Hans (54) is the nail man of Utrecht: ‘It is never quiet at my table’

When Hans (54) had an artificial nail put on his guitar picking finger at the age of 17, he quickly thought: ‘I can do this better’. A year later he opens his own nail salon in the heart of Utrecht: Nail Artist. “After 37 years, customers know exactly what they get from me: top service, natural nails and a lot of fun.”

Hans’ nail salon is tiny, but it has everything you need: a nice chair to relax in for an hour and a half, two ceiling-high windows overlooking the working-class neighborhood and of course coffee. Hans gets that coffee at the front of the building, in the Beau Rivage hair salon, from whom Hans rents his space.

Special stories

“I have known Theo and Patrick (the hairdressing couple, ed.) for 13 years now,” says Hans. “Did you know that Patrick first worked for Theo before they fell in love? How nice is that.” This is Hans through and through: full of special stories about local residents, family members or acquaintances. “The conversations I have every day are the reason why I still enjoy going to work every day. It is never quiet at the table here.”

The origins of Nail Artist

Hans first came into contact with artificial nails 37 years ago, when as a young guitarist he was looking for an alternative to a pick. Hans: “My guitar teacher told me there was something new on the market: acrylic nails. I then went to a studio in Amsterdam, where you could have acrylic nails done on four African-American men. But after an hour the nail came loose. Stubborn as I am, I said: ‘Just give me those things and I’ll do it myself.’ No sooner said than done. I was allowed to practice on my then girlfriend, my sister and her friends and a year later I opened Nail Artist, then still in the former La Vie shopping center.”

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From nail biters to musicians

The born Amsterdammer deliberately chose Utrecht, because there were not that many nail salons here. He moved from Amsterdam to Wijk C, the working-class district of Utrecht where Nail Artist is now located. “I taught myself how to put nails,” says Hans. “Later I took another course and taught for a while.” Older women and men, nail biters, students and musicians come to Hans’ salon. “People know that they don’t have to come to me for the latest and greatest. I just do what I’m good at: putting on acrylic nails and gel nails with a natural look.”

Stubborn as I am, I said: ‘Just give me those things and I’ll do it myself.’

Top service and quality

One of the students who has been coming to Hans for a while is Judith (20). “I found Hans on Treatwell,” she says while Hans files the light brown color of her nails. “I went to another salon once for gel nails, but they quickly broke off. Then I tried acrylic nails, here at Hans. Since then I have been completely sold.” What she especially appreciates about Hans is the good service. “If you fall off your bike and a few nails break off, you can simply come back for nothing. Even if you suddenly decide that you want a different color. I think that’s really great.”

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Nicely placed in the coffin

Hans has moved back to Amsterdam and trains back and forth to Utrecht every day. ‘As long as it lasts, I hope to continue doing this work for a long time. But when I’m 70 and my hands start to shake, it will be difficult to paint my nails.” As he puts away his things, he tells one more anecdote about growing older. “A customer from a retirement home once asked me if, if she were to die, I would do her nails so that she would go into the coffin nicely. I said yes, but the funeral director eventually put a stop to it. I’m secretly glad that never happened. That seemed way too exciting to me. But it would have been a special story, don’t you think?

Who is the next Utrecht of the week?

Do you also have a special story? Or do you know a Utrecht resident who we really should interview? Let us know via [email protected]. Many Utrecht residents preceded you. These Utrecht residents preceded you.

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