L.A.'s Coolest Nail Salons Offer Way More Than Just Polish Perfection

Los Angeles is brimming with manicure devotees, so to keep up with the city’s heavy polish-addict traffic, run-of-the-mill "chop-shop"-style nail salons have set up on nearly every corner. You know what we're talking about: walk-in storefronts that charge less than takeout lunch for a paint job.

But thanks to The New York Times' groundbreaking article "The Price of Nice Nails," it's becoming very clear that picking a place for a color change and cuticle care requires more thought than just contemplating location and price.

Fear not. To help you navigate the endless number of nail shops in our city, we've put together this handy-dandy guide. We’ve vetted all of these salons to ensure safety, cleanliness, and fair legal wages for manicurists. That is, they all pay their workers (at least) minimum wage and overtime, keep records of hours worked, don't require a fee for a worker to become an employee, and maintain standards of cleanliness required by current health regulations.

Use this guide as your go-to resource for nail shops that not only offer a killer manicure, but also are leading the way to create better work environments for the individuals delivering the perfect polish job.