Tips 2 Toes Celebrates First Anniversary

in Sayville celebrated its one-year anniversary in April. Tucked off Sunrise Highway in the shopping center east of the , you will find a nail spa that offers a clean, friendly environment run by a local Sayville resident.

Maureen DePeter grew up in West Sayville. She worked as a nursing assistant for 10 years but after a back injury, she needed to find another line of work. She had her cosmetology license for 20 years but never put it to use until she was looking for a new career path. Eleven years ago, DePeter decided to go to nail school and become a nail technician.

Over the years, DePeter has created a loyal following of customers. She rented space in Cyprus and more recently in a salon in Bohemia. When she learned that salon was going out of business, DePeter needed to find a spot in a hurry. “I decided to just take the plunge,” Maureen said. “And I was able to find a space that works for me.” There are a total of four girls doing nails at the salon; one is DePeter's sister Kathleen.

Tips 2 Toes offers many features not found at other nail salons. For example, the fully licensed NY Nail Specialist staff is continually getting education credits to keep up to date on the latest requirements and trends. The salon also strictly adheres to New York State standards for sanitation.

“Our salon is a safe place to be,” DePeter said. “People need to educate themselves before they walk into a salon. Price shouldn’t always be the deciding factor. We are competitively priced for all our services.”While the salon does take walk-ins, appointments are recommended. 

“We have very comparable prices if you look around,” DePeter said. “We take pride in our work.” The salon uses pipeless foot spas for pedicures so no bacteria can build up. They also sanitize the spas in between each customer. Every customer has their own files in a NYS approved container so the staff is never reusing it on another client.

“I love doing nails and I love to educate people,” DePeter said. “My dream was always to have my own place so I decided to just give it a go.” Tips 2 Toes uses all top of the line products including Akzentz, Creative Nail Products and Eco Gel Products. They do birthday parties, bridal parties and prom packages as well.

“I describe us as a Steel Magnolia type of environment; we’re all like family,” Maureen said. “There are no hidden charges when you come here and we stand behind our work. If something happens to your nails, we will take care of it.”

Tips 2 Topes does manicures, pedicures, gel enhancements, acrylic enhancements, permanent pink and white and waxing of the eyebrows, lip, chin, arms and legs. The salon is open Tuesday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Wednesday and Thursday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit www.tips2toesnailspaLI.com.