FREELAND — Tucked away in a building on Main Street in Freeland is a brand new nail salon. At first sight the place looks like many salons: lots of tiny bottles of nail color sitting side-by-side in a display case, files and other paraphernalia neatly lined up for the next client.

But this one has something, most places don’t — an awesome view of Holmes Harbor.

So it’s not surprising that nail technician Christine Lyons has named her new enterprise “Nails with a View.”

Leon has been a licensed nail technician for two years. But she has been a nail expert for decades, sitting on the other side of the desk in the chair of the customer.

Her experiences have shaped her as a professional.

Education and sanitation are her top two priorities.

“Making sure that my clients are in the cleanest environment possible is the most important thing to me,” she said. “I sat on the other side of the chair for 15 years not knowing what risks I took.”

So she takes all her clients through the sanitation steps.

“Many say, ‘I didn’t know you do all of this,’” she said.

It’s important for her that people learn about the process, so if they go to another nail technician who does things that make the customers suspicious, they are comfortable to walk out or tell the technician, Lyons said.

She added that she recently went to a nail convention shortly after new laws were passed on sanitation and disinfection for nail salons, and she signed up for a class about the new rules.

“There were only three people in the class,” Lyons said. “That was heartbreaking to see that other nail technicians don’t care for their clients enough to show up.”

But besides high standards in cleanliness, she also sets high standards for her work. Of course, the end result — perfectly manicured nails — is what most clients are after.

“I do like going trendy,” she said. “Everybody loves the basic French pink and whites. But I like to have fun.”

“I love nail art, and I’m the only one on the island with hundreds of designs,” she said, showing off her portfolio of tiny, intricate designs.

She offers pedicures, manicures, nail enhancements, nail health, nail art and quality care products.

“Anything related to nails is what I do,” Lyons said with a smile.

Her manicures and pedicures start at $25 and range up to $53 for the Spa Pedicure package. A full set of enhanced nails starts at $50.

Lyons said she is extremely detail-oriented and works diligently to find the best techniques and products for her clients’ individual nails. As a result, her work lasts longer, she said.

“I only handfile. I use the drill only on acrylic. I’ve been hurt by it. I know what clients are thinking,” Lyons said.

Because her salon is a one-woman business, a lot of men make it to her salon for manicures and pedicures. It’s the privacy that helps draw them in — men are a little shy about beauty treatments — and her incredibly comfortable pedicure chair helps too, she said.

Lyons said while her job is to take care of cuticles, hands, feet and nails, her clients become family and she often takes on the role of a therapist for regular customers.

“I go through their lives with them; kids, weddings, funerals,” she said.

And she always sends them home feeling and looking a little better after a treatment. But her work doesn’t stop there, she said.

“I’m sending my clients home with an education on how to continue care at home,” Lyons said.

Nails with a View is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. Call 331-0155 for an appointment. The salon is at 1635 East Main St. in Freeland.

Michaela Marx Wheatley can be reached at 221-5300 or mmarxwheatley@southwhidbeyrecord.com.