Newly-opened off Hollywood Road in Central, Moksa creates an oasis in the city where you can go for manicures, pedicures, aromatherapy scrubs and fresh juice.
Life in Hong Kong can be overwhelming. Between happy hours, boozy hotel brunches and trying to get to barre class or CrossFit, sometimes it’s hard to make time for yourself. Thankfully, Moksa has just opened in Central, in the hope of giving you a little respite from the city, along with beautiful nails, lash extensions and delicious freshly-squeezed juices. You’re going to love this little oasis, folks!
Moksa: slow beauty in the heart of Central
As soon as you walk into Moksa in Central, you know you are somewhere special. Thanks to some wonderful interior design that offsets light natural woods and rattan with fun patterned wallpaper (I just love the flamingos!) and mosaic tiles, the whole vibe is sort of Bali Boho-meets-French chic, which is not really surprising as owner Peishu Nien actually grew up in France.
Besides the salon itself, this slow beauty space also includes a juice bar so that guests can enjoy a wonderful freshly-squeezed juice as they wait for their appointment or while they’re enjoying their treatment; a great idea, especially for those of us who love multi-tasking. Moksa also has a selection of small, sustainable products for sale, everything from beauty products to sustainable fashion accessories.
Tell me about the lash extensions at Moksa
Well Moksa is always about using the best products, so for their lash extensions, they use renowned Korean brand Beauty Farmers. It took about an hour and a half for French beauty technician Chloe to apply the volumizing lashes, and my eyes looked so much more dramatic afterwards!
I actually wore the lashes away on holiday and they really stood up to my swimming in both the beach and the pool. Every morning and night, I would give them a quick comb with the brush they gave me, and that’s really all I did to take care of them. They were still looking full after around three weeks, so definitely a great investment at just $480 for your first trial!
What about the manicure?
After ordering a Detox Green juice, complete with apple, celery, cucumber, lemon and ginger, I was seated in one of the most comfy chairs that I have ever had a manicure in, and I was pretty certain I was going to be in for a good time. When my juice arrived during the treatment, I was in heaven, and thought about staying at the salon all day!
My manicurist and I discussed the design I wanted on my soft gel manicure ($400) and I showed her some photos before we went through some colour options. Once selected, she went about doing one of the best jobs I’ve had in Hong Kong when it comes to preparing the nails and nail beds.
At Moksa, all polish products are from French brand Manicurist. While I opted for the soft gel (to withstand all the typing I do), I think it’s great that they offer both 9-toxin-free and 7-toxin-free options in the regular polish collections. Undoubtedly, they have less nasty chemicals inside and are much kinder on the nails.
It only took around an hour for my manicure to be finished, and I couldn’t have been happier with the result.
Moksa is great new addition to the Hong Kong nail salon scene. It’s nice to go somewhere where you can feel uplifted and relaxed for a little while, and I can’t tell you how much I loved all the acoustic versions of classic songs that played away as I was being pampered.
I can’t wait to go back, and next time I’m going to indulge in one of their homemade scrubs.
Moksa, 1st Floor, 30 Hollywood Road, Entrance on Shelley Street, Central, Hong Kong, p. 3421 2007, 中環蘇豪荷李活道30號1樓 (入口位於些利街)
