From The Straits Times    |

B The Nail Social social enterprise nail salon manicures in Singapore.png

Image: The Nail Social

One of the latest nail salons in town, The Nail Social, at 42A Haji Lane, lets you do good while you get your monthly manicures.

Started by entrepreneurs Cheryl Ou, 32, and Germaine Monteiro, 28, the salon offers single mothers and women from low-income households full-time employment as nail technicians.

The Nail Social works with women shelters and social services to single out those in need.

Those selected for the job are trained at locally based nail school The Pink Room International Nail Academy.

“We wanted to provide vocational skills to these women so they have a sustainable income,” says Ms Ou.

“The salon environment offers flexible hours, so the single mothers can go off and pick up their children from school.”

The salon also supports other social enterprises by stocking their items. The brands include jewellery label Anchora, a fair-trade collective that sells jewellery made by underprivileged women in countries from Cambodia to Kenya; and Hello Flowers, a local florist that offers underprivileged women floral arrangement training and employment.

It is easy to unwind after a hard day’s work at this cosy loft salon; it offers each customer a personal iPad loaded with an array of chick flicks and South Korean dramas.

The salon uses AngelPro Gelly Polish from South Korea – the gentle-on-nails gel polish which claims to be free of the carcinogens formaldehyde and toluene usually found in other brands of lacquer.

Prices start from $28 for a manicure service. Go to www.thenailsocial.co for details.

This article was first run in The Straits Times newspaper on March 6, 2015. For similar stories, go to sph.straitstimes.com/premium/singapore. You will not be able to access the Premium section of The Straits Times website unless you are already a subscriber.

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