Meet Paula Luck | Owner of Studio Mar Nail Retreat

We had the good fortune of connecting with Paula Luck and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Paula, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
There wasn’t a time that I went to a nail salon here in LA and left frustrated due to terrible service. Every single time I left thinking I just threw my money in the trash, not to mention how damaged my nails got to be every single time I removed the gel to put a fresh one and also the way I was treated. That’s when I met Marina (now, my business partner) and she did a full rehab on my nails. I arrived with my nails so damaged that it hurt to put them in the uv lamp. Marina did a full treatment, very delicate and detailed that I was so impressed that couldn’t help to propose to her to open Studio Mar Nail Retreat and do exactly the opposite that every single nail salon in LA does. To start, we want our clients to feel relaxed and at home, so our interior design is very “beachy” and extra clean in order to pass that feeling and our staff is very friendly. We offer tea, coffee and cookies/chocolate to our clients. We have comfortable seats, pleasing music and environment, but, most importantly, we offer exceptional service. All of our products are vegan, cruelty free, and free of harsh chemicals, we don’t use acetone and we don’t scrape the nail in order to remove the gel. Our technique is dry, no use of water, very gentle to the nails and cuticles as well as detailed. Made to last and make the nails strong, healthy and impeccable. It’s like my dream come true!

What should our readers know about your business?
Studio Mar Nail Retreat praises a good quality service. Our moto is healthy, durable and impeccable nails. We want our clients to feel satisfied in paying for a good service, for having a good experience and confident that we care about their nails – because we do! That’s why Marina and I opened our studio out of the necessity of many of having healthy nails, with impeccable cuticle work without damaging the skin and also durable. Honestly, I had this necessity and Marina did a super rehab on my nails that were so so damaged due to harsh chemicals and scraping to remove the gel from another salon. And that’s what we offer our clients, a nail rehab and then an unforgettable treatment. Our technique is dry, we don’t use water during treatment, is made to last up to 4 weeks, we do a detailed cuticle work without being invasive to the skin, we don’t use any harsh chemicals such as acetone, all of our products are vegan and cruelty free, and hygiene is priority! During our clients’ experience, we offer espresso, a variety of teas, water and cookies, and they all leave with a goodie bag containing cuticle oil, our favorite chocolate and with partner brand discounts, It is never easy to open a new business, but when you know there’s a necessity in society for such business and you believe in the project, you just go for it and it will work.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Get a little tattoo souvenir at Alium Tattoo Studio, Jazz night with tapas at Yahir, Venice Canals, Griffith Observatory, a concert at the Hollywood Bowl, a visit to beautiful Lake Shrine, beach days in Malibu.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Shoutout to my business partner Marina Aranha, the best nail artist in town. To my husband Joaquin Villarino, he’s been here a couple of times already talking about our other business Alium Tattoo Studio and about his amaaaazing art, he is definitely my strongest supporter, motivator, mentor in everything I do.

Website: www.studiomar.la

Instagram: @studiomar.la

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/studio-mar-nail-retreat-los-angeles

Image Credits
photo of me and photo with Marina taken by: Thalita Pichelli-Mangin