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Tuesday – Friday: 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.Since 2021Woman ownedLicensed in CASalon license · CA Lic. # 000000Huyen Quach, Manicurist license · CA Lic. # 000000Dieu Thai, Manicurist license · CA Lic. # 000000Manish Lakhani, Manicurist license · CA Lic. # 000000
3 more licenses
  • Salon license · CA Lic. # 000000
  • Huyen Quach, Manicurist license · CA Lic. # 000000
  • Dieu Thai, Manicurist license · CA Lic. # 000000
  • Manish Lakhani, Manicurist license · CA Lic. # 000000
(408) 555-0101

Natural nail studio · San Jose, California

We look at your natural nails first.

Basecoat is a three-technician studio in Willow Glen. We look at the nail you have, then choose plain polish, gel polish or a thin layer of builder gel to suit your week. We are taking new clients.

A white manicure desk with a nail lamp, scissors, a file and a vase of dried flowers

What we do

Three ways to look after your nails

Choose by how you live, not by a menu of lengths. We will help you pick when you come in.

Gloved hands trimming cuticles with nippers at a white manicure table

Natural nails

We start with what you have: shaping, cuticle care, a buff, and polish or a sheer coat. A good first visit, and a good way to keep a working week looking neat.

  • Shape chosen for your nail and your week

  • Cuticle care with a gentle hand

  • Polish, gel polish or a clear finish

Hands with pale pink nails and a ring folded over a beige coat

Builder gel

A thin layer of builder gel over your own nail gives it an even surface and a shape that holds through the week. We cure it under the lamp and file it smooth.

  • Applied over your natural nail

  • Refreshed every three to four weeks as it grows out

  • Taken off with a gentle file when you want a rest

Toes with navy polish beside white linen

Feet

A tidy pedicure with a soak, shaping and polish, on its own or alongside a hand visit. If you have diabetes or a wound on your foot, check with your doctor first.

  • Soak, shape, cuticle care and a callus buff

  • Plain polish or gel polish

  • Booked with a hand visit or alone

The care plan

A care plan for a working week

Both plans keep a standing time for you. Neither has a price on this page: the studio shows its price when you book, and you can change your mind before the first visit.

  • Natural nail care plan

    Priced when you book

    A standing visit every three to four weeks for people who want a neat natural nail through a working week.

    • One natural nail visit every three to four weeks, at the same time of day
    • A look at your natural nails before each visit
    • Shaping, cuticle care, a buff and polish or gel polish
    • Your own technician, so you do not start again
    • Builder gel, art and feet, which you add by name
    Term:
    Six visits, about five months, and then it renews unless you stop.
    Cancellation:
    Move a visit up to 24 hours ahead. Leave the plan after any visit.
    Refunds:
    If you leave before your first visit, nothing is owed. After that, visits you have had are not refunded, and unused visits are.

    The studio sets the price, which shows when you book.

  • Builder gel care plan

    Priced when you book

    A standing refresh every three to four weeks for a thin layer of builder gel over your own nail.

    • One builder gel refresh every three to four weeks, at the same time of day
    • A look at the natural nail under the gel at each visit
    • Reshaping, a fresh layer and a cure under the lamp
    • Removal at the end of the plan, whenever you ask
    • Art and feet, which you add by name
    Term:
    Six visits, about five months, and then it renews unless you stop.
    Cancellation:
    Move a visit up to 24 hours ahead. Leave the plan after any visit.
    Refunds:
    If you leave before your first visit, nothing is owed. After that, visits you have had are not refunded, and unused visits are.

    The studio sets the price, which shows when you book.

The studio sets what each plan includes and what it costs, and the price shows before you join.

Your first visit

A first visit, step by step

Four steps, and we keep them in the same order every time.

  1. 01

    Step 1: Book your visit

    Choose a time online, or call us. Tell us if you have worn gel or acrylic before, so we leave room to take it off.

  2. 02

    Step 2: What to bring

    Come with clean, dry hands and polish on or off, as it is. Bring a photo of a shape you like if you have one.

  3. 03

    Step 3: When you arrive

    Come a few minutes early. There is parking in the lot behind the building, off Lincoln Avenue, and the studio is on the ground floor.

  4. 04

    Step 4: What to expect

    We look at your natural nails first, then talk through shape, length and finish before any product goes on. Plan on about an hour.

The team

Three technicians, and who speaks what

Ask for someone by name, or take the next opening.

  • Huyen Quach in a pink smock, leaning on a pedicure chair in the studio

    Huyen Quach

    Owner and lead technician

    • Manicurist license · CA Lic. # 000000

    Huyen opened Basecoat after a long time in her family’s salon, and she does every new client’s first visit. She speaks Vietnamese and English.

  • Dieu Thai in a navy shirt, leaning on a pedicure chair

    Dieu Thai

    Technician, natural nails and feet

    • Manicurist license · CA Lic. # 000000

    Dieu looks after the pedicure chairs and the natural nail visits on Saturdays. She speaks Vietnamese and English.

  • Manish Lakhani in a pink apron, holding a file and buffer at his manicure table

    Manish Lakhani

    Technician, builder gel

    • Manicurist license · CA Lic. # 000000

    Manish does the builder gel visits and the refreshes. He speaks English and Gujarati.

Questions

What people ask first

What is the care plan?

A standing visit every three to four weeks, kept for you, with your own time at the table. Choose natural nail care or builder gel care, and we look at your nails each time before we begin.

Do I have to join the plan?

No. Every service is open to book on its own, with no plan and no commitment.

Do you do acrylic or dip powder?

No. We work on the natural nail, with polish, gel polish and a thin layer of builder gel. If you want a long set, we are glad to point you to someone who does them.

Can I take a break from the plan?

Yes. Tell us 24 hours ahead and we move the visit. The plan states how many visits you can move in its term.

Who speaks Vietnamese?

Huyen and Dieu both do, and they are glad to talk you through a visit in Vietnamese or English.

Open Tuesday to Saturday

Closed Sunday and Monday. Every visit is by appointment.

  1. MondayMonToday
    Closed
  2. TuesdayTueToday
    10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
  3. WednesdayWedToday
    10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
  4. ThursdayThuToday
    10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
  5. FridayFriToday
    10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
  6. SaturdaySatToday
    9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
  7. SundaySunToday
    Closed

By appointment, with no deposit. If you need a time outside these hours, call us.