I went to Cheeky during its launch to take advantage of the super cheap introductory prices - just…read more£1 to get your nails shaped and painted.
The atmosphere is spot on, with really friendly staff and lots of places to sit and relax while you wait for a nail technician to become available. There is a food and drink area which has a small menu offering cakes, quiches, juice, alcohol, tea and coffee. Unfortunately, you can't book in advance so, unless you arrive at a very quiet time, getting a coffee and flicking through magazines seems to be pretty much part of the experience.
The usual prices for nails and hair are quite reasonable, considering that this beauty parlour is run by the same company behind Cowshed. They don't offer a full manicure, so at £10 for a shape and paint (with a free bottle of nail colour to take home) I'd say it's fairly good value if you just want a quick fix. Having nail art will vastly increase the price - especially if you're like me and prefer to have the whole set done - it's £1.50 per nail!
My experience was somewhat marred by the sullen attitude of the woman doing my nails. However, I think I was just unlucky, as the other nail technicians seemed really chatty and nice. Don't get me wrong - I'm not expecting for someone to actually feign interest in my day, but a little bit of interaction and friendliness doesn't go amiss! My nail art also looked a bit amateurish, so my advice would be not to bother having nail art - it bumps up the price of your manicure and the options are fairly limited.
For a special occasion, or before a big night out, this is a fun place to come with a friend. You could eat lunch or have a coffee depending on the waiting time, and after your treatments you could have a go in the 'selfie studio', which is free to use. Despite its name, I think you'd have to be a bit pathetic and vain to go in there alone!