Best of Boston

MiniLuxe garners raves for its devotion to hygiene (technicians sterilize tools in the same machines used by surgeons and dentists), but the three-year-old chain takes its perfectionism a step further: The salon is immaculately clean, sleek, and decorated with gorgeous displays of high-end beauty products. Best of all, the manicures are the most detail-oriented in town. As far as technicians go, we’re still partial to last year’s pedicure winner, the ultrasweet Shayna Shirazi at the Newbury outpost—but everyone we encountered was pleasant and thorough. Bonus: Prices are only a few bucks more than at those blinking-neon-light nail salons—and polish colors are always on-trend. Try the new OPI Axxium gel polish, which lasts two blissfully chip-free weeks.