Nail Salon Near Me in Greenpoint: Lili and Cata's Tub-Free Pedicures

Lili and Cata does not have a single soaking tub, and that is the whole point. The non-toxic salon at 72 Greenpoint Avenue in Brooklyn works by appointment only, opens at 11 am Monday to Wednesday and 10 am the rest of the week, and charges $30 for its Essential Mani with regular polish. For anyone whose nail salon near me search starts in North Brooklyn, this is the clean-room answer with an espresso bar attached.

The salon was founded by Lilly Rojas, a Christine Valmy graduate and New York State licensed nail specialist, together with her husband Jorge Rojas, a licensed architect and lifelong New Yorker. Lilly had worked the other side of the nail table and watched guests soak their feet in tubs she considered breeding grounds for bacteria. The couple designed a spa around vegan, cruelty-free and non-toxic formulas, and opened the Greenpoint room in 2019.

Their fix was practical rather than flashy. Pedicures follow a tub-free protocol: feet are sprayed with an antibacterial mist made with essential oils, then wrapped in a heated towel instead of sitting in water. Metal tools go through a hospital-grade autoclave, the kind of sterilizer more often found in a dental office than in a corner salon. The founders also built the business around fair pay for technicians, which the salon names as part of its mission.

When Time Out visited in 2020, it described the space as looking like a greenhouse, with floor-to-ceiling windows, plush reclining velvet chairs for the waterless pedicures and a backyard framed by ivy walls and plants. The pace is deliberately slow. Coffee comes from an in-house espresso bar, and there is a short wine list for late appointments, so a Thursday evening pedicure can double as the first drink of the night.

Lili and Cata now runs a second salon on South 3rd Street in Williamsburg with the same menu and hours, which matters when Greenpoint is fully booked on a Saturday morning. Zoya Naked polish can also be added to an Essential Pedicure or any Lush or Escape service for $5 more.

The Essential Mani covers polish removal, shaping, cuticle care, a hand massage and a hot towel, finished with organic cuticle oil. It costs $30 with regular polish, $55 with gel and $25 with no polish. The Lush Manicure adds an aromatherapy lotion and a five-minute shoulder massage while the polish dries, for $38 with regular polish. Both are good first visits if you mainly want to see how the room works.

The Escape Manicure is the long version: a natural sugar scrub, an antioxidant mask, ten minutes of massage and a quick-dry top coat, priced at $58 with regular polish or $83 with gel. On the foot side, the Essential Pedicure is $45 with regular polish and $70 with gel, and the Escape Pedicure runs $88 with regular polish. The Zoya Naked Manicure, at $35, is a strengthening treatment for bare-looking nails.

The Russian Manicure is the most technical service on the list. Technicians use an e-file to clean the cuticle line with precision, then finish with non-toxic polish that is meant to last. It costs $77 with regular polish, $92 with Dazzle Dry and $102 with gel polish, and the services page notes that 50 percent is charged at booking and can be refunded if you cancel at least 36 hours ahead.

Aprés Gel-X extensions with gel polish are $120, made from soft gel tips that the salon describes as comfortable and lightweight. Add-on massages are sold in time blocks, starting at $18 for ten minutes, with a CBD oil version for $22. If you plan on stacking a Russian manicure with a long massage, book a late-morning weekend slot when the room opens at 10 am and the day is still quiet.

Every price on the menu is listed twice, because card payments cost about three percent more: the Essential Mani is $30 in cash and $30.90 on a card. That is fair to disclose, but it adds up on an Escape Pedicure for two. The bigger catch is timing. A Russian Manicure or Gel-X set needs 36 hours of notice to cancel, and anything cancelled under 12 hours out is charged in full.

If you only need clean, polished nails for a weekend, skip the Russian Manicure and book the Essential Mani with gel. You will spend $55 instead of $102 and still get the autoclaved tools and non-toxic polish that make this salon worth the trip. Save the e-file service for when you want a precise cuticle line that holds up for weeks, not days.

Lili and Cata is appointment-based, so walk-ins are not part of the model. A valid credit card is required to secure every booking, and arriving more than 15 minutes late may shorten or cancel your appointment. Cancellations need 18 hours of notice for most services, and a no-show is charged the full service fee plus 20 percent gratuity. Read the policies page once before booking, because the rules are stricter than at most neighborhood salons.

When every Greenpoint slot is gone, check the sister salon on South 3rd Street in Williamsburg before giving up on the day. It runs the same hours and the same non-toxic menu. If both are full, the honest move is to book the next free Greenpoint morning online rather than settling for a salon that still uses soaking tubs.

From the salon, Greenpoint Avenue runs west toward the East River and ends at Transmitter Park, a small waterfront lawn with a pier and a direct view of the Midtown skyline. It is a gentle walk of a few blocks, which is about the right amount of time for gel to settle or for regular polish to firm up. Bring a light jacket in October, since the wind off the river picks up after sunset.

Heading the other way, Manhattan Avenue is Greenpoint's main shopping street, lined with Polish bakeries, cafes and small boutiques. The Greenpoint Avenue stop on the G train is near that intersection, so you can end the walk at the subway. If you want a full afternoon in North Brooklyn, pair the appointment with an early dinner on Franklin Street and a sunset at the park.

Lili and Cata Greenpoint: 72 Greenpoint Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11222. Hours are Monday to Wednesday 11 am to 8 pm, Thursday and Friday 10 am to 8 pm, and Saturday and Sunday 10 am to 7 pm. The nearest subway is Greenpoint Avenue on the G train. Booking is online only, with a credit card required, and the salon is appointment-based rather than walk-in.

Key prices from the services page, cash rate: Essential Mani $30, Lush Manicure $38, Escape Manicure $58, Essential Pedicure $45, Escape Pedicure $88, Russian Manicure $77 with regular polish and Aprés Gel-X $120. Card payments carry a small surcharge shown on the menu. Ask Karpo in the Karpo APP to find a nearby coffee or dinner spot for after your appointment.