VIV Says: Blog

One-stop shop: The ROB/B OPI Concept Salon offers manis, pedis, facials, massages and waxing.

If the words “concept salon” bring to mind unnerving images of extreme hairstyles, banish that thought. The newest in concept salons — ROB/B in Studio City, CA — focuses on nails, not hair, and the only thing extreme about it is the luxury experience it offers.

The salon is the brainchild of Robbie Schaeffer, son of the founder of L.A.-based nail-color company OPI. The two-story, 3,000-square-foot space (that’s huge, for the numerically challenged) features two private VIP mani/pedi rooms and a beautiful upper deck for nail events (think: bridal parties), as well as six manicure stations and a nail bar for quickies. Plus, the salon has a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design “green” certification, so you can feel good about indulging. If you want to make a day of it, ROB/B also offers Murad facials, massage and waxing.

The highlight of the salon, though, is the display of OPI’s 231 polishes in gorgeous, glossy luminescent tones. We chose The It Color (really, that’s its name), a vibrant curry hue. Were we to do it over again — and we will — we would eschew yellow and go with something more traditional like OPI’s rich purple-red bestseller I’m Not Really a Waitress. But other than being a tad too adventurous, it’s hard to go wrong at ROB/B — add it to your “When in L.A.” to-do list. Plans are in the works for six more locations around the country; New York City is up next.

We love experimenting with new nail polish. What’s your it color?