WAH Nails London to close

Nail salon chain, WAH Nails London, has announced its closure after 10 years of trading. On Friday 26 July, the doors of its Soho flagship salon will shut.

Founded in 2009 by Sharmadean Reid MBE, the salon chain has been instrumental in the London nail art scene and the raising the profile of nail artists nationwide. The move comes as Sharmadean is focusing her attention on BeautyStack – a visual booking platform for beauty professionals.

“After 10 incredible years building a community of WAH girls, hosting the sickest events, empowering women and making your nails look fire, we’re closing this chapter and moving onto our next adventure supporting women in beauty,” the salon stated in an announcement on its social media.

“We’ve got loads planned over the next few months to celebrate the past 10 years!”

Nail technicians and beauty businesses have paid tribute to the salon chain across social media.

“I can genuinely say my life would be so different if I hadn’t had WAH to look up to,” commented Tammy Koslowski, founder of NAF! Salon. “Thank you for everything! Can’t wait to see what’s next for Beauty Stack – thanks for paving the way for us all.”

“This is so sad,” commented Sophie Hudd, of Rainbow Nails. “The original inspo for all things nail art! Congrats on an amazing 10 years. You will be missed by so many.”

“Thank you for everything you’ve done for this industry and setting such an incredible standard,” Liv Oldfield added.

The first WAH Nails salon was opened in Dalston before the brand commanded a four-year nail bar in Topshop’s flagship Oxford Circus store. The second salon opened in Soho, seeing technology blended with beauty with a ‘Virtual Reality Nail Designer’, allowing clients to digitally design and trial nail designs.

Images c/o WAH Nails London