Allure Nail Bar in Burke, VA was the MOST disgusting nail bar I have ever been to. I read good…read morereviews about Allure and thought I would try it out. What a complete disappointment.
First off, the nail technicians that worked with me were very nice. So, I am sorry to throw them under the bus here. That was the only positive thing I can reveal about this place. From the moment I set foot in the nail bar, there were 3 nail technicians just sitting around chatting; no one greeted me until I stood at the counter for 10 minutes. The technicians just sitting and staring at me, said nothing, like, "Hello, welcome to Allure." After 15 minutes, I had several technicians try to rush me to pick a color and then disappeared when I was looking at the nail kiosks. Other nail technicians came by to ask me what I wanted then they also disappeared when I showed them a picture of what I had hoped to do with my nails and toes. One of the technicians waved her arms at to small kiosks and a display and said those kiosks (and display) were the only Gel colors available to me for what I wanted. When I picked out several of the colors, they told me they did not have them. Then, again, the technician waved her arms over the kiosks and display. Then, there was the issue of clear communication. Finally, I had to ask if I would be able to speak with someone in English because no one else was able to communicate with me (and I am not being mean here...I support cultural diversity and I love Vietnamese people and I was an ESOL teacher for 20+ years, so it is not a negative dig).
Finally, I decided to go with a simple color that was available, but that was just the start of the horror. One huge red flag were the nasty nail polishes. These bottles of polish were like those out of a garbage can. They looked as if they had NEVER been cleaned---EVER; sticky gross caked on polish (all over the bottles) with visible handprints on the plastic bottle brush tops almost made me want to throw up. The polishes in the clear boxes were ALL disgustingly used 1000 times without ever being wiped down or thoroughly cleaned; the polish used on my feet was sticky and caked all over the top of the bottle, and the technician had to keep shaking the bottle to get polish out. It looked like the dregs of the dregs. I was so disgusted and disturbed by the polishes, I should have just walked out right then and there.
Next, the filthy pedicure area was a sight. The chair arm rest table looked like someone had just eaten their lunch there and just left the grossness all over the little space. No one bothered to clean up. Maybe those three technicians just sitting around chatting could have done some clean up! Then I was told that the $60 Gel pedicure did not include taking off my two small toe calluses. This could easily be done with a scraper in two seconds, but it would have cost me another $15.00. I was dumbfounded that it was not included in the pedicure like it is at every other nail bar. My feet looked like ass despite the pedicure since calluses remained on the big toes. Unsightly! The technician's product and tool caddie were also filthy. There were crumbs on the surface, crud all over the products, other peoples' skin, dirt, and pieces of nail all visible on the surface. Some of the products had broken pump tops. Most alarming was that there was no visible antiseptic cleaner anywhere where tools are normally kept in jars. Nothing about that area was clean or looked like that it was even a priority. I am praying that I do not get some toe or foot fungus from that place!
After the pedicure, I went over to have my nails done (Acrylic Gel). The nail bar was also just as disappointing and disgusting. Nail powder-dust everywhere, the technician's tools to remove the polish (sanding-file heads) were sitting in a gross, blackened, very unclean shot glass along with super glue tubes. The tools were clearly unorganized, uncleaned, and non- anti-bacterialized. The jar of the acrylic powder was so off putting (never ever cleaned or wiped down---crud all over the jars lid and around the threads of the jar were caked with grunge) and all lumpy. This gross acrylic powder display was in tandem with the dubious, cloudy, purple liquid whose jar was equally covered in filth. The technician then pulled out some random fat brush from a dirty drawer of tools and other junk. I was frozen in fear. Lastly, the UV light lamp was so crusty that when I placed my hands in it (like a cubby hole) I could feel the crumbly, lumpy, bumpy crud under my palms from so many who came before me.
It is unfathomable that Allure Nail Bar in Burke, VA is not shut down for its terrible management for gross negligence in cleanliness and open display of filth in their products and their pedicure and manicure stations. Please DO NOT waste your health and money in this cesspool.
