What happens to your daughter's hands, exactly.
Short version: she does everything herself, on her own nails, with Miss Natalie coaching from a practice tip. Nobody touches her hands. Nothing is filed, cut or removed. It's a lesson she keeps on her fingers for two weeks.
The house rules
- Hands off. Miss Natalie never touches a customer's hand, finger or nail — not to steady, not to fix, not to check. If a step's hard, she stops and demonstrates again on a plastic tip.
- Under 10: you brush with her. She places her own finger in the printer; you can help her hold it still.
- 10–17: you're present, or you sign the session card at the counter (one line: her first name, your name, the date, and yes/no to photos).
- Nothing removed, filed, buffed or cut. Existing gel or acrylic means a printed press-on tip today, or come back after soaking off at home.
- Nothing a mom would frown at. Every set in the printed library passes that test. No brand names, characters or celebrities either.
- Photos are yours. A photo she prints on a nail isn't kept after the session unless she saves her order. Photos of her for the kiosk wall or social media need your yes, every time.
The products
Retail gel nail products — a base gel, a print gel, a peel-off skin mask, a top gel — cured under a UV/LED lamp for 30–60 seconds a step, and water-based ink from the printer. The same products sold for home use.
Taking it off
It lasts about two weeks. Soak it off at home with regular gel remover — never peel it, peeling takes nail with it. The take-home top coat ($12) is the same top gel in a small bottle if she wants to refresh the seal.
Questions parents ask
Is this a nail salon?
No. It's a self-service nail printing lesson. Nobody performs anything on your daughter; she applies the products to her own nails and operates the printer with coaching. That's also why no one here is a nail tech and no one will offer to "just do it" for her.
How old does she have to be?
Any age that can hold a brush with help. Under 10, you brush with her and the Little Sisters chapter is one picture per nail — no reading required. Ten and up do it themselves. The Tween chapter is written for 10–13.
How long does it take, and what does it cost?
One hand is about 12 minutes and $25. A single Try It nail is $5 and five minutes — the right first visit for a small child. Mom & Me is $45 for both of you, one hand each. Full menu →
Will the ink stain her skin?
The mask step is what prevents that — she paints a peel-off film around the nail before printing, then peels it off like a sticker. If ink lands on skin anyway, it wipes off with the cleanser pad.
Is the UV lamp safe?
It's the same LED/UV lamp used with home gel kits: 30–60 seconds a step, four or five steps for one hand. We don't make medical claims; if you'd rather she skip the lamp, printed press-on tips need no lamp on her hands at all.
Can she pick anything?
From the library, yes — and the library is curated so there's nothing you'd object to. Custom sets are hers to write; Miss Natalie will steer anything she wouldn't put on her own niece.
Do you speak Spanish?
Yes. Every step is on a laminated card at each station in both languages, the app switches with one tap, and the Spanish sets are written in Spanish, not translated. Página en español →
Can I watch?
Please. There's a chair at each station. Most moms end up printing a hand of their own.