If you enjoy getting your nails done but could do without the small talk, a robotic manicure could be your saving grace.
10Beauty, a Burlington-based tech company, built a machine that can give you a complete manicure in about 40 minutes – without any human involvement. The devices use artificial intelligence to map out customers' hands before getting to work, according to founder and co-CEO Alex Shashou.
Shashou said his wife – who runs a business and has two young children – loves a fresh manicure but doesn't always have time for the traditional experience. Nail salons aren't typically located inside gyms or office buildings, where people already spend their time, he said, and customers often have to carve out a chunk of their day to go.
"Through automation, we'll be able to put a 'nail salon in a box' wherever you want it – in an airport, a gym, a hotel, a hair salon, a Nordstrom," Shashou said in a phone interview. "And we'll be able to do your nails very quickly."
The company set out in 2019 to build a machine that could complete the whole manicure process – removing old polish, filing nails, buffing cuticles, painting, and drying – in a more efficient way.
The first machine was installed at an Everett Ulta Beauty store at the beginning of 2026, and the company has since expanded to three Massachusetts locations, as well as in department stores in New York and Illinois, he said.
As the technology is still in its early stages, 10Beauty attendants are stationed at the machines to help customers navigate the process and fix any polish-related mistakes the machine may make.
Shashou said he aims to have nearly 1,000 fully-automated robotic manicure machines operating nationwide by the end of 2027.
Here's how the robotic manicure process works.
Customers looking to book a robotic nail appointment can do so for about $30 at 10beauty.co, Shashou said. When they arrive, a 10Beauty attendant checks them in – though the company plans to automate the process entirely.
Customers then choose their polish color and the corresponding "manicure pod" is placed into the machine. Shashou likened the concept to a Keurig coffee maker, with a disposable pod containing all the tools and materials needed for the service.
"The beauty of that is it's the first-ever truly hygienic manicure, because everything that touches your hand is only yours," Shashou said.
Once the customer puts their hand inside the box-like machine, eight cameras capture images of their nails, which a computer then analyzes, Shashou said.
Next, the device removes any old nail polish and uses small brushes to buff the customer's cuticles, he said. However, the filing mechanism is currently disabled while engineers conduct some more testing.
"I have a 5-year-old daughter; she puts her hand in the machine. It can't hurt you," Shashou said. "But if we overfile your nail, we can't grow it back. So we're still working on doing more testing in our office before turning it back on."
The machine then applies two coats of the customer's chosen nail polish. An attendant currently applies the top clear coat and makes any requested touch-ups, though the company plans to automate that step soon.
The whole process takes about 40 minutes, but Shashou said he hopes to eventually cut that time down to 15 minutes.
He also hinted at a possible at-home version of the machine in the works, as well as additional options for acrylic and gel manicures.
As of Tuesday, Aug. 18, robotic manicures are available at the following Massachusetts locations, according to 10Beauty's online store locator:
Everett – Ulta Beauty: 15 Mystic View Road, Everett, MA 02149
Natick – Nordstrom: 290 Spleen St., Natick, MA 01760
Westwood – Ulta Beauty: 237 University Ave., Westwood, MA 02090
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: You can now get your nails done by a robot in Massachusetts