What a lovely salon! Had a haircut and full head of highlights, was a really great experience from…read morestart to finish. Lots of drinks to keep me going (my hair is really thick and takes ages to highlight) and they didn't rush me through. Excellent cut as always and I love the colour. Need to come back again soon! Love the decor, I'd quite like one of the mirrors in my house!!

From the owner: Guy Christian Salon, Cwmbran is one of only a small number of Sassoon partnered salons in the UK…read more We offer fashion focused precision colours and cuts in a comfortable and opulent environment. We also offer a full range of beauty treatments using prestige brands

I came home from work one evening to find a post-it note stuck to my computer monitor from my…read moreniece, Isobel. It merely said "Newport Nails, £5". I was able to deduce that Isobel fancied a manicure... So it turns out that her friend had gone to Newport Nails and had her nails painted with nail art for £5. Isobel does belly dancing shows so asked if I would take her before her next one to have her nails done too. I needed some work done so figured we might as well. Newport Nails is like the places you get in California where all the workers are from Asia and probably only just clearing minimum wage. We went in and I asked for a manicure and for Isobel to have her nails painted. The woman started on me and my first concern was the lack of cleaning of tools. The nail file and clippers used on myself were put straight back in the storage box without being sprayed (let alone autoclaved). While I soaked my nails in a mini-bath, she painted Isobel's nails and then put her under the dryers. She then really got to work on me... File, sanding and repair of a split nail, buff, nice hand massage with cranberry lotion, base coat, two layers of a stunning red, then top coat and then I sat under the dryers. Second concern... she cut me while she was trimming my cuticles... It didn't get infected or anything but I did have to scrub my hand when I got home... Isobel then had her nail art done. She had the colours suggested by the woman and also had no say in the design but that is fine as she would never have made her mind up. Isobel's friend also came down and had hers done at the same time and was impressed with the results. The staff speak very limited English but they are lovely. The woman was telling me all about her son and I was attempting to explain home education and belly dancing... My manicure only cost £10. Isobel's was a fiver. We are going back for my other niece's birthday at the end of the month. They stock OPI, China Glaze, and Elise. Between layers of polish, my nails were allowed to dry under a heat lamp. They were completely dry and amazingly smooth when we left. My index fingers started chipping after 5 days and my thumbs went on day seven. Not bad. There are loads of these places springing up all over Newport and Cardiff but I think Newport Nails will be my favourite. Four stars because it's cash only and I am part of the credit age...

Went to Atomic Nails a few times and was very pleased with the 'Shellac' nails but then it all went…read morebadly wrong! They can get very busy as the prices are so reasonable and on the last two occasions the beautician totally wrecked my nails. She practically filed them away in her hurry and my nails are now like paper, weaker than ever and will take forever to grow back. I wont be going back.

1. I hate my feet 2. I am a wimp…read more In the weeks running up to my birthday last year, I mentioned to my mom that my feet were looking like particularly ugly alligator feet and I really ought to get a pedicure. I also mentioned to my sister that I wanted to try out the Heaven Sent Day Spa that had just opened by her house. I wasn't dropping hints... So on my birthday, I was presented with a gift voucher for £40 for the Spa from my sister and her family and it was suggested I could take my best mate and we could both get a little treatment. Yeah, well. My feet need extra special attention. It took a bit of effort to book in to begin with. I wanted to get the Ultimate Pedicure and called last Saturday to book in. I was advised that I would need to speak to the chiropodist to make the appointment as I would need to see her first and then I would transfer to the beauty side. I was told someone would call back on Monday. No one did. If I had not had the voucher, I would have just given up at this point and gone elsewhere. Instead I called again Tuesday and was able to book in for the following Thursday. The actual place is very nice. The car park was a bit ropey at the time but they have since had that repaired... Nice inside though. I was wondering if I could peel off a few sheets of the wallpaper in reception without being noticed for my upstairs bathroom... I have seriously ucky foot issues - I have hammer toes, thick toenails, slightly webbed toes (gross, I know... my whole family has them), claws instead of little toe nails, very dry skin, scars (from mosquito bites due to my stupid skeeter syndrome), stubby, weird-shaped feet, hard skin on my heels, and arthritic pain. Therefore, I force my feet into cute little Betsey Johnson shoes that are most definitely not made for walking because they look pretty. I hate having my feet looked at or touched and I especially don't like having anything done to my toenails. However, this is my issue and I need to deal with it. First I saw Jacquie, the chiropodist. She masterfully hacked away at my tough old nails (that have broken TWO pairs of clippers in the last year) and she whipped out a blade and sliced off my hard skin. It was pretty disgusting to see what was removed but also rather satisfying. She's very nice and I was not scared at all. The only discomfort was when my leg went dead for a moment but I waved it about and was fine again. The actual treatment was surprisingly painless. Then I went to have the pedicure side of it. Andrea (the manager) did that and was also very nice. I started off in a foot bath that had something in it that went all frothy. It was great! She filed my nails, did that cuticle thing, and generally tidied them up. Then a salt scrub, a foot mask, and heated booties while I "relaxed" in the massage chair for 15 minutes (it was like getting beaten up by my cute little Chinese guy in Alhambra all over again). Then a long foot massage. It was much more relaxing than usual - the guys in the SGV literally leave us bleeding... Nails painted and done. I took my own nail polish - the Absolutely Alice from OPI's Alice in Wonderland range. They do have a really good range of OPI but the colours are slightly more subdued than I normally go for (though there was a nice pink I had to scour ebay for). My feet were very pretty afterwards. But I never went back... Here's why... A few months later, my mother decided to go see Jacquie to have her own feet done. She called and was again told she would be called back. She wasn't. Mom would have again given up at that point but I called again and made the appointment for her. She went off and had her feet done and it was fine. But then me and my best mate decided we wanted a spa day... Their website was being modified at the time so there were no descriptions or prices for treatments. I asked on Facebook when the website was likely to be up and running as we wanted to book a spa day and wanted to make some choices before hand. No response. Nothing. Not even a "it might be a while so feel free to drop in for a treatment list". That was it for me. No amount of good treatments makes up for poor customer service. So it is a great place to go if you have lots of money to spend and don't mind slightly shoddy service. But obviously make your own decisions about the place as a few of my sister's friends have had bad experiences there...

This is a wonderful Spa! The staff are excellent, extremely…read moreprofessional, very friendly and polite. The spa itself is beautifully decorated, light, airy and has a lovely, calm, atmosphere. There are loads of treatments to choose from (see their webpage for a full list). I enjoyed a wonderful deep tissue massage. Family and friends have also had a variety of treatments and all have been extremely happy with their chosen treatments and have gone back again. I will certainly be going back.