Nail Palace at Tanjong Pagar MRT brings one of Singapore's best-known nail care chains to the heart of Chinatown, occupying unit B1-39 just inside the station on Maxwell Road. The brand was founded in 2002 by Miss Cheng, who saw both the promise and the gaps of the city's early nail industry — salons that often lacked modern equipment, trained customer-service staff and the advanced techniques she had observed overseas — and set out to build a one-stop provider for pampering and beautiful nails.
Today Nail Palace spans 28 locations islandwide, supported by more than 150 professional nail technicians and close to two decades of accumulated experience. Its mission is a personalised 'royal treatment' that enhances each guest's inner beauty and confidence, underpinned by high standards of cleanliness, passion and attention to detail rather than a purely profit-driven approach.
The service menu is broad: express, classic and gel manicures and pedicures through to signature deluxe versions, hand and leg spa rituals, paraffin therapy, the award-winning Sole Renewal Treatment, Ag Gel and corn treatments, PTF hair removal and waxing, plus eyelash extensions from 1D to 6D with matching eye care. Nail art lovers can opt for Japanese 3D designs, glitters and decals, with products from brands such as Seche, OPI, Gelish and Footlogix.
Recognition has followed: Readers' Choice wins for Best Nail Salon Chain and Best Customised Nail Treatment (Sole Renewal) at the Beauty Insider Spa & Salon Awards 2019, alongside earlier honours including the SMEs Asia Singapore award, the Asia Pacific Brand Award Singapore's Finest and the Singapore Brands Award.
Tucked directly into Tanjong Pagar MRT station at 120 Maxwell Road, Nail Palace's Chinatown-area branch makes nail care one of the easiest errands on the calendar. Step off the train, walk to unit B1-39, and you're at one of Singapore's most established nail salon chains — a company that has been shaping the local industry since 2002.
Nail Palace began with its founder, Miss Cheng, who saw both the potential of Singapore's early nail care scene and its shortcomings. The salons she visited back then often lacked up-to-date equipment and trained customer-service staff, and she believed local customers deserved the advanced skills and techniques she had observed in beauty salons overseas. Her answer was a one-stop provider built on skill, knowledge and a genuine love of the craft — a philosophy the chain still points to today.
More than two decades on, that vision has grown into 28 locations across Singapore, staffed by more than 150 professional nail technicians, with close to 20 years of accumulated experience behind every service. The company describes its mission simply: personalised 'royal treatment' that enhances each guest's inner beauty and confidence, delivered with an emphasis on cleanliness, passion and attention to detail rather than a purely profit-driven mindset.
The industry has taken note. Nail Palace's accolades include the Beauty Insider Spa & Salon Awards Readers' Choice for Best Nail Salon Chain in 2019, along with earlier honours such as the SMEs Asia Singapore award (2013/2014), the Asia Pacific Brand Award Singapore's Finest (2013) and the Singapore Brands Award (2013/2014).
The service list runs deep. For hands, choose between express and classic manicures, gel versions of both, gel soak-off, and hand spa rituals that extend to a longer hand spa essence. Feet receive equally thorough care: express, classic, deluxe and signature deluxe pedicures — most available with long-wearing gel colour — plus gel soak-off and a leg spa essence for tired lower limbs.
Treatments go beyond polish. The menu includes hand paraffin and half-foot paraffin therapy, the DrFoot Expert Foot Bath, an Ag Gel Treatment and a dedicated corn treatment. Hair removal covers PTF for underarms and lower legs — with the salon noting that not all skin types suit PTF — alongside underarm, half-leg and full-leg waxing.
There's a full lash bar too: eyelash extensions from 1D for a natural finish up to dramatic 6D volume, supported by eye masks, an eye spa and professional lash removal, with touch-up policies for sets done within the previous ten days. Products come from brands Nail Palace knows its customers love, including Seche, OPI, Gelish and Footlogix.
First-timers often ask where to start. A safe route is the pairing most guests build their visits around — a classic or gel manicure for the hands and a classic or deluxe pedicure for the feet — upgraded with a paraffin or spa add-on when there's time. Technicians are used to guiding those choices and will talk through the options before anything begins.
If one service embodies the brand, it's the Sole Renewal Treatment, an all-in-one foot care programme voted Best Customised Nail Treatment in the Beauty Insider Spa & Salon Awards Readers' Choice 2019. Reviews on the company's site suggest it delivers: 'It works wonders,' writes one customer. 'Saw results after the first session.'
Nail art is another draw. Technicians stay on top of trends and are ready to create Japanese 3D nail art designs, glitters, nail decals and customised combinations — so even a standard manicure can become something genuinely personal.
The chain says its technicians are chosen first for their love of the job, and reviewers repeatedly echo that, describing polite, friendly and patient staff who share practical advice on caring for nails and skin. Problem-solving is part of the service as well: guests mention corn issues fixed and stubborn toenail problems resolved. Men are welcome too, with manicure and pedicure services available at an additional charge per service.
For commuters and the offices along Maxwell Road, the location is the quiet luxury here. A gel manicure between meetings, a signature deluxe pedicure before the weekend, or an eyelash refresh after work — all without surfacing from the MRT. That blend of craft, consistency and convenience is what has kept Nail Palace growing since 2002, and this branch puts all of it a few steps from the platform.