What's in a Name? Nail Spa Sign Strokes Controversy

SANDUSKY, Ohio—A nail salon in the northern Ohio town of Sandusky has caused local controversy because of its suggestive, sexy name. The Hand Jobs Nails & Spa gives G-rated hand manicures and pedicures, but as soon as the sign was erected, a few locals in the town gave owner Dawn Moon a hard time. On the site’s Facebook page one non-hand-job lover wrote “What the hell are people thinking! Take it down! Offensive!” But owner Dawn Moon told Yahoo Lifestyle that the name of her nail salon is “a play on words, but really is exactly what we do as nail techs: HANDS!” Moon says all the controversy is actually free advertising. “The talk about the sign started almost immediately! Within 24 hours we had massive social media attention,” she says. “We have had way more positive feedback and a ton of support, and very few who don’t love it.” The spa still has to get the town’s approval, but in the meantime they are making “Hand Jobs Nails & Spa” T-shirts. The Hand Job Nail & Spa, located in the Castro district in San Francisco, makes no apologies for its cheeky name. The suggestive name actually attracts more customers, a salon rep told us. The salon offers a “Million Dollar hand job,” which includes a hand massage and manicure. And management has “hired a staff,” they say, “who will treat you like a king. Or a queen. Or both.” And then there’s B.J’s, a chain of brewhouse restaurants across the country named after the initials of its founders. The big sign at the mall reminds every man who pulls up in the parking lot what he wants more of.