I decided to try this place even with the bad reviews because sometimes they aren't that bad, but this place, I got a mani pedi spent $75 which was much pricier than my usual place and for what? My nails had ripped and chipped within a few days. I got gel. This has never happened to me before. Also my toes, all of my toe nails are slanted. It was such a waste of money, I truly regret going bc now I'm out $75 and have crappy nails. read more

I've been here a couple times, and every time it's just okay. Last time I got gels, the painting was fine but the file job was so rough they caught on everything, same as this time. This time I got a regular polish french tip and they're not the worst, but they're definitely not good. read more

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Went here once for a regular pedicure and was happy with the results. When I came back for my next one they charged my card $10 more and when I questioned it they said its because I had gel polish on my nails and the $10 was to remove it. I told them no I had regular polish and even took them over to the exact bottle the lady had used before. The guy that did them got mad and said it took him a long time to get the polish off, not my fault you guys put it on and it was not gel. after him yelling at me I asked to speak to the manager. The manager agreed to give me the $10 back but the guy threw a fit and stormed out. Very unprofessional not exactly sure what his problem was but im not paying $10 for you to remove regular nail polish, that is part of a pedicure. Don't waste your time just go to the salon over in the mall they are friendly read more

(This is long. Sorry) I saw Andy. My pedicure went well, pretty basic (simple rub with a scrub and light pumice stone) but he was kind and steered me into not doing a French pedicure because my toenails were too short. But the 2 stars comes from my nails...he pressured me into a different acrylic type (an all gel kind) insisting that classic acrylics wouldn't work on my nails and that it was "only $5 more". So I said yes and did it- then I noticed my nails were not over the top of my finger and cut like trapezoids (I asked for coffin). I asked him to make them longer and he scoffed and said "it won't work. You have short nails you're not used to long ones they'll get in the way". At this point I was upset. I'm already paying $10 for a shape and $5 for a different type of acrylic. So I say "no I want them longer" and show him where. His entire attitude changed. He shook his head and scoffed. He got nasty and very rough with me and hurt me a few times. He broke the pinky nail and got angry and slapped more gel on it and didn't shave it. A woman came to paint them and said "you know this is actually $60..." and I immediately said "no, he told me it was $5 more" to which he threw his hands up and was like "I told her that!". He rushed everything and I left upset. Also I got there at 5:40 and didn't leave until 7:40, so I felt even worse they stayed 10 minutes past. My nails are lumpy, mishappen, and uneven. He didn't cut my cuticles or any dead skin. Many of them have no paint around the edges. I wanted to treat myself and left horribly upset. First picture is what I showed him, the rest are what I got. I more than likely will not return. read more

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Honestly surprised at the volume of bad reviews. I had mike do my nails, tips with gel power and shaped for only $40 without a tip (there's a $5 discount if you use a student ID). He was friendly and funny and payed very close attention to detail. The nails aren't perfect-see photo of underside, but it's definitely the best place in Ithaca. Free back massage was great. I don't think a cuticle cut is included in a normal service, which I see a lot of people complaining about. You just need to ask for it specifically, and it might be a tad extra. As someone who hates how aggressive nail techs normally are when they cut my cuticles, I'm actually glad they didn't. He pushed them back and oiled them which is great for me. For a small city that is lacking in nail salons, Cayuga nail spa was definitely worth the trip. Would recommend and will definitely be going there from now on read more

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The lady I had was very rough with possibly no people skills. They do a decent job but should turn away customers if they are going to rush.

We were in town for a wedding and my daughters and I didn't have time to get our nails done before we left town so we went to Cayuga Nail Spa and had a great experience. The place was clean and bright. We were seated quickly for our pedicures. The staff was polite and efficient. CiCi did my nails and did a wonderful job. My youngest daughter also got a French manicure. I would highly recommend stopping by Cayuga Nail Spa if you are near the Cayuga mall area. read more

I've been here a couple of times and had pedicures each time. I was very happy and would recommend them to my friends.

Terrible. Barely any massage done on legs or hands for a mani pedi. It felt like you were being pushed in and out ASAP to make room for others when no one was even in line. Parts of my nails weren't even painted. They tried to color match the gel polish I got and it came out terrible. So disappointed. read more

This was my first experience at Cayuga Nail. Andy was very thorough, yet time efficient with my gel manicure. There is a wide color selection to pick from as well. I didn't get the name of the woman who did my brows but she was an older woman. She did a great job, as well. Definitely will return. read more

Terrible experience with an extremely rude gentleman - who cut my toe and then argued with me that the cut was already there? Posting pic of the sloppiest pedicure in the universe read more

Cayuga Nail Spa - Sloppiest pedicure and paint job ever - Nail Salons Near Me - Ithaca, New York

I have been a customer since they opened. Service has always been friendly, relaxing & attentive. With a lemon spa message there is a wonderful 20 minute leg & foot massage. Love the place! read more

Hard to find a good manicurist in Ithaca. Most rush, are sloppy, don't trim your cuticles enough, put the polish on too fast therefore it chips quickly, etc... unfortunately, this salon is no different. They're all about trying to up-sell their services which is is waste because they don't increase the quality. Used to students coming and going and do not care about repeat business. Very discouraging. read more

Nails are good. The service was not it for us. The nail tech left half way through my appointment to go eat lunch. The main guy was not nice and not attentive. read more

I got a gel manicure done, and my overall experience was not great. The person who was helping me was keep using his nails to clean my nails; I was fairly grossed out by this. I asked him to stop doing that, but because he couldn't speak English, he didn't understand. The end product for the nails were so-so, but they were bumpy. It wasn't worth $35. read more

Went in for a gel manicure like I do almost every other week and today they wanted to charge me extra for a top coat in a different color - claimed it was like a design. Never been charged for that before. I ended up with a color I hate bc it was supposed to be a base color and they wouldn't change it. Talked to the guy in charge and he was rude and when I mentioned that I've never been charged like that before - he just said oh sorry and walked away. They have lost a loyal customer and I will no longer refer friends. I was one of their first customer when they opened. I wouldn't waste your money. read more

Was treated today by one of my BFF's. I had an amazing Green Tea pedicure and while my toes were drying - I was given a great shoulder massage - which I thought I was getting because I also asked for a massage...didn't realize it was included and the woman was awesome. Then, after, for the pay-for massage - I got 15 min. in the chair with a gentleman who had very warm hands - I thought he might be a Reiki Master like me! It was awesome and got the kinks out of trouble spots I've always had. It was a great experience - with nice people, good service, and very clean and professional. read more

Not an enjoyable experience at all. I brought a friend for their birthday and one of the men working there refused to do their nails. Will not be returning. read more

One of the worst fills I received in Ithaca. Nails are different lengths and sizes. Not the shape requested. Sloppy paint job with clumps of polish under the nails. Thick nails! When I insisted the nails aren't the same, he assured me he would fix them. I provided a photo of the shake and color I wanted--a black with purple overtones. He tried to use a dark blue but used a purple with a blue tint. I drove to another salon across town to have nail re-done! First and only visit! read more

Staff is really nice, the place is very clean. But $45 for an acrylic fill not including tip.... Kind of ridiculous given that the initial full set was $60 not even including tip. Pretty disappointed. I'll be finding a new nail salon. read more

I regularly visit other nail salons to be pampered out of my own place and to see what others do. I have been to a couple of great walk in style nail salons. This one....No, just no. The people were rude, the place unsanitary and my pedicure was so fast it was basically a polish change. Literally 20 minutes start to finish. And she cut me. read more

Not ONCE but TWO times I have gotten fungus on my nails. Once was the right thumb and the most recent (this week) was left hand middle finger. (perhaps that is correct - I give them the middle finger!!). Very difficult to understand most of them and usually so-so in regards to service. Usually sloppy and rushed. Not worth the $$ for sure. My favorite is when they have the nerve to ask me where I went to get my nails done and then show them (thanks to their little card) the person in their salon who did my nails. Shuts them up pretty quick. Never any discount, and makes you feel like its YOUR fault when it's their crappy, unsterilized equipment that causes the fungus. GROSS. read more

I've been here a couple times for a pedicure. I got a guy today for a Classic pedicure $25. What an awful, rushed job. They don't even scrub your feet anymore, nor push back cuticles or clean under nails. It's Wham-Bam and a No Thank You Ma'am. I had to ask to get my cuticles pushed back, lotion for my dry heels, clean toe nails, etc. He raised his voice 'I got it!'. Then started the jibber-jabber they do when they talk about you. WONT BE BACK. read more

Great employees, horrible manicures! The nail polish is patchy with missed spots or too thick and butchered. Honestly the worst manicure I have gotten, my nails look like a child has done them. Won't be surprised if they break off in a week. Definitely not worth the money, will not go back! read more

This place is fine. It's pretty clean, spacious and bright. Unless you go at like 11 a.m. on a Saturday you really never have to wait too long. You get one of those warm beanbag things around your neck if you get a pedicure. One thing I don't like about the salon is that they tried to upsell me on stuff a couple of times, and when I get my nails done, I really just like to pick my treatment and zone out. They have a good selection of polish, both gel and regular. The prices are low, and a good value for what you get. Yeah, my polish on my manicure chipped sooner than I would have liked, but I also only paid $12, so I'm not going to complain. I usually only get pedicures because I type really hard and that's a sure way to chip nail polish, but with the mani price being so low I might treat myself once in a while. In fact, I am currently waiting for it to be 5 p.m. so I can hustle my buns over to Cayuga Nail Spa and get another mani. read more

Very clean and sanitary. Welcoming staff. Quality of the products they use is great and I liked the vast nail polish selection. Although this place can be busy on the weekends, definitely the best nail spa in Ithaca. read more

I should have read the reviews before I tried this place out! The customer service was the worst I've ever experienced in a nail salon or any salon. The attitude I received was horrible and I hated every minute I was there. I got the gel manicure which didn't even come with the manicure because the guy said I didn't need it. WTF?! I had to pull teeth to get him to cut away the hang nails at least which he did with disdain. Then he painted the gel so far away from the cuticle that it already looked like it was grown out. I week later I need to get it redone. I'm so upset with this experience. The bad attitude was three worst part. They obviously hate dealing with people. How does a place like this stay in business??? read more

I've been here 4 or 5 times and I don't know why I keep giving this place a shot. My nails always look mediocre, and the people are so rude. It's a burden to have you come in, every single time. They give a lot of attitude, and Donna, the woman who gives pedicures, is constantly making fun of customers. It's not a relaxing environment at all- I'm not coming back here. read more

So rude!!! Biggest waste of money for a mediocre pedicure and a rude male pedicurist.

Went here to get an acrylic nail set, the guy doing my nails cut 3 of my fingers just from filing them.. and my nails are very uneven, not the same length at all. One of them is even crooked, to the point that it is noticable from a distance. Paint job wasn't the best either... and on top of that it looks like i could get a fill in the next couple days because they didnt totally fill my nail. Also the massage i got was very rough and not at all pleasurable, it hurt when i was done. And the nails cost me 50 freaking dollars!! Not pleased at all. Do not recommend read more

Showed up at 7:15 for a pedicure and they wouldn't take me, despite the fact that it says they close at 8. I guess they were closing early that day? Save both sides the disappointment and call ahead. Bummer. read more

Update: I have finally received a call from the owner after a few attempts. We had a long conversation about my experience and I'm hopeful that my feedback was taken seriously and we have "resolved" this issue. I'm not sure I will be returning. I only wish the owner was present when I went to the nail spa, because I'm confident my experience would have been better. read more

I feel that I won't frequent this salon. My nails become brittle and the polish wears off in a week. I believe they are rude also . Not pleased with this service at all . When they first opened the salon was so much better. The staff clearly don't like working there. read more

Went to Cayuga Nails after leaving another salon because of wait time. So glad I did. They took my daughter and I quickly and did a great job. Eyebrow wax was great, and they gave me a neck massage while my nails were drying! I found my new salon. read more

I went here to get a manicure with my friend and she kept hitting my hand when I turned to talk to my friend who has sitting in the chair next to me. Also they didn't not clean the nails station there where someone else's finger nail clippings touching me when I was getting my nails done. read more

I had my first and last visit to Cayuga nail and spa last Saturday. My daughter and I both went to get pedicure. The entire pedicure took less than 15 min and I felt like I got a polish change not a pedicure. Then I decide to tip the lady anyway. I gave her a little more than a 10% tip and she point to the receipt and told me that she should have received more. My daughter polish is already coming off and it only been two days. read more

I had a horrible experience at Cayuga Nail Spa a few months back- I had gel nails put on and apparently the equipment was not clean as I ended up with a fungus on three nails. I grudgingly decided to go back here today for a fill in and had an equally bad experience. The technician was incredibly rude, he mumbled insults under his breath the entire time he was doing my nails, said that because I had let my nails grow out so long, he would "have to" charge me $55 rather than the advertised price of $45. At this point, I just wanted to leave, I hated how short he cut my nails, again the service was terrible and I was very uncomfortable. When I tried to pay with a credit card, he told me that I could only pay in cash (I know this is not an actual policy because my friend who I was there with paid with a card). For all of these reasons, I paid the $55 and tried to leave, I felt that my experience and his horrible service in particular, justified my choice not to tip (considering he already uncharged me $10. Much to my surprise, he yelled across the spa to the receptionist and she would not let me leave until I left a tip. I threw a $5 on the counter and was finally able to leave. DO NOT GO TO CAYUGA NAIL SPA, you will be treated horribly, overcharged and end up with a fungal infection. read more

Very friendly and they do a great job! I highly recommend this place! I have been here many times with many different technicians. I have had pedicures and gel manicures . I have never been disappointed! read more

I've had a lot of bad manicures, this was by far the worst manicure I've ever seen. My nails were chopped, I began to bleed, and I had polish all over my skin from him missing my nail. The manicurist was also extremely sick and profusely coughing, which is not ideal - let alone when you're sitting less than a foot apart. read more

I don't normally write Yelp reviews, but I had to warn people of this place. Yesterday I took my girlfriends and I here to get our nails done. I chose this place because I had a nice experience last year here. I don't know if they have different staff now, but we had an awful experience. Yes the salon is clean and spacious, but I got a gel manicure and my nails are already chipping, which I'm not sure how that's possible to chip one day after getting gel... The manicurist did a sloppy job on my cuticles, and frankly they were not very polite and we had horrible service. After being extremely persistent that I spend an extra $15 for my pedicure to get the "deluxe" version that comes with a 10-minute massage and me continuing to say "no thank you, but the classic is fine," the pedicurist (same person who did my nails) did not massage my feet at all, even though a 2-minute massage comes with the "classic." After confronting her, she then tried to bargain with me for "only $10 deluxe" instead of $15, which insinuates she knew exactly what she was doing all along - trying to con me. For my gel manicure, she did not have me put my hands in a water bowl in between cutting/cleaning and said "you don't get water bowl with gel," which is absurd, because I have visited other nail salons before and have never come across a salon that doesn't have you put your fingers in water, nor does not massage you. If I had wanted to paint my own nails, I could have done that myself at home. You go to a salon for the experience and to treat yourself, not the actual manicure/pedicure. Complete waste of $60. Oh, and to top it all off, the paint job was sloppy and already chipping. I would give this place zero stars but it wouldn't let me. read more