When you say “I’m going to get my nails done,” and you’re headed to the The TEN Nail Bar in Capitol Park, that’s an understatement.

The TEN combines the traditional elements of getting a manicure and pedicure with a modernistic twist such as enjoying a glass of champagne in a comfortable atmosphere made to relax and refresh the soul.

Owners Kelli Coleman and Anika Jackson, both 31, opened the nail bar in late September at 1215 Griswold St.

“We came up with the idea of doing a nail bar and we knew we wanted it to be more than just your average nail salon,” Coleman says. “We wanted to create a brand, be very thoughtful about an experience in addition to offering quality service.”

For Coleman and Jackson, the TEN experience goes beyond sitting down in a chair and getting your nails done. It involves unwinding in an atmosphere made up of music, laughter and quality conversation while sipping on bubbly champagne or one of the many other alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks available for customers.

Jackson, who is from Detroit, and Coleman, who is from Southfield, became friends during their freshman year at Spelman College in Atlanta. They both came from entrepreneurial families and realized they had a complimentary skillset and started to work together to create the nail bar.

Coleman has a background in marketing and advertising while Jackson is the operations guru. They realized they worked well together and named their business the TEN Nail Bar because they wanted it to be rated a 10.

“We just wanted to make sure that we were always working at a certain level of excellence and I think 10 is just that number,” Coleman says. “Everyone wants to be a perfect 10.”

The nail bar offers a wide array of services depending on how much time you have time to spend. There is the express manicure including nail cleansing, shaping, cuticle care and polish that takes no more than 20 minutes. There is also the deluxe manicure and pedicure, where nail technicians will spend more time on perfecting your nails.

“If you had an especially long day, I always let people know that the tender care manicure and pedicure combo is amazing just for its extended massage, hydrating mask, plus the scrub and warm towel wrap for your hands and feet,” Coleman says. “If you’re running low on time or ultimately just want a pop in for a quicker visit, I think our standard intention mani-pedi is always great.”

Coleman and Jackson chose to open their shop in downtown Detroit because of the lack of nail salons and personal services in the area.

Jamie Kaye Walters has been living in downtown for the last eight or nine years and has already visited the nail bar twice. She says she is happy there is a place she can get her nails done without having to go outside of her neighborhood.

“Everyone wants to be a perfect 10.” – Kelli Coleman, co-founder and owner, TEN Nail Bar

“I think if you live downtown or work downtown, you’ve been looking for a high-end nail salon, and I’m super happy this place is here,” Walters says. “All of my girlfriends, both who live downtown and work downtown, are very happy this place has arrived. Everyone I know who comes had a good experience.”

Located in Capitol Park, the business is currently surrounded by the construction of new buildings, which gives Coleman confidence TEN is in the right place.

“We want to feel like we’re contributing to the revitalization of the city,” she says. “We want to become part of the fabric of what a thriving and successful Detroit looks like. We want to provide more jobs than we have to date. All of that is very important to us and the reasons why we embarked on this journey.”

With a variety of nail care services from a gel manicure and pedicure combo to nail art and different reflexology treatments offered for the hands and feet, the TEN strives to be accessible and affordable to all of the customers who walk in.

“Most people agree it feels more like a haven and social space then it does your standard nail salon, we wanted to make sure we capture that,” Coleman says.

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