A gel manicure in Singapore runs anywhere from about $13 to $150, and the single biggest saving is the one almost every salon runs but rarely advertises: a first-trial rate for new customers. We compared 8 salons with prices published on their own websites — for Duchess, by Duke (first-timer express manicure $12.90), Shimmer & Shine (9 heartland outlets, first-timer express gel manicure $29.90), Twenty Nails (first-trial mani-pedi combos from $48), Nails & Good Company (less-toxic gel, first trial from $35), Nail Palace (23 outlets, the biggest chain), N20 Nail Spa (7 mall outlets, GST-inclusive price list), Princess's Cottage ($40 gel polish, 4 outlets) and The Nail Social (20% off your first visit in Chinatown). Outlets, opening hours and what each is actually best for.
A gel manicure in Singapore can cost $30 or $150, and the gap has less to do with how good your nails end up looking than with which tier of salon you walked into — and whether you were a new customer that day.
That last part is the lever almost nobody pulls deliberately. Most salons here run a first-trial rate for new customers, and it is usually the single biggest discount they will ever offer you: 20-40% off, sometimes more on bundles. It is not a secret, but it is rarely on the shopfront — it lives on a page called "first trial" or "promotion" that you have to go looking for.
So we went looking. This list covers 8 salons whose prices are published on their own websites, which is a lower bar than it sounds — plenty of salons in Singapore quote only over WhatsApp. Everything below is what the salon itself states.
How we picked
- Published prices only. Every figure here comes from the salon's own site, not from a review blog or an aggregator. Where a salon prints both the pre-GST and GST-inclusive figure, we have used the GST-inclusive one.
- First-trial rates flagged as first-trial. Where a salon shows the usual price beside the offer, we have included both, so you can see what visit two costs.
- A spread of price tiers and locations. One 23-outlet chain, one 9-outlet heartland chain, mall salons, and three single-location studios — because "best" here mostly means "best for how far you are willing to travel and what you want to spend".
What it actually costs, in short
Entry-level express manicure (shape, buff, colour, no cuticle work): $13-20. Classic manicure with cuticle care: $28-45. Gel manicure: $30-85, with the low end almost always a first-trial rate. Gel mani-pedi combo: $85-150. Gel removal, if you are arriving with old gel on: $16-22 on top.
How to choose without overpaying
Match the service to the state of your nails, not to the price. An express manicure does not include cuticle work. If that is what you actually need, paying $16 for express and then being told you need the classic anyway is the expensive route.
Ask what visit two costs. A first-trial rate is only a bargain if the standing price is reasonable. The salons here that publish "U.P." beside the offer — Nails & Good Company, Twenty Nails, for Duchess, by Duke — make that easy. Where it is not published, ask before you book.
Check whether removal is included. It usually is not. If you are walking in with three-week-old gel, add $16-22 to whatever the menu says.
Watch the festive calendar. Trial promotions are commonly suspended around Chinese New Year, and combo pricing can be blocked out. If you are booking in December or the weeks before CNY, confirm the price for your actual date.
For gentlemen: two salons here price men's services openly — The Nail Social's Gentleman's Signature at $40 / $50 / $85, and N20, which adds a $5.45 (w/GST) surcharge per service. Elsewhere, ask first.
