BIAB has become one of the most requested treatments in Singapore nail salons, and it is also one of the hardest to price-compare. Ask three salons and you can get three very different numbers, often without a clear explanation of what changes between them.
This is a plain breakdown of what the treatment is, what we charge for it, and what to look for when you are comparing quotes elsewhere.
What BIAB actually is
BIAB stands for Builder In A Bottle. It is a thicker, flexible gel that is applied over your natural nail as a protective overlay rather than as an extension. It is not an acrylic and it is not a tip. Nothing is glued on and your natural nail is not shortened to make room for anything.
The point of it is structure. A layer of builder gel sits across the nail plate and adds a small amount of reinforcement, usually with a slight apex around the stress point where natural nails tend to bend and split. For people whose nails flex, peel at the free edge or never quite get past a certain length, that reinforcement is the whole appeal.
It is worth being clear about what it is not. BIAB is an overlay, not a repair treatment, and it does not change the nail growing underneath it. What it does is protect that nail while it grows.
What we charge
Our pricing is published in full on the services and prices page, and it does not change depending on who is asking:
- BIAB Manicure, $68
- BIAB Pedicure, $78
Two things that are included rather than added at the counter. Every gel service here comes with a nail-protection base layer, and gel services carry a 7-day warranty. Cathy Nail House Pte. Ltd. is not GST-registered, so the price you see is the price you pay.
If you want art on top of a BIAB set, that is priced separately and openly: basic nail art is $20, French tips are $15, ombre is $20, and advanced or premium work starts at $20 and depends on the design. Chrome and cat eye finishes are quoted on request because the work involved varies a lot by design.
Why quotes vary so much
When you see a large gap between two BIAB quotes, it is usually one of these four things rather than a difference in skill.
Removal is sometimes separate
If you are arriving with an existing set, someone has to take it off. Some salons fold this into the headline price and some do not. Ours is listed openly: soft gel removal is $15 and hard gel removal is $25. Ask about this specifically when comparing, because it is the single most common reason a quote comes in higher than expected at the till.
Infills versus a fresh set
BIAB is designed to be maintained rather than stripped and redone every time. An overlay or infill with us is $60. A quote that only covers fresh full sets and never mentions infills is not really telling you what the treatment costs over a year.
Product
Builder gels are not interchangeable. We work with professional salon gel systems including CND, and the shade wall sits next to the design boards so you can see a colour in the room before committing to it.
Time
A properly prepped BIAB set is not a fast service. Prep, apex placement and curing all take time, and a quote that is dramatically below everything else is often a quote for a shorter appointment.
Is BIAB the right choice for you?
BIAB is a good fit if your natural nails are thin or flexible, if you want length that comes from your own nail rather than an extension, or if you are trying to grow out damage from a previous set.
It is not automatically the right answer. If you want significant added length quickly, an extension is the more direct route, and extensions with us are $88 for gel or acrylic. If you want a simple colour on a nail that is already healthy, a classic gel manicure does that job without the overlay.
We have written a fuller comparison of the options in gel, BIAB, acrylic or SNS: how to pick the right set, which walks through who each one actually suits.
Making it worth the money
The cost per week matters more than the cost per appointment. A BIAB set that is looked after will usually carry you further than one that is not, and most of that comes down to fairly ordinary habits at home. Our guide to making a gel manicure last three full weeks covers the aftercare that makes the biggest difference, and what to do between appointments covers infill timing and removal.
Come and ask
If you are not sure which treatment suits your nails, the honest answer is that it is much easier to tell in person. Bring your current set, or a photo of what you are after, and we will tell you what we would actually recommend.
We are at Far East Plaza, #05-127A, on Level 5. Every line on our price list can be tapped to send it straight to us on WhatsApp.
