tl;dr: *Significant* lack of quality control, did not read or take time to accommodate my requests…read moreor have a conversation about what was reasonable vs. I wanted to help decide what would be best.
Full review:
A friend recommended this nail salon--their Instagram and website looked great; I was excited to try them out.
Called and made (2) back-to-back appointments--pedicure and manicure, said I was open to either regular nail polish or gel, but I wanted to talk to the tech to decide about a broken (natural) nail and what we could do about it. I also mentioned I had my own bottle of polish that I was hoping, but again, not insistent we use (regular, not gel). I asked for art on the manicure, and asked for no leg massage on the pedicure. I'd seen Prose has a membership program and I was interested since wedding season is coming up.
Once I arrived it was a little awkward since my tech wasn't ready/available yet, but I figured that's normal and shrugged it off. The person who greeted me immediately handed me their gel options and when my tech (Bill) came out later and saw my regular polish bottle, told me we couldn't use it (it was glitter--I applied it over the gel after the appt). I wasn't surprised they pushed gel--nearly every salon I've been to does. The tech gave me a leg massage during the pedicure--so obviously either no note was made or it wasn't read prior to my service beginning. I could've said something and didn't, so I'll own that. The UV light kept turning off before the polish could cure, so I had to keep holding my foot up higher to try to set off the motion/proximity sensor or whatever was keeping it on. I noticed after the appointment the tech cut my two big toes at different lengths so more below-nail skin shows on my left toe than my right. I always leave my big toenails a little long before a pedicure so I don't make this exact mistake, and allow a professional to do it right--that didn't help me this time.
For my manicure, the tech did fix my broken nail with a nail extension, but cut and shaped my middle finger nails into different shapes--the one with the extension is visually much pointer than my other natural shape. If he hadn't cut all but 1 of my finger nails down to match them, I would assume this couldn't be avoided but obviously it was just a lack of quality control/care. I could tell by this point that he was not going to be very good at the nail art and I'd wanted to ask to remove that add-on entirely so I could do it myself later or go someplace else for better service, but didn't. I told him I just wanted my thumbs done w/ art. We couldn't fit both of the nail stickers I'd brought and wanted, so we just did one on each thumb. Obviously w/ nail stickers, more topcoat has to be applied to cover and there are bubbles in my left thumb nail--fine--I've had that happen before. He applied too much oil all over my cuticles, told me to rub it in and then rushed over to tell the receptionist what services were done. The oil smelled good, but I hate the feeling of oil on my hands--to be fair I didn't tell them this, but he also didn't need to put SO much on that I could feel myself unintentionally rubbing it into my steering wheel on the drive home.
Paying took a while since the receptionist had just arrived and seemed to be a little new to her role, but I'll admit that really isn't much of a irritation--I care more about the lack of quality of the mani/pedi. I will note that there was no tip option--if I missed it that's genuinely my mistake because I still would've tipped 10% or so--I don't believe in not paying gratuity. I accidentally provided a 5-star review when I was trying to get through the iPad process to pay (the iPad and the receptionist were not moving very quickly), so that was my mistake. I asked for a printed receipt but was told they'd email it to me (they did).
I noticed once I got home that he didn't push the cuticles on my fingers back, so now I'm trying to decide if I should leave them (they look stupid), or push the cuticles up and then try to overlay my glitter polish to try to smooth over the look. I also have nail stickers that might cover this issue, but that wasn't the design I had in mind. My expectations were high, but I could've settled for good/average. I have all the tools at home to do nail art stickers, I just hate trying to get a good base down on my non-dominant hand, and a professional pedicure is always better than what I can manage at home. I fully regret calling and scheduling this appointment at Prose, but I am glad I know they aren't the right salon for me *now* instead of later this year when I need service done before wedding season.
