Tried and tested: mani-pedi at Stress Exchange

Interesting name for a salon: Stress Exchange. I went along to see if I could exchange my stress for a good mani pedi.

My therapist Helen began with the pedicure. These take place on high wooden benches in a dedicated area that felt very zen. As she was filing my nails, Helen advised that it's best to follow the shape of the natural nail, so while she got on with that, I chose my colour from a very good range of hues. This salon uses Morgan Taylor polish, an American brand that I hadn’t heard of before. It’s been developed by two nail technicians and Helen was certainly a fan from her professional perspective. I chose Most Wanted, a red-black colour, plus a party nail on each hand thanks to added glitter. The foot scrub Helen used smelt delicious - made by Kaeso, it was super zingy.

Helen’s attention to care and detail, plus her technical knowledge, were impressive and she did a very good job. My hands lasted for just over a week and my feet were still going three weeks later. My only quibble is the price: I think £40 is steep to get your nails done.