If you ask me, there’s nothing like a fresh set of nails to put a spring in your step and hand on heart, there’s nowhere else I’d go for my gel polish manicure than Le Petit.

Le Petit sits above a hair salon on Old Town’s Wood Street and is the perfect sanctuary to book in for, whether you’re after a relaxing massage or facial, an efficient wax or need to get your brows tamed and your talons tended to.

Le Petit opened its doors in 2010, set up by beauty therapist Rachel Barber, who previously worked as Salon Manager at Swindon’s De Vere Hotel. It was at the De Vere that Rachel met two of her therapists Shenade and Amy, and when she decided to set up Le Petit so she could work flexibly around her children, Shenade and Amy came with her. In 2015 they hired Charley, fresh out of college to join the business and the team was complete.

The therapists at Le Petit have worked together for almost 18 years and their close bond is one of the things that makes the salon such a warm, inviting place for your beauty treatments. You can feel they’re all comfortable together and it makes for a welcoming, friendly feel.

“We hope the vibe in LP is friendly, comforting and safe,” Rachel confirms. “We are very close to our clients – some have been with us many years and have become our friends and people we look forward to seeing. We hope people leave feeling calm, with a clear head.”

“I believe what sets us apart from other salons is quite simply the love,” Rachel says. “You can tell from the minute you walk in how much we love our salon, how much we love working together and how much we love and care for our clients. We love coming to work _ it’s actually one of my favourite places!”

I’m inclined to agree. I’ve been coming to Le Petit since summer 2021 and despite how busy the salon is, Shenade and Charley (who I always book in for my manis with) always remember what I’ve told them in my last appointment and ask me about how things are going, be it a wedding I’ve been to, a holiday I went on or an important event I had coming up. It’s that attention to detail that keeps me coming back – that and the manicure, which almost always lasts me upward of three weeks. I also like that you’re welcome to stay in the space post-treatment and read or simply relax in the chilled surroundings. 

As well as the treatment offerings, Le Petit also has its own product line of cruelty-free, organic, vegan-friendly skin, body and wellbeing essentials, which they began creating during lockdown, including candles, hand and body wash, body scrub, cuticle oil, face wash and more, which they use in their treatments.

On top of that, the salon hosts regular workshops – so far there’s been a candle-making session, a Christmas-wreath workshop and there’s a spring posy making workshop coming up soon.

If you can’t already tell, I’m a huge fan of Le Petit for everything from long-lasting manicures and fuss-free waxes to self-care massages and general essential grooming, and I’m excited to share my beauty spot with Muddy readers – just don’t steal my appointment slots!