In Georgetown, New Gloss to the Mani/Pedi

Erwin Gomez has the reputation of a master at makeup and eyebrows. His clients have included the Bush twins. (By Sarah L. Voisin -- The Washington Post)

Ah, time to sit back -- you deserve it, after all -- and really enjoy that pedicure. Just relax. Unless, well, you don't want to miss the latest Valerie Plame sighting or you just have to check out that Hillary/1984 video on YouTube. So you slide the Mac laptop over and start typing while a "nail artist" takes care of your wigglies.

How very D.C., right?

Not quite. The Erwin Gomez Salon and Spa on Wisconsin Avenue in Georgetown is just offering something that New York and Los Angeles spa-lons have had for a while. The year-old shop is adding to the wave of newly hip stores and services to come to this once famously stodgy city. And apparently, we Washingtonians like the idea. In the first year after Erwin Gomez opened -- in a 500-square-foot-space upstairs from the current salon -- its owners say they took in more than $1.3 million. They expect to double that in their new, larger space in 2007.

"We wanted to bring pop, pizzazz and sex to this city," said James Packard-Gomez, the salon's chief executive. "The people of Washington wanted it."

It's not just about the free Macs. Clients are welcomed into a stylish salon designed by Kube Architecture. Each mani/pedi station has its own cellphone charger. Forget grandma's hood dryers: This place has "halos" that quietly and slowly rotate around damp heads. Guests are greeted with drinks ("Coffee? Tea? Water? Champagne?"), Twizzlers, Jelly Bellys. Massages end with a ring of Tibetan bells.

And eyebrows are, famously, waxed. Erwin Gomez, the self-proclaimed "eyebrow guru," has the reputation of a master at makeup and eyebrow artistry, which he has performed on, among others, the Bush twins. (That was back when he was with Elizabeth Arden, but their signed Vogue covers are displayed at his new salon.) Knowing that VIPs need their privacy, Gomez treats them in a room surrounded by glass that, with a flick of a switch, fogs up. No paparazzi -- or anyone else -- can see inside.

You may recall the buzz around Gomez and Packard-Gomez inviting Jenna and Barbara to their San Francisco wedding in 2004. The twins didn't go, but the gesture grew into a major media moment as gay groups ran with the idea to argue for same-sex marriage rights.

A first-visit eyebrow design with Gomez runs $55, and a follow-up is $40. Want to have your eyebrows done by someone else? That will run $35. Other services include hair and nail architecture, makeup, waxing and massage treatments.

The salon and spa fits the trend of new stores like Jimmy Choo and Dior settling in the city. "Washington is in a rebirth," Packard-Gomez said. "Its time has come."

But perhaps Washington just wants to relax. Early one recent morning, the day's first client was a woman getting a pedicure. She was enjoying it while reading an old-fashioned magazine.

-- Amy Joyce