How much can a nail technician make per year ??

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kaerflog

Golden Member
Jul 23, 2010
1,899
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Not the owner but the technician themselves.
Every time I see my mom, she's always telling me how someone couldn't find a job after college and is doing nails and how much they are making. (I'm Vietnamese of course).
I got tired of her story telling and asked her how much she think they are making. She tells me the really good ones make over $100k.
I said NO WAY.
I did some research and it say the good ones make $40-$50k.
I don't want people just to guess how much they are making but you actually know someone doing nails and how much they are making.
 
Zeze

Zeze

Lifer
Mar 4, 2011
11,395
1,187
126
Not much. Probably 30k at most with tips.

Every blue collar retail profession has big exceptions- the hot waitress making $2K a night at the city's hottest bar, etc...

For one person making $40-100k, you got 99.999% making the normal range of $15 an hour + tip.
 
L

Legios

Senior member
Feb 12, 2013
418
0
0
You go ahead and be a nail person, your mom will tell all her friends you make over 100k too.
 
ImpulsE69

ImpulsE69

Lifer
Jan 8, 2010
14,946
1,077
126
It depends. Is the person using a nail gun or a hammer or just their mouth? Are they responsible for the nails and numbers they use? Do they have to account for all nails. What about bent nails?

Then you have to account what those nails are being used for. Magic tricks? Buildings? Roofs? Demon Faces?

We would need more info.
 
BurnItDwn

BurnItDwn

Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
26,280
1,787
126
Nail Technician?

I assume you mean a blacksmith who makes their own nails?

I suspect that mostly just hunters and trappers in extremely remote regions of the world still make their own nails, or possibly parts of Africa or islands where there's no established distribution/logistics network.
 
BurnItDwn

BurnItDwn

Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
26,280
1,787
126
ImpulsE69 said:
It depends. Is the person using a nail gun or a hammer or just their mouth? Are they responsible for the nails and numbers they use? Do they have to account for all nails. What about bent nails?

Then you have to account what those nails are being used for. Magic tricks? Buildings? Roofs? Demon Faces?

We would need more info.
Click to expand...

Somebody who uses their mouth and does magic tricks could make over 100k, however, I do not think of that title as a nail technician.
 
M

MixMasterTang

Diamond Member
Jul 23, 2001
3,167
176
106
The only way they are making 100k is if they are working 80 hours a week, or it's a very upscale place in Manhattan / LA / etc. Figure a base pay of 10-15 an hour, plus tips (probably average 3 or 4 people an hour at the most, getting 5 dollar tips at most.
 
edro

edro

Lifer
Apr 5, 2002
24,326
68
91
I knew a guy who made decent good money doing it.
He always had wads of cash with him.
Most of the tips were cash, under the table.
He bragged a lot too... so now that I think about it, he probably didn't actually make much.

Retirement/insurance are worth a lot...
 
K

kaerflog

Golden Member
Jul 23, 2010
1,899
4
76
Anyone can look up the internet and see what they usually make which I did already.
I would like to know if anyone actually know people that does this for a living and how much they make.
From the way I heard from others...
The owner provide the store front and the materials(nails, etc...).
The technicians themselves does the work.
A set of nails usually go for ~$18-$25.
The owner keep 40%-60% and the technician keep the others + what ever tips they get.

I hate the facts that Vietnamese are now associate with nails.
Its like its the only thing they can do to make a living.
This one pretty Vietnamese I know came here 9 yrs ago and doing nails is the only thing she knows how to do.
Her English is still terrible.
She came here when she was only 23. Could have done so much better and stuck doing nails for the rest of her life.
 
brianmanahan

brianmanahan

Lifer
Sep 2, 2006
24,559
5,974
136
kaerflog said:
I hate the facts that Vietnamese are now associate with nails.
Its like its the only thing they can do to make a living.
This one pretty Vietnamese I know came here 9 yrs ago and doing nails is the only thing she knows how to do.
Her English is still terrible.
She came here when she was only 23. Could have done so much better and stuck doing nails for the rest of her life.
Click to expand...

its like the nail in the coffin
 
T

The_Dude8

Diamond Member
Jan 8, 2000
5,167
1
71
kaerflog said:
Anyone can look up the internet and see what they usually make which I did already.
I would like to know if anyone actually know people that does this for a living and how much they make.
From the way I heard from others...
The owner provide the store front and the materials(nails, etc...).
The technicians themselves does the work.
A set of nails usually go for ~$18-$25.
The owner keep 40%-60% and the technician keep the others + what ever tips they get.

I hate the facts that Vietnamese are now associate with nails.
Its like its the only thing they can do to make a living.
This one pretty Vietnamese I know came here 9 yrs ago and doing nails is the only thing she knows how to do.
Her English is still terrible.
She came here when she was only 23. Could have done so much better and stuck doing nails for the rest of her life.
Click to expand...

nail tech make about $50k. Most of that money is Cash.
 
QueBert

QueBert

Lifer
Jan 6, 2002
22,895
1,091
126
A good one can easily make 100k a year, a shop a few buildings down from where I work has a couple. One's single and drives a brand new fully loaded Porsche Cayenne SUV, she's never not booked weeks in advance. Not sure how many clients she can do a day, but I know some pay around $250 for the uber fancy with rhinestones and air brushing sets.

One thing I've learned working by a beauty salon and just knowing high maintenance females. There's no such thing as a recession for good salons, females will always find a way to get the the money to stay looking good, There's a few hair stylists there who have crazy nice cars. There's one that's single who has this limited edition Infinity G37, I've never seen this exact model before, she said it was custom and had to be special ordered. A few of the other females there have nice BMW's.

I've never asked any how much they make, but if you're single and driving a fully loaded Porsche you're making a good amount of $$$. Also all these chicks dress nice and have MK bags and such.
 
Last edited:
brianmanahan

brianmanahan

Lifer
Sep 2, 2006
24,559
5,974
136
QueBert said:
I've never asked any how much they make, but if you're single and driving a fully loaded Porsche you're blowing a good amount of $$$. Also all these chicks dress nice and have MK bags and such.
Click to expand...

ftfy

these women sound like they'd be perfect for tommy2000 though
 
QueBert

QueBert

Lifer
Jan 6, 2002
22,895
1,091
126
brianmanahan said:
ftfy

these women sound like they'd be perfect for tommy2000 though
Click to expand...

call it what you want, but they're not hurting for cash. If you can drive a Porsche and still afford $800 Louboutin heels more power to you. Even if they're literally spending every penny they make and have zero in savings. 99% of Americans still couldn't afford to live like they do. The best thing about the ones I know who work there, they don't expect shit money wise from a man.
 
Red Squirrel

Red Squirrel

No Lifer
May 24, 2003
69,767
13,362
126
www.betteroff.ca
Nail tech wont make much, but if you move up to nail engineer you're looking at over 80k. If you can get a director position then you're looking at over 100k. Serious business!
 
Doppel

Doppel

Lifer
Feb 5, 2011
13,306
3
0
Zeze said:
Not much. Probably 30k at most with tips.

Every blue collar retail profession has big exceptions- the hot waitress making $2K a night at the city's hottest bar, etc...

For one person making $40-100k, you got 99.999% making the normal range of $15 an hour + tip.
Click to expand...
Hell yeah, this post is spot-on.

And since when are they "technicians"?
 
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