Pretty Please Nail Salon has set up shop in the former Brand X spot at 153 N. College St., and owner Lan Ma, 23, is striving to make the store a different experience than your average nail salon.

Ma is originally from Boston and attended the Art Institute in Atlanta before moving to Auburn.

“My uncle came to Auburn and opened his own salon in Opelika and saw this spot and told us it was a great opportunity for my mother and I,” Ma said.

Ma has been in the nail business for the last seven years and has worked in 10 different salons. When she and her mother decided to open Pretty Please together, Ma said her past experience helped her design the business the way she thought would work best.

“I know people think ‘she’s only 23,’ but I think it really helps being in 10 different salons because I got to see what people like and don’t like in a lot of aspects,” Ma said.

One aspect of the nail salon that differs from most is that Pretty Please offers complimentary drinks that range from martinis to mimosas. Ma said that she worked at a salon in Florida that did so and she thought it was a good idea.

“I really like the fact that they offered a drink,” Ma said. “People come in tired and stressed out and I was like ‘hey, a drink is what people need.’ While we’re rubbing your hands and your feet ... what more could you ask for?”

Ma will occasionally have specials that will include a manicure and martini, but the martinis are offered only during special occasions. Mimosas, champagne and wine will be offered on a regular basis.

But Ma did mention that she wants the salon, which will have a saloon theme, to be an upscale experience. She doesn’t want customers to expect all of the free drinks that they can hold down.

Pretty Please Nail Salon will offer several types of manicures and pedicures ranging from $10 to $40. One service Ma said has been popular in the past is the aromatherapy pedicures. There will be at least seven different essential oils offered for the pedicures.

“I want to give people options and offer a variety,” she said.

Ma said that Pretty Please will also sometimes offer monthly specials and hope to bring in nice polishes by designers like Chanel and Dior.

Ma said that Pretty Please’s prices may be a $1 or $2 more than the average nail salon, but that the investment goes into the products that they offer. She said instead of spending a lot of money on massage chairs, she put her money into the products that they offer.

“You’re paying for what we apply to your skin, not to sit in a chair,” she said. “You want to leave with soft feet and polish that will last, so that’s what your money goes into.”

Pretty Please Nail Salon opened Saturday. Normal business hours are 9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, and closed on Sunday.

Ma said that Pretty Please will not be your average nail salon experience.

“We don’t want it to be an average nail experience, we want it to be a reward for yourself,” she said. “Our goal is to take the stress away from you.”