If you are looking for a nail salon in Midtown Memphis that puts healthy nails, detailed nail art, and a more intentional appointment-based experience first, Soul Dope is a name worth knowing. Located near Crosstown Concourse, Soul Dope is a Memphis nail salon founded by two sisters who took years of experience, built their own brand, and turned it into a brick-and-mortar space of their own in 2024.
What makes Soul Dope stand out is that it is not trying to be a typical nail shop. This is a dry nail salon in Memphis, meaning water is not used in services, including pedicures. The salon also does not offer acrylic services. Instead, Soul Dope focuses on healthy, quality nails, elevated nail art, gel manicures, enhanced gel manicures, Après Gel X extensions, and pedicures for clients who want a cleaner, more specialized experience.
How Soul Dope started in Memphis
Soul Dope began with two sisters betting on themselves.
Erin, the eldest sister, started doing nails after finishing school in 2013. Her journey into the industry came from frustration. She was unhappy with the results she was getting at traditional nail shops, so she decided to learn the craft herself. Without any prior experience doing nails, she enrolled at Tennessee Academy of Cosmetology to earn her nail license. What started as a personal solution eventually became a way to help other women feel better about their nails too.
Anessia came from a beauty background as well, but her original path was different. After graduating from the University of Memphis, she earned her cosmetology license from Empire Beauty School and started out as a hairstylist. That changed after attending a beauty show in Orlando and joining Erin for nail classes. Once she saw the versatility and artistry possible in nails, she made the switch.
Together, the sisters worked in nail salons and suites across Memphis before eventually launching the Soul Dope brand in 2019 from their own suite.
Like many small businesses, Soul Dope hit an unexpected pause during the pandemic. After COVID and both sisters becoming new moms in 2020, the brand took a hiatus. Soul Dope reemerged in 2021 when Anessia returned to nails, and Erin followed at the end of 2022. Then came the next big step: in April 2024, they officially opened a brick-and-mortar nail salon in Midtown Memphis.
“Soul Dope is a salon where dope girls get dope nails for their soul!”
What makes Soul Dope different from a traditional nail salon
There are plenty of places to get your nails done in Memphis, but Soul Dope has built its identity around doing things differently.
First, it is a dry salon. That means no water is used during services, including pedicures. For clients who are used to the standard salon process, that alone makes Soul Dope a different kind of experience.
Second, Soul Dope does not offer acrylic services. Instead, the salon focuses on services that support natural nail health while still delivering style, strength, and length. For clients who want the look of longer nails without the time commitment of acrylics, the salon offers Après Gel X extensions.
Third, this is not built around high-volume walk-in traffic. Appointments are highly recommended. That helps create a more focused experience and allows the artists to spend real time on quality and design.
Soul Dope also has two evening nail artists, Tiffany and Andrea, who take walk-ins on select evenings. Clients can check the salon’s Instagram page for those specific days and times.
Services offered at Soul Dope Nail Salon
For anyone searching for healthy nail services in Memphis or a Midtown Memphis nail salon with nail art, Soul Dope’s menu is built around both beauty and nail care.
- Regular gel polish manicures
- Enhanced gel manicures that add strength to natural nails
- Après Gel X extensions for length without traditional acrylic
- Pedicures
- Custom nail art
The overall focus is clear: strong, healthy nails paired with standout design work.
A sister-owned business rooted in Memphis
Part of what makes Soul Dope’s story resonate is that it is not a franchise story or a quick pop-up concept. It is a Memphis-grown business built over years of learning, switching lanes, working in different spaces around the city, taking a pause when life changed, and coming back stronger.
The sisters behind Soul Dope did not just wake up and decide to open a salon. They put in years of work, sharpened their craft, built a brand, navigated a pandemic, stepped into motherhood, and still found their way to a storefront of their own.
That kind of story matters in Memphis. It is local entrepreneurship, local creativity, and local resilience all in one place.
Soul Dope Nail Salon hours and appointment info
Hours
- Monday to Friday: 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
- Saturday and Sunday: Appointment only
Walk-ins: Check the salon Instagram page for walk-in hours and evening availability.
Because Soul Dope is not a typical walk-in salon, booking ahead is the best move. The salon says walk-ins can be hard to come by, though evening artists Tiffany and Andrea do accept them on select nights.
The business is also hoping to add a full-time nail artist, or two, in the future as it continues to grow.
Why Soul Dope stands out among Midtown Memphis nail salons
For people searching online for the best nail salon near Crosstown Concourse, dry pedicure in Memphis, Gel X nails in Memphis, or nail art in Midtown Memphis, Soul Dope checks several boxes at once.
It is sister-owned. It has a real story behind it. It offers a specialized approach instead of a one-size-fits-all service model. And it focuses on the kind of detail that nail clients actually care about: healthy nails, quality work, and art that looks like it was done by someone who takes the craft seriously.
That is a strong formula in a city where people notice authenticity.
The bottom line on Soul Dope in Memphis
Soul Dope is more than just another Memphis nail salon. It is the result of two sisters trusting their talent, building through setbacks, and creating a salon experience that reflects their own standards and style.
Now in Midtown near Crosstown Concourse, Soul Dope is carving out its own lane with dry services, healthy nail care, Gel X extensions, standout nail art, and an experience designed for clients who want something more intentional than the usual routine.
In other words, Soul Dope is doing exactly what the name promises.
For more information on booking click here.
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