Reverb10 and Only Nails Review

Hey kids so here's the scoop on December: we've got this awesome little challenge going on called Reverb10 (<---click to find out more) that basically requires challengers to reflect on 2010 and plan ahead for 2011...or at least, plan what you'd like to see happen next year.

So you can blog about it, tweet about it, scream it from the rooftops, whatev. But I've decided that the first two options are going to work best for me. I may not blog every day about this (though, anyone who knows me probably assumes there's a good chance I will, aside from the weekends) so there might be some combined posts.

But, given that I also have a laundry list of reviews lined up, I've decided to combine my posts - Reverb10 + Review.

Enough about all that...these posts are going to be long enough as it is

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December 1 One Word.
Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you’re choosing that word. Now, imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you?

So I did tweet about this yesterday, but decided it deserved a bit of explanation - and I did fail to leave out that last part about next year's word.

My word for this year is definitely learning. You can see this just by looking over my blog posts for 2010, both here and over here.

I've learned more about myself since turning 26 than I have in all of my 20s so far I think. It hasn't been easy, but I've definitely done a lot of reflecting on the lessons that life has shown me and I foresee it propelling me into 2011 with a new outlook - and right into the arms of the word I think 2011 will stand for: growth. Both personal and professional in nature. I know where I want to go, the kind of life I want to live and the person I want to be, 2011 is the year to make all that happen.

Okay so enough of that, on to the review portion of this post:

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Only Nails, Westmont, IL

Moving to a new city can be difficult when it comes to finding all the amenities you love. I always stress about finding a good stylist (though thankfully, a friend from high school works at a nearby salon, so that was a no brainer on this move - more to come on that later) and things like dentists and doctors, but you tend to forget about all the little things you became so comfortable with in your former city, that is until you need one of those services.

So when it came time to get a pedicure, I was lost. I turned to Yelp to help me out with recommendations....this online review forum never did help me much in Cleveland, but here in Chicago, I turn to it more times than not.

It surprised me to see that there were a handful of nail salons within 5 minutes of my place that all got great reviews, however there was one that really stuck out. A woman from downtown Chicago mentioned that she ventures here every 3-4 weeks for her mani/pedi and it's only that infrequent because the polish lasts so long.

And it turns out, I can walk to this place from my apartment. Score!

So a few weeks ago I ventured over to Only Nails in Westmont for a pedicure. I have to tell you, it was one of the best I've ever had. I tend to be ticklish on the soft spots of my feet, so needless to say that whole pumice stone exfoliation step tends to have me all knotted up, doing my best not to burst out laughing.

The entire pedicure felt like this incredible foot massage! And the reviews didn't lie, my polish lasted a LONG time - it looked perfect until my next pedicure in fact.

What I also liked was the atmosphere - there was no pressure to talk to a chatty pedicurist, but at the same time, they were open and friendly. You can pretty much make the experience what you want.

And at $30, the price is right.

So here are the basics:

Service: ***** (5 stars, enough said)

Atmosphere: ***** (quiet, friendly)

Quality: ***** (polish lasted a long time, incredible foot/leg massage)

Comfort: **** (4 stars, only because the pedicure chairs didn't have heat...bummer)

Price: $$ (I've had cheaper, but nothing this good for this price)

Long story short, I definitely recommend this place if you're in need of a pedicure, or even just a little relaxation away from home.

Cheers!

-A