Nail salons in your city you can pop to between Christmas shopping

Christmas shopping. It’s not all mulled wine and checking-in on Facebook. It’s more like Takeshi’s Castle. Navigating yourself (and 17 carrier bags – handles getting thinner by the second), from one end of a tightly packed high street to the next. Feet sore, hands stinging, and beads of sweat carelessly rolling down your back – beneath that ‘I’ll need to wear this’ extra jumper. In short: it’s treacherous, and you’ll need a break. So whichever ‘big city’ you’re in, here are the best nail bars to visit for some much needed mid-shop R&R. You deserve this.

By Rachel Spedding

• 1 Manchester: Mai Salon

  Shop at: Arndale Shopping Centre

  This place is slick. Scandi aesthetic, comfy surrounds and located in the city centre. The best news? You can try Treatwell’s Festive Mani here. They’re Top Rated, Salon of the Year, and Star of the Year. Advice: sack off the shopping all together and just spend the day here. It’s what everyone you’re gifting would want. Maybe.
• 2 Leeds: Q61 Nail and Beauty Studio

  Shop at: Trinity Centre

  If you’re a Leeds resident, you’ll no doubt have visited Q61 for a mani before (it is the city’s Salon of the Year after all). If not, it’s worth a trip to the Yorkshire spot – especially around this time when the markets are in action. Head here for a nail fix, and get a glass of prosecco on arrival. How festive.
• 3 Newcastle: The Diamante Rooms

  Shop at: intu Eldon Square

  A few minutes from the main shopping centre and literally one minute from the high street, this hidden gem serves the perfect manicure (and ‘man-i-cure’ for the gents). Take a break from stottie eating – because that’s obviously what us northerners love to do – and find time to relax at The Diamante Rooms.
• 4 Edinburgh: Revive Beauty

  Shop at: Princes Street

  Salon of the Year, ladies and gents. That means you won’t find a better spot in Edinburgh for a festive time mani. You’ll have to head a little out of the centre – 40 minutes walk, to be precise – but it’s worth the stroll for a “lovely experience and impeccable nails” (according to the reviews).  There’s also a gin distillery en route. I’ll let you figure that one out.
• 5 Birmingham: Flint + Flint

  Shop at: Bull Ring

  Known for their skincare expertise, Flint + Flint is a family-ran business, ten minutes from the Bull Ring shopping centre. Once you’ve endured the Primark queue, and taken ‘one or two' Auntie Anne pretzel samples, take yourself to the salon, and get a really great mani. And maybe a facial too.
• 6 Liverpool: Nirvana Cosmetics Club

  Shop at: Liverpool One

  Nirvana Cosmetics Club is the place to go in Liverpool. Top Rated two years’ running, the salon is around a 15 minute walk from the shopping centre (which features mini golf – intriguing). For something a little different – we’re all wild come festive season – try SNS. The sort-of new manicure is kind to your nail beds and lasts for ages. Result.
• 7 London Central: Mayfair Aesthetics and Beauty

  Shop at: Oxford Street (or Spitalfields Market – if you’re avoiding central spots)

  How to narrow down the nail options in London? There are a huge number of spots you could visit for your nail fix, and with so much shopping goodness dotted around, it's hard to call out a top place. But, you can never go wrong with Oxford Street. You can get horribly lost though. So enter this venue 'Mayfair Aesthetics and Beauty' into your Citymapper, and enjoy.