Stopped in here at 3:30pm, several hours before my bday dinner on a Saturday (4/6/24), after I made an appointment online. They were super full when I arrived, so I'm shocked the online system allowed appointments. They're really disorganized when it's busy, with not enough staff and DEFINITELY NOBODY looking at the online appointment system bc of the customer volume.
The basic pedi is supposed to be 30 min and the full set gel (glued on tips, powder dip, gel polish) is supposed to take an hour. I expected to get out by 5pm bc I still need to get home for a shower and then get to the restaurant by 6:15pm for the reservation. They didn't start on my nails until 4pm, and finished in a rush by 5:45pm. Luckily, I was able to push back my dinner reservation to 6:45pm.
One thing they don't tell you on their website is that the manicure is a manicure, and other services, like dip, gel, acrylic, etc, DO NOT INCLUDE A MANICURE, meaning they don't trim your cuticles or do any nail CARE. If you want that, IT'S EXTRA, which is f'g insane. Since I was already paying over $100 for the two services, I chose not to add to that, because basic nail care should be included in any service!
By the way, I agree with one of the other reviews from last year: the place is unhygienic, especially by California health department standards. When I arrived, the door was closed (because it was cold outside?) and the inside of the salon was SWELTERING WITH REALLY BAD AIR QUALITY. The stench of all the nail chemicals was super strong and concentrated. I complained, so they finally opened doors on either end of the salon. If I hadn't said anything, they would've kept everything closed. The nail equipment they use on you is NOT CLEANED BETWEEN CUSTOMERS. I literally saw equipment just put back into little baskets after they were used on me. In California, the equipment comes out of little plastic packages that are air sealed - that's how you know they're sterile and only used on you.
Initially, I was happy with the service, but the real test is always HOW LONG IT LASTS. One week later, a full quarter of my thumbnail broke off when I was flipping the latch on a TRX band during a workout. The other quarter broke off during the rest of my workout. (Mind you, I'm not a manual laborer that works a lot with my hands doing rough work. I just sit at a computer for 8 hours a day for work. The most I do with my hands is handling weights at the gym. I don't even do dishes bc I have a dishwasher in my apt.) I went back to the salon to get the thumbnail fixed on the same day in broke, and they did it free of charge.
The next day (today, only 8 days after the service was given), THREE MORE NAILS BROKE! My right index nail broke when I was putting on a shoe, and the other two on my left hand broke in the shower. For those who are keeping count, that's 40% of my nail tips that have broken off less than 10 days after a FULL SET GEL service that cost $80! The last time I got fake nail tips glued on and acrylic nails was maybe 20 years ago - I remember the tips being much thicker and harder than the ones they put on me, and the powder paste they painted on in layers was much thicker. The only time an acrylic nail ever broke on me was when I fell off a bike and my nail was so well-glued to the acrylic that my nail ripped off and my finger bled. Now THAT was quality.
I REALLY WISH I COULD GET A FULL REFUND FOR MY NAILS. There's no reason at all why 40% of my nails should be breaking from just regular life.
I'm from Orange County, CA, where great nail salons are everywhere. I can't believe how difficult it is to find a good nail salon in the DMV. At home in Irvine (a HCOL city), I pay about the same price for a powder dip manicure THAT INCLUDES NAIL CARE and a regular pedicure, and the manicure lasts about a month, sometimes longer, and the pedicure also lasts about as long (unless I'm going to the beach often). Since things cost the same in both cities, it's clearly an issue of quality - the materials used at this salon don't seem to be as good and/or the service technique isn't as good. read more