Why do women care so much about their nails? It’s simple: Well-groomed nails make your hands seem more alive, more important, and definitely sexier. And suddenly it’s not just your hands feeling that way, but your whole self—which is why nails, and nail salons, are a huge and growing business, with more than 53,000 salons in the U.S. doing some $6.4 billion in business each year.

But now you can skip the spa and do your own nails—and here’s the perfect author to show how. Ji Baek, the high-energy owner of New York’s hottest nail salons, the Rescue Beauty Lounge—written about from Vogue to InStyle, Lucky to Harper’s Bazaar, used by designers and stylists, patronized by actors, fashionistas, professionals, and more—presents the definitive guide to beautiful hands and feet. Emphasizing natural beauty, cleanliness, and simplicity, it covers the science of the nail, and why it’s important to take vitamins, file regularly, and moisturize constantly; the care of the nail, with step-by-step illustrated directions to achieving professional-quality home manicures and pedicures, including tools, techniques, lotions, polishes; the dressing of the nail—shapes, colors, and styles; the health of the nail—how to heal split nails, brittle nails, and ingrown nails. She demystifies the salon, from dealing with technicians to explaining exactly what is in that bottle of mysterious pink lotion; tells how to care for the skin around the nails, including solutions to common problems like calluses and sunspots; and even starts a virtual NBA (nail-biter’s anonymous), with tips for quitting the nailbiting habit.