Do you like the smell of nail polish remover with your martini? This chain of beauty parlor inspired bars is a hit in places like Los Angeles and Las Vegas, but seems to fall flat in Portland, where most of residents don't know what a manicure is, much less want one interupting their drinking. The space is sterile and uninviting with alien-like vintage blowdryers filling in as barstools. The $10 manicure and martini special gets you a spotty coat of polish and a weak martini that would make James Bond abort his mission. If you're a dude striking out at downtown's many other bars, you're sure to find some ladies here, but they probably think they are too cool to associate with you.
Pros
Sleekly mid-century modern aesthetics, too clean and franchised to be kitsch but striving anyway, beloved by the ladies (and a few dudes) for their $10 manicures and martinis, host to a bevy of rock stars and guest DJs.
Cons
Shh, don't tell the kids that it is in fact the Hot Topic of Portland's bar scene. Pricier than Portland norm.
