Giveaway and Review for Zenka Nails - Manhattan Beach

I'm so honored to have been given this fabulous opportunity with Zenka Nails at Trilogy Spa in Manhattan Beach, CA.  My awesome friend, Jasmine, works there and contacted me to generously offer a Spa Indulgence Pedicure in exchange for a review on my blog.  And as we were saying our goodbye's, she said that I could also give away the same amazing package to a lucky blog reader!!  Trust me - you WANT this.  Promise.  :)

First the review, then the giveaway details!

Oh, and please pardon all the pictures of my piggies!  They aren't the prettiest things around by any means, but I couldn't do a review on a pedicure without having pics of my toes and the process to go along with it! :) :)

Zenka Nails at Trilogy Spa is located at 451 Manhattan Beach Blvd. in the Metlox Plaza in Manhattan Beach, CA. just up the street from the pier.  Right next to the super chic Shade Hotel and alongside tons of other cute boutiques and restaurants. (Contact: 310.374.3600)

Upon entering the Trilogy Spa, you're greeted by the very welcoming lobby and front desk ladies (there might be men too, but I didn't see any on my visit).  I was then whisked away into the nail spa area which was a very cozy room with 2 cushy seats side by side with a small table in between, a curtained area with a manicure table to the side, a television with headphones, magazines, and relaxing music playing in the background.  Very much like a spa atmosphere versus the typical large nail salon with 20+ seats, tons of chatter, and background noise.  This is a great spot to come with a girlfriend to relax and catch up on gossip, or to just come and relax by yourself.

I was also told that there's a rooftop area for nails - sounds heavenly, but I didn't get a chance to see it on this visit. :)

 

I was then introduced to my AMAZING nail tech, Valery.  She was super sweet and made me feel relaxed and confident in her work.  She's been doing nails for 5 years now and has worked with several celebrity clients as well.  Prior to nails she was a masseuse which translates into - she gives great foot and reflexology massages in her pedis!  :) :)

She started off by soaking my feet in a warm, foamy fizzy bath of rock salt.

Next she worked at removing my nail polish....which happened to be many, very heavy coats of glittery polish.  Not easy to take off, but she was a trooper and kept at the stubborn polish. :)

Next she cut and filed my toenails making them all pretty and straight :)

Next up was a hibiscus and tiger lily sugar scrub treatment.  I love sugar scrubs personally because they exfoliate and all that good stuff, but aren't as harsh as a salt scrub...I have very dry skin so the salt isn't always the best thing for me.

After rinsing the scrub off, Valery then proceeded on to the next treatment which was a detoxing seaweed wrap.  This detoxes your skin of impurities and opens up the pores.  She rubbed the mixture over my feet and then wrapped them up like little babies in warm towels. :)

She let the seaweed wrap soak in for a bit and we talked about another service that she does.  As far as she knows, last she checked she's the only one in the South Bay that offers the following service:

Minx Nails

They're basically little foil-like nail coverings with various designs.  They don't chip like polish or anything like that and on the toes they can last for 8+ weeks...depends on the wearer and how much you put your feet through. ;)  You can also get then on your fingernails.

Here's a couple of examples:

And here's an example of how they look on the toes:

Because it's not a polish, you can really achieve that metallic look which is super cool.  I'm all about the shine myself.  And I love all the fun designs you can get!

It's a difficult process to do and nail techs must be trained and certified in doing this process, so it can get a little pricey - but totally worth it if you want something unique that isn't really offered in the area right now!  (Price list link below)

OK - back to my pedi.  After the seaweed wrap soaked in a bit, Valery took the towels off and rubbed all the green mixture off.  She then moved on to the best part of the whole experience - the foot and leg massage!  She used this plumeria and hibiscus lotion that smelled sooooo good - a nice, light, fruity/floral mixture.  And as I noted earlier, she has that professional massage background, so she definitely knows what she's doing.

And so...the massage was so relaxing that I completely forgot to take a picture, lol.  So no visuals on this one, haha.  But just picture me sitting there in complete bliss and relaxation. :)

:) :)

After that it was time to put on the polish.  I requested french tips, my favorite!  She polished away and sculpted those tips.  She's very quick and precise.  Great lines and technique.

I even got the fancy fan treatment to help it dry a bit. :)

And here is the lovely final product!

Please don't mind that ugly cut on my left big toe - Apparently I forget how to walk sometimes and I stepped on my own toe last week with my heel.....very hard....it still hurts. :(

I love them!  And I felt super happy and relaxed when I left.  And of course being right down the street from the beach amongst all the beachy shops just added to the experience when I left. :) :)

Oh - and before I forget, if you get a nail treatment with Zenka Nails, you can add on usage of the Trilogy Spa amenities for $25 (regularly $45)!  A great way to relax before/after your manis and pedis!

LINKS:

Zenka Nails @ Trilogy Spa

Zenka Nails on Facebook 

Zenka Nails on Twitter

Price list

Specials 

OK - now on to the FUN part!!

GIVEAWAY TIME!!

I encourage you to enter this giveaway, and do as many of the entries as you can because this is a fabulous package to win!

One lucky Avery James Photography reader will win the same Spa Indulgence Pedicure package that I did from Zenka Nails at Trilogy Spa.  Zenka Nails at Trilogy Spa is located in Manhattan Beach, CA. so you'll need to be local in order to claim this prize.

You must do the Mandatory entry below in order to be eligible for any of the Extra Entries.

Remember to leave your email address in each entry so I know how to reach you if you win!

MANDATORY ENTRY

What part of the spa package described in my post above do you think will be your favorite?

EXTRA ENTRIES

(Do any or all of the following, leaving a separate comment for each entry letting me know which task you completed)

• Share this post on your Facebook (Copy and paste the following text and link (or you can make your own text up): Free Spa Indulgence Pedicure being given away for Zenka Nails in Manhattan Beach on Avery James Photography's blog! http://averyjamesphotography.blogspot.com/2011/10/giveaway-and-review-for-zenka-nails.html  ) - worth 2 entries, leave 2 separate comments
• You can post to Facebook once a day and get 2 entries each time (remember to leave 2 separate comments each time)
• "Like" Avery James Photography on Facebook (here) (Leave Facebook name - must be from personal page, not a fan page)
• "Like" my personal travel agent company page (specializing in Disney vacations!), Ever After Vacations, on Facebook (here) (Leave Facebook name - must be from personal page, not a fan page)
• "Like" Zenka Nails on Facebook (here)
• Follow Zenka Nails on Twitter - @ZENKASTYLE (leave Twitter ID)
• Follow Avery James Photography on Google Friend Connect
• "Like" my friend's t-shirt company iNMAAKOi on Facebook and tell them @Avery James Photography sent you!
• Follow @AveryJamesPhoto on Twitter (leave twitter ID)

This giveaway ends at 11:59 pm Pacific Time on November 6, 2011.  The winner will be selected by random draw and will have 48 hours to respond to my notification email before another winner is selected.