Askido: More than a nail salon

If there is one thing Chinese women do like no others, it would have to be their nails. Nowhere else in the world will you be standing at the Walmart check-out counter or that of its slightly less fancy local brother Chaoshifa, to have your one mao change to you by hands sporting the most intricately painted nails you've ever seen. Tiptoeing away from the catwalk this time, I shift my attention towards the beauty industry, and more specifically, towards a pampering session which has been enjoyed by women the world over for thousands of years: the manicure. The reason for my change of focus is that Beijing's Wangfujing area has recently welcomed Askido, a new cool nail salon. Founder and owner Lee Yan has created a new safe haven for Beijing's large number of manicure lovers.

Scratching the surface

Since I lack the patience to really enjoy one of these sessions myself (I have issues), I dug a little deeper into the history of nail art. The concept of the manicure started 5000 years ago in India, where women at that time would paint their nails with henna. The manicure as we know it today was born 1000 years later, when the southern Babylonians started using gold tools to revamp their nails.

It was the Chinese, however, who invented nail polish 3000 years ago and, in tandem with the length of the nails (the longer, the better), used it as an indicator of a person's social status. From the Tang dynasty (618-907) onwards, the manicure became a prominent feature of royal court lifestyle, signifying that the manicured person did not have to engage in manual labor. The Empress Dowager Cixi (1835-1908), for example, always kept her artificial, yet beautiful, fingernails extremely long (and I'm quite sure she didn't have to build the Summer Palace herself).

Of course, in the West, nails also carried a social message, if perhaps slightly more toned down. Nice fingernails in the early 20th century surely would not have belonged to an underpaid Downtown Abbey-type housemaid.

VIPs avant-la-lettre

During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the elite preferred their nails to be red or black. Looking back, they were actually ahead of their time, as red remains the color of choice for many women to this day. However, I don't think the Ming elite quite foresaw the punk and Goth movements. It is remarkable though, how after thousands of years a nail color can still typify a certain (underground) stream or group of people.

Using nail polish colors to define whether you were a mistress and or servant started as early as in ancient Egyptian society, where the exquisitely stylish Cleopatra and the most beautiful woman to ever walk the earth, Queen Nefertiti, favored red nail polish (different shades though, deep red versus royal ruby). Men, you may think that none of his applies to you, but take note! Women weren't the only ones getting their hands dolled up. In ancient Roman and Egyptian times, military commanders painted their nails to match the color they wore on their lips before going into battle. Nail polish and lipstick, how very Andrej Pejic.

Ask-I-Do

The overall manicure process usually includes filing, polishing and painting the nails. For the many dealing with fake nails, there is the application of the nails, as well as painting the design or applying small faux jewels. Nail designs nowadays can range from a simple and elegant nude coating to an outrageous psychedelic retro design, depending on the wearer's personality. Yet Lee wants Askido to take nail design to the next level, to add a new dimension to an industry so focused on the exterior that it tends to ignore everything else.

China's nail salon owners are mostly women from technician backgrounds, and they often only pay attention to the color, style and shape of the nail. Sounds reasonable. But, in Lee's opinion, women should start looking at what's inside, so he chose a name for his salon that was simple and would make customers reflect on life and what they want out of it. Reflecting on the fact that a beauty spree should refresh the face, clear the mind and free the spirit, three words came to his mind: Ask- I- Do, meaning: "Ask yourself what you want to do".

Trendy grooming

I swung by the place and must say: Lee got it right, down to the CZ nail details. Askido is a high-end beauty salon, a perfect addition to the Beijing beauty scene that will certainly find favor among the city's a trendsetters. The shop focuses on a skill the Chinese are unrivaled at (nail design), throws in a host of first-rate beauty treatments and due to the emerging urban middle class and its demands, combines all this with a growing customer base. Add to this formula its perfect location in Wangfujing, the center of central Beijing, and you've got a winner on your superbly groomed hands.

Askido's target clientele has, over the past decade, developed a keen eye for luxury goods and services and can essentially afford both. I think Askido forms the ideal link between supply and demand, providing an extensive range of high-quality beauty products (from head to toe) and more than 200 shades of nail polish to meet its chic clientele's wishes. With its soothing wine red 'n white décor, top of the line products and outstanding service, Askido nails it-pun intended.

Location: 北京市东城区东长安街1号, 东方新天地平台层PW-apt(03)