![_Whitney Houston, 48, Has Died [Updated]](http://sfist.com/assets_c/2012/02/whitney-houston-dead-2-thumb-250x250-693364.jpg)
Organic Mani-Pedis In The East Bay?
SFist Julie treats herself! And why's she need treating? Find out for yourself -- congratulations, SFist Julie!!!
So, you San Francisco folks have it made. With places like Polished Lounge and Le Crème Spa, you can go get a "natural" manicure and pedicure in a big puffy chair with lots of lovely organic products, fresh fruits and herbs, whenever you wish, with very little schlep involved, and no scary acrylics fumes.
Us East Bay folks haven't had such an easy time of it. Which is why we're grateful as we can be about Cure and Polish.
Both shops are dedicated to the kind of fume-free all-natural pampering we prefer. Cure offers formaldehyde- and toluene-free polishes that are also dibutyl phthalate-free. They even have vegan polishes (not tested on animals).
The cushions on the rattan armchairs at Cure have gotten a little flat in their year-or-so of operation, but that was our only complaint. We liked the relaxing warm stone neck wrap, the sanitary warm stone footbath, the refreshing mint leg scrub (there are a variety of scrub flavors to choose from), the vigorous massage, the individual-size carafe of lemon water for our drinking pleasure.
Speaking of drinking, get your treatment on Thursdays or Fridays after 5 p.m. and be treated to a free "spa-tini." And if you are the one being drunk from: Moms with newborns are encouraged to come in on Wednesdays from noon to 5.
SFist Julie, contributing.
Our nail technician was very talented and kind. She explained why we didn't need to have our cuticles harvested like so much wheat, since that would only make them grow back thicker. She trimmed what needed trimming and left the rest alone. And our pedi lasted for about a month. Good stuff!
While Polish doesn't necessarily promote itself as a "natural" nail spa, it does justifiably hype its own cleanliness. Again, no acrylics in the room means those of us who prefer not to ingest those toxins can breathe easy.
If you've done your homework, you know you can ask for the O.P.I. polish, which is free of formaldehyde and toluene and not tested on animals. The company just began producing phthalate-free polishes in late 2006, but good luck finding a date stamp on the bottle.
In any case, we decided to bust the bank on an appointment for a "Lavender au Lait" pedicure at Polish and frankly it was the best foot treatment we've ever had: Flower buds and petals and milk powder in an individual, highly-sanitary sink-for-your-feet -- a far cry from those cheap plastic spa chair bacteria- and fungus-laden footbaths; sugar scrub (it tickles!); moisturizing massage; hot paraffin booties; and of course a warm lavender neck pillow. Even the cool cucumber drinking water served in a metal cup on a bamboo tray tasted luxurious. And our nail tech was just superb -- our toes and feet looked amazing afterwards!
Tall-backed wooden benches with cushions provided the seating, which still isn't as fantastic as the lovely cushy armchairs at Le Crème Spa, but for an otherwise deluxe nail treatment on the east side of the bay, we're not complaining.
We also had the best leg wax ever (which we hate to tell you because we don't want to have to compete for an appointment): Quick, thorough, no bruises, no blotches; barely any redness to speak of. No weird contortionist leg positions. And the esthetician even raised the top half of the bed so that we didn't have to lie flat on our back.
Next, we're going to go back to Polish for their "Organic Facial." The products for that look good enough to eat.
