Nail Salon Near Me in Orchard for Cat's Eye Gel: AUBE Wheelock Place

AUBE Wheelock Place keeps one Japanese nailist on the fifth floor of 501 Orchard Road, and a clear gel manicure there costs S$80 before GST. The salon sits at unit #05-09A, Singapore 238880, opens daily from 10 am to 8 pm and takes its last guest at 7 pm. For anyone typing nail salon near me at Orchard station, this is where a JNA instructor from Japan does cat's eye, mirror and aurora gel by appointment.

AUBE started as a hair brand in Japan, and its Singapore website says the group marked its 13th anniversary in 2022. The brand story page counts 260 salons across Japan and 12 international locations. Singapore has four AUBE salons, at Wheelock Place, Marina Square, Cineleisure on Grange Road and Clarke Quay Central, yet the nail page states plainly that nail services are offered only at the Wheelock Place branch.

The Orchard Road branch has history behind it. Salon manager Hiro writes on the team page that he worked seven years in Kyoto and Osaka, joined AUBE Singapore at Wheelock in 2016 as salon manager, then left to run AUBE Vietnam as CEO for four years before returning. AUBE fits its salons with Takara Belmont equipment from Japan and builds its hair menu on TOKIO Inkarami treatments.

The nail chair belongs to Saki, listed on Fresha with the job title Nailist. Her profile says she comes from the Kanto region, began in a small private salon and later worked at a resort hotel in Okinawa. After earning her JNA instructor certification she joined seminars training new nail technicians. She writes that nails should suit your lifestyle and be designed to last, with real attention to keeping the natural nail healthy.

The salon posts scans of her paperwork on its nail page. They show a 1st Grade Nailist certificate from the JNEC skills exam dated December 2014, a JNA Gel Nail Examination Advanced Level pass from February 2014, and a JNA certified instructor card issued in April 2017. A separate certificate records her May 2017 technical training in B/S Brace Quick and Classic, the magnet system, which fits the cat's eye work she lists today.

The official nail menu prices each manicure by finish. Clear or transparent gel is S$80 and takes one hour on the Fresha booking. Glitter Gradation costs S$100 and One Color costs S$110, both blocked for 90 minutes. If you want more than two colours on a One Color set, the booking notes ask you to send a WhatsApp message beforehand. Every set includes nail trimming, machine dry care for the cuticles and a finishing oil.

The finishes people photograph sit higher up the list. Magnet, which the menu also calls Cat's Eye, is S$120, while Mirror and Aurora chrome sets are S$130. French Tip Designs start at S$130, with S$15 more for a coloured base. Each of these is booked as a two-hour slot. The gallery on the official nail page shows sunflower art on yellow, pressed red florals with gold edging, black daisy accents and large crystal toe stones.

A Customised Set starts at S$120, and the salon asks you to send a reference photo before booking so Saki can plan the design. A pedicure costs the matching manicure price plus S$10. Add-ons are priced one by one: art, glitter, holograms and 3D parts from S$5 per nail, a matte top coat at S$10, hard coating at S$15, nail repair at S$10 per nail and extensions from S$12 per nail. Menu prices exclude GST.

Not every visit needs gel. Classic Hand Care at S$60 and Classic Foot Care at S$70 cover cutting, cuticle work, exfoliation and lotion, and Fresha books each one for 90 minutes. The hand version uses water cuticle care instead of the machine prep used under gel. The foot version includes removal of hardened heel calluses, useful after a month of sandals on Singapore pavements. Cuticle or callus care can be added to a gel set for S$20.

Removal pricing rewards loyalty. Taking off a set Saki did herself costs nothing when you rebook a new set, while removing another salon's work before a new set starts at S$20. Removal only, with no new set, starts at S$50. The booking notes say soft gel removal is done with a machine and includes light buffing, trimming and finishing oil over 90 minutes, and that hard gel or extension removal takes two hours with extra charges for any attached parts.

Book ahead, because Fresha lists one nailist among eight practitioners at this branch, and design sets take two hours. Cancellations or reschedules need at least 24 hours of notice to avoid a fee. Since the last reception is at 7 pm and closing is 8 pm, a magnet or French set has to start by 6 pm to finish on time.

One rule surprises hair clients. Every nail item on the Fresha menu carries the note that it cannot be combined with hair services, so a cut with Hiro and a gel set with Saki in a single slot is not on offer. Plan them as separate visits. For newcomers, the homepage lists a 10 percent first-visit discount at Wheelock Place for anyone new to the AUBE group, valid until the end of October 2026, on weekdays, weekends and public holidays.

The regulars show up in the reviews. On Fresha the branch holds a 5.0 rating from 91 reviews, with posts dated through October 2026, and some are written entirely in Japanese, including one from a regular who says Ami always gives her the exact hairstyle she wants. A testimonial on the homepage comes from a client who has used the salon for rebonding for six years and praises Hiro for being fluent in English.

Skip AUBE if you want a quick polish change during your lunch hour or a mani and blow dry in one sitting. Sets run 60 to 120 minutes and the hair and nail menus cannot be combined. When the nail slots are full, take the train to City Hall and try BRANCHÉ inside Capitol Singapore on Stamford Road, a Japanese salon that works with PARA GEL and says it does not file the nail surface before applying gel.

Address: AUBE Wheelock Place, 501 Orchard Road, #05-09A, Wheelock Place, Singapore 238880. Hours are 10 am to 8 pm on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with the last reception at 7 pm. Orchard station on the North-South and Thomson-East Coast lines has Exit 11 at Orchard Boulevard and Wheelock Place, and Exit 5 leads underground through ION Orchard.

After a two-hour gel set, let the hands rest on a slow walk west. Tanglin Mall sits on Tanglin Road, and beyond it the Tanglin Gate of the Singapore Botanic Gardens opens onto Singapore's first UNESCO World Heritage Site, inscribed in 2015. Ask Karpo in the Karpo APP to pair your Wheelock Place booking with a garden walk or a Tanglin lunch.