Best. Weekend. Ever!

The Northwest Nail Tech Retreat, also known as #NailCamp, is the first of its kind.

Imagine a weekend retreat where you are able to spend the entire time focused on practicing your craft, learning new things, and meeting people with similar interests.

The 2017 NW Nail Retreat is tucked away in the beautiful Camp Burton of Vashon Island, WA, where 144 lucky nail artists are surrounded by nature, friends, and NAILS. The event takes place October 13-16th, allowing nail technicians a fun-filled four day weekend. Not surprisingly, the tickets for the 2017 retreat sold out very quickly! With a ticket, each tech has access to a wide variety of professional-led classes and workshops, cabin lodging, and all-inclusive meals. Nail Camp may be held in the Northwest corner of the US, but techs from all over the country, as well as internationally, attend this retreat.

We got a chance to sit down and talk more about Nail Camp with one of its founders, Jess Briarmoon. After attending many nail shows and workshops, Briarmoon and her friend Ellen Torchia noticed that other attendees were struggling to afford dinner due to attendance expenses. “We decided there needed to be an event where people didn’t have to worry about their meals or where to stay.” says Briarmoon, “The event is all inclusive, aside from a couple of optional workshops that are for instructors to try to earn back some of their expenses.”

In addition to food and lodging, NW Nail Retreat includes:

• Five 60 minute classes
• One 3-hour workshop
• Two 5-hour workshops

Classes are available to nail techs of any skill set. “We wanted a class schedule that was more like college, where you can pick which things you want to see and learn a ton over the weekend. So we found an actual camp and created Nail Camp!” Briarmoon stated.

2015 NW Nail Tech Retreat attendees with their SWAG Bags!

Each ticket also includes the gift of a SWAG Bag. This gift bag containing over $400 worth of professional spa products and other goodies, is worth the ticket price alone. High quality cotton products from Intrinsics will be part of this bag, including our Pillowettes™, Gentle Cleansing Towels, and Lint-free Nail Wipes. Briarmoon’s favorite Intrinsics product is the Toe Rope because she can use as much (or as little cotton) as she needs. She also uses Intrinsics for her client’s safety, “Sometimes clients have allergies and natural, purified cotton helps eliminate that worry.”

Some examples of classes are Sculpturing, Nail Art, Fantasy Art, Manicuring, Massage, and Pedicuring. The camp offers business courses like “Is Your Price Right?”, which allows nail techs to properly price their professional services. Nail Camp also hosts cash prize raffles, games, and competitions throughout the 4-day weekend. Notable nail techs and NailPro Cup champions serve as judges.

Briarmoon says every tech should be at Nail Camp because, “It’s an amazing event like no other, with 4 days full of nails, classes, competitions, and fun! The education, friendship, and style that the camp has taken on is like no other event in the industry.”

NW Nail Retreat organizers offer a full-ride scholarship every year. It is given in honor of their fellow founder, nail artist, and friend, Vicki Peters. They remember her as a kind spirit who helped establish the camp, but also someone would cheer others on and always offer help at no cost.