Skip to content
Long red almond nails and a fine gold ring resting on folds of gold silk

Nails, made with care

Gel, extensions and bridal sets, with prices you can see before you sit down.

See the menu

Gel · Extensions · Nail art · Bridal

The name

A red older than lacquer

अलक्तकalaktakaSanskrit: the red of lac

Long before nail lacquer had its name, Indian women coloured their hands and feet with alakta, a red made from lac. For centuries it marked weddings, festivals and good days. Its modern form, alta, is still one of the sixteen adornments of solah shringar.

The Sanskrit word for lac, laksha, became lakh in Hindi. It travelled through Persian and Arabic, into Portuguese and English, and came out the other side as lacquer. So every bottle of nail lacquer carries an Indian word.

We brought it home.

A hand with short nails in deep lac red, raised in soft warm light
Maroon nails and bold gold rings around a cream cup, against a cream knit
Deep lac red and wine, worn with gold. Photographs: Arielle Allouche and Natalie Bond.
  1. laksha, Sanskrit
  2. lakh, Hindi
  3. lak, Persian (Arabic lakk)
  4. lacca, Latin (Portuguese lacre)
  5. lacquer, English
How the word for lac became lacquer.
A bride's hands in fine mehndi and gold bangles, red nails folded over an embroidered clutch
A bride's hands: mehndi, gold and lac red.Photograph: Muneeb Zaidi

House shades

The Alakta Six

Six shades we keep in the studio all year, each with its own finish. Try any of them on in the next section.

Try a set
  1. Long red nails against gold bangles and rings
    Lac red

    Alta

    Our name in colour: the deep red of alta, warm on every skin tone.

  2. Saffron nails and a gold ring on a hennaed hand against a saffron sari
    Saffron

    Kesar

    Warm saffron, bright without being loud.

  3. A soft white French manicure and a gold ring on deep red fur
    Soft white French

    Mogra

    A sheer pink base with a soft white tip, as clean as jasmine.

  4. Hands at rest on white linen, the nails in a soft sandalwood nude
    Sandalwood nude

    Chandan

    A warm nude that sits quietly on brown and wheatish skin.

  5. Almond nails in a gold chrome finish, the hand raised against a warm room
    Gold chrome

    Zari

    Mirror gold, like the thread in a wedding sari.

  6. Deep blue nails on pink satin among gold baubles and crystal
    Indigo cat-eye

    Neel

    Deep indigo with a band of light that moves as you do.

Try a set

Try a set

Choose a shape, a length, a shade and a finish. The nails redraw as you go, and the menu price follows.

Alta glossAlmond · Medium
Shape
Length
Shade, from the Alakta Six
Finish

From the menu

Gel extensions
from ₹1,499
This set
from ₹1,499

Medium and long sets are built as gel extensions.

Menu

The menu

Every price, before you sit down. Nothing is added at the counter that is not written here.

Alakta

Nails only · Gel · Extensions · Bridal

Everyday

Neat, glossy and quick. For college, work and every week in between.

  • Gel polish, hands

    ₹599

    Shaped, prepped and finished in gel. About 45 minutes.

  • Gel polish, feet

    ₹549

    The same care for toes. About 40 minutes.

  • Gel removal

    ₹199

    Soaked off gently, never peeled or scraped.

  • Simple nail art, per nail

    from₹99

    Dots, lines, a French tip or a small motif.

  • Classic manicure

    ₹499

    Shape, cuticle care, massage and a regular polish.

Prices are illustrative for this concept.

Designs

Every design, photographed

Each one is on the menu with its price, and each one can be booked. Tap a design to see it large.

9 designs

Festive collections

For the days that are photographed

See festive designs
  • Hennaed hands with red nails and silver bangles against ivory and brown embroidery

    Navratri

    Nine nights of garba. Nails that hold up to the dancing.

  • Hennaed hands with pale nails cupping a lit diya over a red and gold sari

    Diwali

    Gold, deep colour and a little shine, for lamps and family visits.

  • A bride's hennaed hands with red nails, a gold flower ring and gold bangles on sequinned silk

    Wedding season

    Bridal sets with a trial first, and sets for the people beside you.

Hygiene

Hygiene you can see

Four promises, kept where you can watch them being kept.

A gloved hand steadying a client's fingers over a brass mesh table, in low light
At the table. Photograph: Anastasiia Lopushynska.

  1. Tools sterilised, and opened in front of you.

    Metal tools are cleaned, sterilised and sealed in pouches. We open the pouch at your table, where you can see it.

  2. A fresh file and buffer, yours to take home.

    Files and buffers cannot be sterilised, so every client gets new ones. They leave with you, not in a drawer.

  3. A clean, ventilated room.

    Fresh air moves through the studio all day, and every table is wiped down between clients.

  4. We ask about allergies first.

    Before any gel or extension, we ask about allergies and sensitive skin, and suggest a patch test if you are unsure.

Hands with wine red nails holding a spray of white gypsophila in deep shadow
Wine red, held still.Photograph: Fernanda Alves

Visit

Visit by appointment

Tuesday to Sunday
11 am to 8 pm
Monday
Closed

The studio address is shared when you book.

A quiet room with two chairs and a small round table before a tall window
Two unlabelled bottles of lacquer side by side, a nude and a wine red with a silver cap
A quiet room, and two lacquers. Photographs: Iker Merodio and pure julia.