Lily Salon and Day Spa
Former music manager Donna Perillo opened Sweet Lily in 2002 after searching in vain for a stylish, socially oriented nail salon where she and her friends could catch up while getting a quality manicure. Conceived as a middle ground between the high-end, acrylic-free treatments of a day spa and the efficiency of the corner nail place, Perillo's shabby chic space has since earned a cult following of after-work Financial District gals (and guys), as well as mani-pedi addicts from Brooklyn and the West Side. With a nod to home comforts, Sweet Lily’s pedicures take place in overstuffed club chairsa popular location for accidental napsand manicures are more like tête-a-têtes at a long, wooden farm table. Using only organic ingredients and soaks and scrubs that are made on the premises daily, Sweet Lily’s treatments are nearly good enough to eat: The Honey Walnut pedicure employs freshly ground walnuts as an exfoliant, and rotating, seasonal elixirs have included such aromatic foodstuffs as apple cider, whipped cream, and pink grapefruit. With just three pedicure and three manicure stations, the salon is ideal for small groups. — Carolyn Murnick