer column. Every article in this hub addresses one specific decision a real client has asked us, in plain language and without upselling.

The coverage spans pricing and economics (how much acrylics cost, how much salons make, tipping percentages), client preparation (what to wear, what to ask for, how to communicate with your technician), and service-by-service breakdowns (full sets, paraffin treatments, pedicures explained). When two services look similar — gel vs. shellac, dip vs. SNS, press-ons vs. professional manicures — we put them side by side.

We write these from the chair-side at our Cary, NC studio. The goal is to demystify the salon experience so anyone — first visit, fifth, or returning after years — can walk in with clarity, ask for the look they want, and leave with the manicure or pedicure they actually had in mind.