PARK SLOPE MOMMIES TO Get GROOMED AND DRUNK at 5th ave's Beauty Bar

If you've been to Beauty Bar on Manhattan's East Side, or any of its outposts in ten cities across America, then you know what to expect: retro-chic furnishings, chrome dome hair dryers, a mildly amused DJ spinning scratchy bee-bop tracks as hipsters & greasers do the twist on a checkered floor. These places are dark and loud and too-cool-for-school. You fight for a seat at the small crowded bar and contemplate whether it's a good idea to get a manicure from a boozed, tatted up chick hunched over a desk lamp (the answer, by the way, is yes).

When I first got wind that Beauty Bar was opening in Park Slope proper, I thought someone forget to do their research. I just couldn't imagine this scene jiving with the polished establishments on 5th Avenue. I found it hard to imagine them serving cocktails to the citizens of Strollerville. But then I remembered what I learned in business camp (no, really - business camp): localize. 

The Beauty Bar in Park Slope is a bright, spacious, sparkly lounge with a massive circular bar and plenty of natural sunlight from those huge front windows that used to belong to Ozzie's. Music plays at a respectable volume. When I first passed by I saw a five year-old getting a manicure, but the owner assures me this is not the norm.

The drink menu boasts an impressive array of cocktails with cutesy names like "Paul Mitchell Swizzle," which includes fresh lime, orgeat, pomegranate, grenadine, orange blossom water, fresh mint & vodka. In short, delicious. And if you wanna ditch the daddy-o sitting next you at the bar, you can sip a "Blonde Redhead" (fresh lemon, St. Germaine, Silver rum, fresh strawberries, Angostura bitters, champagne and a lemon twist) on their plastic covered sofas or avocado green vintage hair dryer chairs.

Now I'm a gal who likes her manicures. I frequent H&L because they're quick, cheap and I'm a sucker for a loyalty card; buy 9 manis and the next is on the house. But their punch card just took a back seat to Beauty Bar's far out offer:  A $10 drink and manicure combo between 4-8 p.m. That's a $25 value, and let's face it -- unless there's vodka in that coffee cup you're not catching a buzz getting buffed anywhere else. And they do a good job: cut, file, cuticle softener push down, great color selection (including Cajun Shrimp and Lincoln Park After Dark), topped off with a quick dry coat. [Ed Note: Those are my painted nails in the photo, and I can say that three days later this manicure is still shiny and has suffered nary a chip.]

While leaving the bar, I spotted a young mom, babe in stroller, who stopped her husband dead in his tracks. Her mouth was agape as she explained the concept to her husband, gesturing wildly as if to say, "Manicure! Martinis! Don't you get it?!" He forced a smile, but Beauty Bar just gained a customer for life (or for as long as this place sticks around). Something tells me it'll be a while.