Professionals Tamborine Mountain 
For all that makes Tamborine Mountain such a magical place to live, many of the people are just like everyone else. After all, everybody likes looking their best! And when it’s time to bring that perfect glow-up together with a fresh new set of nails, residents need look no further than Letti’s Nail Spa. Whether it’s the final touches on a bride’s special wedding day look or just something nice for a day out with friends, Paulette has done it all and several more beautifying services besides. Today she breaks it all down for us, and shares some of the touching stories she’s gathered over her career here.
by Kyle Hitchmough
What was your inspiration to open Letti’s Nail Spa?
I’ve been a nail artist and worked in the beauty therapy industry for 25 years! I have experience with nails, waxing, and beauty but I opened this little business in October of 2023 after I moved to the mountain two years ago. I like to make people feel special. It took 8 months to set this up but now it’s all together! I haven’t had one bad review since I opened.
What kind of services do you offer here?
I specialise in nails, lash lifts— which is like an eyelash perm— eyebrow lamination, body waxing (legs, arms, underarms, eyebrows, lips, facial), tinting, and we’re just starting to do hair extensions, tape and microbead extensions, with lengths ranging anywhere from 16 inches up to 30.
There are a few different ways that nail salons can do nails. Do you specialise in any?
I do both acrylic and gel, and I’m also doing to be doing dip. It’s an acrylic dipping powder liquid system. You paint the nail with a base, dip it in the powder, and repeat, rather than acrylic liquid. It can be faster, but people have to understand that the process to get it off is a lot harder than with acrylic. Whatever the client wants is what I give. If they want something natural and neutral and easy to manage, that’s what they get. If they want something out there with blingy 3D nail art and pictures, they get that! I have found here on the mountain the most popular nails are nice, basic, neutral nails, or sometimes glittery.
Do you use any specific products or brands?
I like to use the liquid products from a Melbourne company called Planet Nails. Their product is good, long-lasting and durable. The gels are my own label, Letti’s Nails, that I have made by the company Gelish. They’re a very popular gel brand. The serums for lash lifts I have imported from America.
What inspired you to expand your services beyond just doing nails?
I started only doing nails, and then it was just a matter of learning, learning the products, what’s good and bad, and how to utilise what works best for you. That’s how I got to where I am. I wanted to be more versatile to the area. I pride myself on one-on-one bookings, it’s certainly not a walk-in service. It’s designed for the lady or gentleman that comes in to make it all about them while they’re here. When a booking is done there’s always a 30-minute window to be able to say “Oh, while I’m in here, can I get my toes done?” Absolutely, I’ve got the time! I also offer tea, coffee, sweets, whatever the client may want. I’m also really big on cleanliness. Every person that comes in, their nail file becomes their own. It goes into a satchel with their name on it and it’s used only for them, and everything else is sterilized.
Have you noticed any particular trends in your clientele?
I have a very open genre of clientele, from young students to the more elderly. I’ve got gentlemen that have made enquiries, and I’ve had two in here who were both guitarists, and want one hand of just acrylic nails for the guitar! Sometimes the elderly just want their toenails cut. One woman told me she had been charged $55 at the last place she went to just to get her toenails cut. I was mortified. She comes in, has her toenails clipped, we have a cup of tea and I charge her $10, because to me that’s what it should be for an older lady who struggles to do it herself. Every now and then she has a luncheon to go to and I paint them for her!
As a local, what’s your opinion on the Tamborine Mountain area and community?
As a community, Tamborine Mountain is very different from the hectic Gold Coast. It’s very laid-back, very comfortable. Sometimes it’s almost surreal how peaceful it is. The people up here are extremely friendly, everyone’s lovely to you. I was so surprised after the tornado at just how much the community came together.
What’s your favourite thing to do on the mountain?
Oh, the Coffee Plantation! Hands down! One of the best places on the mountain to chill out and have a drink. They make an awesome chili margherita. You can sit inside or outside on the lawn… it’s one of our favourites. They’re absolutely fabulous, a great place to go.
What do you think Letti’s Nail Spa really provides to the area?
Convenience. I’m on the mountain, so people don’t have to travel to extremities just to have their nails done. And the service that I offer. It’s a one-on-one, there’s no waiting outside for your turn. When you’re in, it’s your time.
What do you enjoy most about doing this?
Just looking after my clientele! Being there for them, providing a good service and a clean service, which to me is very important, and a happy friendly environment. If you have a problem with your nails, come and see me and I’ll rectify the problem straightaway. If I didn’t do your nails, I’ll ask you to send me a photo. Nine times out of ten people are scared that I’ll have to take all the nails off and start all over again, but no, I can fix them.
What’s been your most memorable moment in your time here so far?
My brides! Every bride’s day is special. When I have a bride coming in, I offer tea, coffee, a high tower of sandwiches, biscuits and chocolates, and the bride gets a gift from me. One bride I had come in was seven months pregnant. She was talking to me about her shoes and that she didn’t know what to wear, and the funny thing was I had just bought a wedding dress and a pair of bridal shoes for my special day, but I didn’t like them. I was going to sell them, but I said “Do you know what? Wait a second,” and I raced inside and grabbed them. I came back and gave them to her, the dress was stretchy and would fit her belly and the shoes fit. She asked me if I wanted any money for it and I said “Nope! Just take it and enjoy your special day.”
Letti’s Nail Spa
75 BENOWA ST, TAMBORINE MOUNTAIN QLD 4272
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