Thompson Street Nails

Melanie Berliet

Contributor

This darling Soho nail spa is different from the chains that dominate the mid-level spa industry in Manhattan. It is not operated mechanically by a fleet of employees who always seem pressed for time. The experience of being tended to by kind staffers--whether you get a manicure or settle into a temperature-controlled massage chair (one that actually functions, unlike those at many competing outfits) for a pedicure--is refreshing. And with design accents selected carefully by the owner, like zebra cloth-encased hand cushions and chairs with bright red seats, the small space has an aura of…