September 1, 2006

Clip Art

Peponi Pampering

Changing into a robe and slippers at some posh spa just to get your nails done has always struck you as a bit odd. But not as odd as scrunching your feet against the plastic bags that some two-bit salons use to line their tubs.

For those who like to relax during their mani/pedi but don’t have all day (or a fondness for fungus), there’s the new Peponi Nail & Skin Care Lounge, hidden in a low-key bungalow off Lincoln Boulevard.

Kick off your shoes, plunk yourself into an oversize armchair, and indulge in a milk-and-honey footbath, a walnut scrub, or a mineral-clay mask. (The house line of essential oils and herbal blends is all natural.)

For extra-special treatment, ask for Ashanti Gordon. Her chairside manner is affable, and her master nail skills turn grubby little digits into works of art.

Walk-ins are welcome for now. Once word gets out, you know what’ll happen.

It’ll be mighty tough getting your foot in the door.

Peponi Nail & Skin Care Lounge, 853 Lincoln Boulevard, between Brooks and San Miguel Avenues, Venice (310-450-7195 or peponipampering.com).