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.