Nail polish is applied to a woman’s fingernail by a Clockwork manicure robot in the XpresSpa at Harry Reid International Airport Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024.
Monday, Feb. 19, 2024 | 2 a.m.
The calming quiet of XpresSpa at Harry Reid International Airport provided a refuge from the chaos of the terminal outside, as employee Sarah Mikel demonstrated the store’s newest amenity — a robotic manicure.
Taking her cues from the machine, Mikel selected a bright red color for her nails and settled in. The mechanized manicurist painted Mikel’s nails one at a time, swirling the brush in concentric circles to fully cover them, only stopping occasionally to give her instructions, like where to rest her arm or hand for the best results.
“Everyone really enjoys it,” XpresSpa manager Brittany Kibler said of the AI-powered Clockwork MiNiCURE. “They think it’s really cool as an experience, to just come in, get their nails done and then leave — especially the people who don’t have a lot of time.”
The robot debuted in Terminal 1 of the Las Vegas airport toward the end of 2023, making it XpresSpa’s third location to offer the product, after initially deploying at airports in New York and Florida. In the couple of months since then, Kibler said, nearly 100 people passing through Harry Reid have taken advantage of the MiNiCURE, which she called very popular.
Scott Milford, CEO of XWELL, the company that owns and operates XpresSpa, said it was clear coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic that travelers were looking for an escape from the “hectic pace of the airport,” as well as from potential exposure to the coronavirus.
The health and wellness industry was also facing a talent shortage, Milford said, and XpresSpa didn’t have enough nail technicians coming back to their stores to accommodate customers.
The solution to both issues was new technology, he said.
“And so what we attempted to do was really sit back and start strategically thinking about — how do we bring technology into our experiences to provide a better experience, and a way for folks to escape, and feel safe when they did that?” Milford said. “And we started investigating automated nail services pretty much right out of the gate.”
They eventually entered a partnership with Clockwork, the company behind the MiNiCURE robot.
Renuka Apte, CEO and co-founder of Clockwork, said autonomous robots like the MiNiCURE are a great alternative to traditional manicures, because they’re much quicker.
“We are getting a lot of demand from brick-and-mortar, because in (the) post-COVID era, they are actually experiencing challenges with bringing people into their spaces and really making those spaces work,” she said. “And that works really well with one of our objectives, which is bringing convenience to the customer. So, instead of going out of your way — figuring out parking and babysitters and whatnot — what if we place these robots where people are already spending their time?”
Apte noted that — as a mom of a young child herself — she knows how hard it can be for some people to indulge in a long, pampering beauty service. But, as the adage goes, “when you look good, you feel good.”
“The big picture is, it should be as convenient as grabbing a cup of coffee,” she said. “It should be around the corner. You shouldn’t really have to think about when you want to get a service done for yourself.”
Going forward, Clockwork hopes to give customers not just a polish change but the full manicure experience, apte said, and eventually expand to offer other express beauty services.
In the meantime, partnering with companies like XWELL is really “synergistic,” she said.
When deciding which markets to launch in, Milford said, XpresSpa looked for places like Las Vegas, where there was an appetite among customers for new services and new technology.
“There are some markets out there that — they like their ‘tried and true,’ ” he said. “(The) business travelers, they come in every two weeks, they get their nails done at one of our spas … and they don’t want to try new technology. But then there’s a whole host of folks that certainly want to do it.”
Young people especially seem to enjoy the new service at Harry Reid, Kibler said, noting that many people come in intrigued by a sign outside the door that reads, “Get your nails painted by a robot!”
“It’s just a really cool add-on,” she said. “Specifically, let’s say, if our nail techs are busy and somebody still wants something, they can still at least get something done. (It) might not be the full manicure that they were looking for, but it’s a good alternative.”
