This is definitely NOT the "Best" nail salon. I'm not sure who came up with the name.
The location isn't the best.
The salon itself isn't the best.
Cleanliness isn't the best.
And the service.....
It's actually one of the "Worst"...
I'm visiting from Atlanta, and drove around 7+ hours for a weekend here in Orlando. This salon was my first order of business; hadn't even checked into my hotel yet.
Since I was unable to get to any of my nail salons back home before traveling, I decided to do some research beforehand, and chose to book an appointment here based on the overwhelmingly positive reviews.
Needless to say, my experience left me wondering how this establishment has managed to jimmy rig such high Google ratings. This is what their 4.8 got me:
I specifically scheduled my appointment with Gabriela days before my trip. I ended up getting in from Atlanta around 30 mins-ish early, and gathered that she may have still been working on another client. With that in mind, I was open to seeing someone else. It had been a long drive, I was tired, and kind of wanted to be in/out.
But even then, some sort of communication about her availability and my remaining options would've been appreciated. There was ZERO, and it left me confused because I felt more like a walk-in that they were struggling to accomodate.
Anyway, some guy ended up seeing me. Didn't get his name, and initially I thought he was just going to get started on my nails until Gabriela became available.
Well she never became available, lol!
He ended up performing the entire service, and that would've been fine, if not for his unwillingness to listen to my preferences. MAJOR turn off.
I showed him the look I wanted and explained HOW it was to be achieved based on the artist's instructions on her IG page.
Instead, he was dismissive and repeatedly tried to steer me toward his own approach, which sucked.
Even when selecting a color, I found myself having to insist on a shade I was leaning towards because he kept wanting to go with another.
I got to a point where I'm like, let's just abandon the design altogether - my entire purpose for coming here!
I ended up asking him to just apply that shade that I wanted by itself. It seemed like the only way I was going to get it, lol!
How is it that I drove such a long way to get there, leaving home at a good hour to ensure that I arrived to my appointment on time, ready to pay for a desired service and tip well, just to have to see someone else and negotiate creative control over my own nails??? Explain how this happens, lol!!!!
Compared to what I'm used to, the finished manicure was underwhelming, and I immediately texted one of my nail techs back home to see if I could have the work corrected and completed properly. She said it'd be no problem.
The pedicure I had wasn't particularly impressive either. While the technician was much more accommodating, and made an effort to listen, the service was average, and there were a few uncomfortable moments when she actually hurt me. I didn't say anything though. I'm a soldier, lol!!!
Overall, it was just a really disappointing experience. It was not a 4.8.
As I said before, despite the fact that I had a scheduled appointment, somehow I felt like a walk-in. All of it felt disjointed and poorly coordinated. I'm accustomed to salons that provide efficient, attentive service... like having my manicure and pedicure performed simultaneously, for example. I shouldn't have been there for almost 3 hours. While I understand every salon operates differently, the lack of communication and coordination here was unacceptable.
Ultimately, I came here expecting a certain standard of service based on the reviews, but left feeling frustrated and dissatisfied. I don't expect perfection, but I do expect professionalism, clear communication, attention to detail, and technicians who respect their clients' preferences. This salon fell short on all of those fronts.
I won't be returning, I don't recommend, and I'll continue searching for Orlando's version of "Best" ... this wasn't it. read more