I don't think that this place deserves the really horrible reviews it has received here so I wanted to provide what I feel is a reasonably objective review of Galaxy nails. I just moved to HMB, and I was looking for a new place for my mani/pedi. None of the places in town had stellar reviews, and since this one had several reviews mentioning its cleanliness I just decided to go for it. Here is the deal: 1. The ladies are friendly which I appreciated. 2. It is very clean/sanitary - so I agree with the other reviews on this. In my opinion, this is a major bonus. 3. My pedicure was totally fine, and actually even pretty good. I would go back for a pedicure here. They charged $25 which is pretty much the going rate so that was fine. If I had only gotten a pedicure, I would have rated the place 4 stars. 4. My manicure left something to be desired. It took a LONG time. It was almost excruiciating. Granted, I was kind of on a time schedule that day and so was on edge, but I have had a million manicures and this one was going on way longer than necessary. It was also not that great a job. Definitely not the worst I have ever had (that is a whole different story), but definitely not anywhere near the best. And for the price, I would hesitate to come back for a manicure (but then again, from the reviews I seen of other places in HMB, maybe, then again, I will have to). I would like to note that because I have very weak nails, I have had to resort to getting acrylic gel manicures (no tips, just the gel) and a lady who was just getting a regular gel manicure was in and out in half the time it took for my manicure. So maybe they are just not as proficient at acrylic and if you want a regular or gel manicure you may be golden! I think that if you are looking for a good pedicure, you should definitely consider Galaxy nails. If you are looking for a fast clean place for a non-acrylic manicure, this may also be a place to go. read more

Acrylic nails were too far from cuticles, made it look like I had them for a week already. They probably do this on purpose to make us come back sooner. Besides that nails r ok. Sometimes too thick tho. read more

The worst pedicure experience I have ever had. People talking for 15 minutes while I sat their waiting for them to start, while the main lady kept telling them to help me but they kept talking and joking instead. (I should have left then.) The spa pedicure included several massages but at times the guy would use the cold and wet, used towels to wipe the lotion off. At one point he ran out of lotion and was massaging my feet with plastic gloves on that were rubbing my feet raw because they were dry rubber on my skin. I had to ask him to please use lotion because it hurt. When he cut my toe nail, I felt pain and realized he cut the nail down on one side of my big toe ... to the bottom. So on one side of my nail there is a thin line of no nail left where it meets my skin. So when that grows back it's going to kill and make an ingrown toenail. It hurt and I asked him to stop and then he didn't even cut the other big toe. For the last half hour, the ladies had another lady on speaker phone and they all talked full volume to each other as though no one else was there. It is clear the staff does not care about customers and the man who worked on me should not be cutting toe nails. It did not feel like he was trained. There are much better places in town. I highly suggest avoiding this place. read more

i wish there was an option to write this review with zero stars. soooo horrible. i read the above reviews and have had similar experiences! i feel you girls! i am getting married next week and went there for a fill a few days ago for my bridal shower- bad bad idea. took forever, pretty crappy job with lumpy gell and all, and i left with a nice deep gash on my finger to top it off. after a few hours my nails started lifting and i had to take all of my nails off at home shortly after my "service." don't go here!!!! these people have no idea what the heck they are doing!!!! read more

My least favorite nail place on the Coast. While Brenda is a sweetheart and remembers everyone who walks through the door. The rest of the women are not very friendly. My last Shellac chipped off pretty quickly. Try Holly Nail's or Elegance instead. read more

These VERY nice ladies do a good job when they're busy and great job when they have more time. They seem to service a large volume of customers in HMB so the wait time, even if you have an appointment can a be irritating. read more

I have been going for years, The ladies are always great and even ask how my little gy is doing evrytime i go in. My nails always look great when i leave and so do my eye brows. love love love this place. read more

I have been coming here for years, and I love them! Brenda suggested I try black nails, instead of my usual french, and I really like them.

Super sanitary! That means alot to me. Friendly and fair priced. Had a pedi and a full set of nails...the best I've found in Half Moon Bay [third place I've tried]. read more

I have been coming to Galaxy Nails regularly for the past 5 years. Brenda and the ladies are always very nice.. Clean, efficient neighborhood salon. read more

This review is for the waxing done here. Brenda is a professional at eyebrows!!! She always has my brows on "fleek" as they say now an days! I wouldn't get them done my anyone else. Plus if your not totally convinced you can just let her know an she will fix it right away! read more

Very disappointed when nail specialists speak with each other loudly in their native tongue plus having someone else on a speaker phone joining in also in their native language. A whole bunch of unprofessional and unethical work. Work was rushed, the door was open on a cold, wet day.. just terrible experience. I should have asked for my money back. Will not come back. read more

If you can find another place to go for your nails, GO THERE INSTEAD. This was a very sub par nail salon and I was extremely disappointed with the job that was performed. I got a mani/pedi and while the pedicure was decent (not very thorough,) the spa chairs did not work as massagers yet the full price was charged. I requested a french manicure -- big mistake. First of all, there were still rough patches on my nails that impeded the polish, yet the girl did not stop to file them off, just painted over them and I had to go back and file them myself later. She did not apply the clear coats all the way down to the base of my nails, I can still see the lines where the layers fail to overlap properly. The white polish was filled with bubbles, yet no care was taken to remove them. She globbed clear polish onto the nails so that the surface was uneven, and did not dry properly. And, to top it off, SIX hours later, and after sitting under the drying lamps for 20 minutes before I got sick of waiting and left (no one came to check on my nails ever during that time) the polish on one of my nails shifted so badly that it looks like it has folded. Do not go here. read more

Came here on Sunday and this place was packed. Practically all the polishes were separated (old polish) and they weren't very good. I asked her to trim my nails with square shaped and rounded corners and they came out oval. I asked her not to cut my cuticles because I could feel her cutting me already and she kept insisting and I had to sternly tell her no while I yanked my hand away. For my pedicure she kept trying to cut my thickened skin (yes gross) even though I told her repeatedly to leave it alone. Now it's Tuesday and my polish has already chipped even though I work on a laptop (no manual labor). read more

This place honestly is the second worst nail place I have EVER been to. The woman that did my toes cut me three times and was really rude the whole time. This place doesn't care about the quality of the nails they do they just try to get as many people done as they can to make fast money. They were completely full and only three or four people working. A pedicure that would've only taken about 20 min total took about an hour and a half because they were hoping around from customer to customer. I don't recommend this place. read more

This the worst pedicure I ever had. I got there on time I walked into everyone eating and talking to me with their mouths full. I got a gel pedicure the lady hurt me very badly as she was cutting my nails. No massage of my feet at all she painted my nails and told me all finished . Never in my life have I experienced such horrible pedicure ! read more

After two salons destroyed my beautiful French manicure, Brenda was willing to fit me in and give me a completely new set. My nails are wonderful again and I will definitely return to have them filled. Next time a pedicure, too! Thanks! PS - the massage chairs are first rate. . read more

I am dumbfounded to read these negative reviews about Galaxy Nails. I have had my manicures and pedicures and even waxing done here for several years. These young women, (most are sisters, as there are 16 children in this family so several of them work here) are hardworking, talented and wanting to please. The place is clean as are the tools they work with.I think they do a beautiful job and I have never had a problem. My nails are always beautiful, and I thank you Galaxy and I highly reccomend you. read more

This place doesn't even deserve one star but I think I had to give one. I am new to Half Moon Bay so I thought I would try this place because it is so convenient. When I walked in I was not impressed. It definitely did not make me feel relaxed and tranquil. It is small, smelly and dirty. The manicurist was fine even though my big toenail is not straight across. I probably could have done a better job at home. After being rushed into the waxing room to get my eyebrows and lip waxed my toes got smudged because they did not have time to dry. The woman who did the waxing never said one word to me. After completely burning my face all the way to the middle of my cheek (last time I checked a lip wax did not include my left cheek) I guess I was done because she nudged me to get up. As I was packing up my stuff and putting my shoes on she ripped off the paper from the table and brought the next client, a man into the room while I was still in there!!!! I couldn't believe it. It wasn't like this place was super busy or I was taking a long time to get my stuff maybe a minute. I was so mad that I tried to explain to the lady up front whom I paid and I got an apology but that wasn't going to fix the bright red burn on my face. Before going to Galaxy Nails be warned you are paying for a very unpleasant experience! read more

Ok, folks...there are 2 kinds of nail salons...the ones you go to when you want to really be pampered and the ones that are cheap and get the job done. I've paid $50 for a manicure and I've paid $10, there is no difference. They are putting paint on your nails, my kids can do this for me...it's not rocket science. Now, if you are getting mangled I can understand avoiding a certain place...but I've had nothing but good experiences with the quality of manicures and pedicures at this spot. I've gone to all the places in HMB at this price point and GN has been the most consistent. Is it nice inside, no. Can it be cold, yes. Do they give you tea and rub hot rocks on your body, no. But, they do paint your nails nicely and it costs next to nothing. read more

If I could put .5 star I would but no so im just going to give it one star. its the WORST seriously the staff there is terrible its not clean and they do a TERRIBLE job,I went there yesterday and the woman did it so fast didnt clip my nails or file them or anything so fast and she painted them so sloppy and messed them up and didnt fix them!!!!!! GALAXY NAILS IS THE WORST PLACE EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! People should go to elegance salon wich is in the same shopping cenetr as galaxy nails and they actually do a good job not the best but WAY BETTER than galxy nails oor you kan go to bellas nails salon in san mateo or the nail salons in tanfroan mall!!!! Galaxy nails is TERRIBLE,i hate it i wasted my money for something not proffesional my little 2 yr old sister kan do better than those people!!!! read more

i was in the area and decided id take a chance on this place: HUGE MISTAKE!! i wouldnt even want my worst enemies to go there, it's that bad.... i came in for a fill and needed my cuticles cut. the woman doing my nails put barely ANYcuticle remover on and was so reckless with the nippers that she cut me on 2 different fingers!! and the cuts were brutal too, its been over a week since i went there and they still haven't healed.. not only that, but she was so rough with the nail filer that i felt like my fingers were burning. im not even exaggerating, it was a really painful experience. eachtime i tried to correct her (and i had to quite a few times) she would just get loud and defensive. talk about customer service! but thats not even the worst part... the nail polish was painted on so thick it took over a half hour for them to dry under the lamps. and when i went to pay the woman told me they dont take credit card, which wasnt advewrtised ANYWHERE in the salon. when i told the woman i didnt have cash and couldnt use an atm, she literally grabbed my wallet out of my hand to check for cash herself!!. HOW UNPROFESSIONAL AND RUDE. i told her i could leave my id with her and pay her in cash the next day but she refused the offer and tried to convince me to give her my $500 droid phone instead. sooo not gonna happen!! after a half hour of arguing with her i told her the best i could do is buy an amex gift card at the neighboring safeway for the amount i owed her. after i bought the card (and that took time and an additional $6 on top of the money i owed her) she was bothering me for my id number as if i was some kind of theif!! this was the worst nail shop experience i have ever had and i usually do not write reviews but the service was so horrible i feel it is my duty to warn you guys.........DO NOT GO THERE!!! read more

I have been here a few times when I can't make it to my regular place in San Mateo or I'm in a pinch. Overall, they aren't great. Today was one of the worst experiences yet and I feel like every time I go here I am reminded of why I try to avoid it. I had to say ouch twice during my pedicure, I still have no idea what she was doing with the cuticle clippers but she stabbed me twice. Also, although I was able to be seen pretty quickly (it was a Thursday around 4:30pm) people started to come in behind me and they woman at the front would ask them to come back in 30 minutes. If the person said they couldn't wait then they would tell them just to sit and wait but that they would take care of them. Throughout my pedicure time I saw one woman come back and be told to come back yet ANOTHER 30 minutes later. She was obviously annoyed and I didn't stay long enough to know if she came back a second time but I just think its bad business to treat people that way. I also saw them take clients that came in after others. My pedicure was beyond rushed due to the backup and was not relaxing at all. I usually look forward to getting my nails done, but I couldn't wait to get out of this place today. I will not be back. I will find the time to go after work to my usual spot in San Mateo that treats everyone the same and has never caused me to flinch in pain. read more

If I was able to give this place zero stars I would. There are not many nail places in HMB. I had stopped going here years ago, but decided to give them another try after they remodeled. The first time I went back the woman decided to take it upon herself to remove my supposed in-grown toenails. I spent the next week with neosporin and two bandaids on my big toes. Apparently I am a glutton for punishment, because I went back again a month later in hopes that I'd have a different technician, which I did. This one fortunately did not perform surgery on me, but she did keep me hostage for nearly two hours while they soaked the shellac off my toenails, then cut me with the nail file as they scrubbed it off and made zero acknowledgment to my many flinches and 'ouches.' The topper, however, was when she put the salt scrub on my legs, rubbed it off, dabbed a microscopic portion of oil on a two-inch area of my shins and then started to paint my nails. I asked, 'don't you do the foot massage before the polish?' She argued that she had done the massage with the scrub and then the moisturizer. I told her she hadn't touched my feet nor was there moisturizer on my legs and she argued back, 'well, I can put more moisturizer on if you want me to!' I let it go at that point because I knew that I would never be going back to this place. I'm pretty sure I would have remembered if she'd actually massaged my feet though! Horrible service. I do not in any way recommend this place. Make the drive over the hill and go to Bella Nails where there facility is very clean and you actually feel pampered after your appointment. read more

The very first, and only, place I have ever gotten my eyebrows done. Always nice, friendly, and welcoming. The same lady does the brows every time and she is so amazing! It is not too expensive considering the area we live in. Love this place! #Eyebrowsonfleek read more

I had a pedicure here recently and the nail technician dug into my nail so much that my toe hurt for 1 1/2 week afterwards. She made a deep cut into the skin around the nail (I don't have ingrown nails) and I had to wear bandaids to make sure I didn't get an infection. Also, I think they re-use the liners for the pedicures because after I was done I noticed that the liner was emptied of water and rolled up and kept in the tub. They never threw it out. read more

This place is totally fine. After reading the reviews I was almost scared to go in but it was the only one opened on a Monday. They were very nice and did a fine job. I will go back. read more

The ladies here are very friendly, they always remember my name. They do an excellent job of managing cuticles and give great foot massages. The salon is conveniently located in a shopping center so easy to take care of other errands when there. Prices are competitive and they have a large nail color selection. read more

The shaping on my nails was good, but I could tell the lady that helped me was rushing. The ladies can get really rude and are not good with customer service. I could hear one of the employees trying to make another customer use a certain color she did not want and when the customer told them she was not happy, she was told "go find another place." My mom was sitting in the chair next to me and one of the employees came over and told her "move I am going to use this place." That is completely okay, as long as you say it politely and not in a demanding, rude way. read more

This was my worst experience in 20 years! Being new to the area I called ahead to make sure they could provide the gel fill I needed. When I arrived I still had to wait 25 minutes. The facility was not clean and the furniture was worn. I wish I had trusted my instinct and left right then. But I chose to give them the benefit of the doubt since it was already late in the day and I needed my nails done for an interview the next morning. The technician was so slow, I was concerned for her health. Her emery board was dull and ineffective. She was rough and nicked made me bleed. And then when she came to the color I had originally called about, she didn't have it. And then she charged me $40. Wow! Don't go here! read more

Well I gave them two chances. It's located in the shopping center by Subway. You don't need an appt. which is nice. All walkins are accepted. BUT. Expect to wait. All they do is tell you to pick a color and fail to let you know you may be waiting 30 mins. Don't get me wrong. They do a good job and the place is popular. But I'm not sure if it's popular because it's the only gig in town or actually a favorite. The prices were a little high for the ambience of the salon. They kept trying to coax me into a special pedicure. All I wanted was a manicure and go. If you don't mind the occasional wiff of Asian food cooking in the back, the foreign chatter amongst the technicians (are they talking about us?) or waiting. This is a decent place to get your nails done. They do a good job, just a weird atmosphere. read more

Worst place I've ever gotten my nails done. Completely impatient with customers. Not worth the price , not worth the time. Horrible nail.

I agree with Jackie. I have had my nails done numerous times at Galaxy Nails and still do. Their service and work are just fine. There are a number of shops like this in Half Moon Bay. One thing that I find to be a great advantage to those of us with busy lives and schedules is that they take walk ins. They are very quick. Places like this really do not worry about appointments. Honestly if I was taking a bridal party and wanted a "personal" attention appointement, I would have looked into a more high end spa facility. They do have these, but I wouldn't expect someone NOT from Half Moon Bay to have any knowledge of these. But I would expect someone to be aware that you get what you pay for, and for the decent prices charged at Galaxy Nails, they do a great job, and they do it quick. They do care about quality. I mostly go for pedicures. I do not go for acrylics because they are not allowed in my medical profession since they are known to harbor bacteria growth and an unsanitary environment. I get my pedicures from Galaxy nails and I have had ZERO complaints to offer them. In fact, I smudged my nail polish because I did not let the fans dry my toes long enough. The polish smudged as I slid my foot into my sandal. I know I did it, and frankly, it was no big deal to me, not the end of the world, and did not feel the need to bother the employees to fix it as they were nice enough to take me in close to closing time. But, the lady noticed what had happened and took me back to fix the polish on the one toe. They are happy to fix any problems, and are willing to do what it takes so their customer is satisfied. Again, you get what you pay for, and if you are not assertive enough to speak up and say something when you are THERE, then the problem can't be fixed, and they are not mind readers. Some people just need to grow a pair and speak up to get what they want. Unfortunately many people only feel they can speak up while behind the safety of their computer screen. That's kind of like the person who complains about their meal, AFTER they ate it ALL. read more

I have been a customer of Galaxy Nails for over 20 years. First, when the family business was located in Pacifica, I drove from Half Moon Bay to Pacifica every two weeks to have my nails and toes done. They have always done an excellent job and I wouldn't go any place else for my nails/toes to be done. They run an exceptionally clean facility and will do their best to accomodate walk-ins (I am usually one of these people as my schedule changes). I cannot believe a person who only has come for their services one time would post something as Michelle did! I am the Mother of the Bride, whose party was there, and I will say things were a bit crazy, but everyone left happy. I asked everyong if they were happy with the job they did and everyone said yes. If there were any concerns she should have spoken up at the time and not gone behind their back to bash them. The person whose rhinestones moved (my neice) put her shoes on after having her toes done - well DUH!!! Of course your nail art will not stay in place if you don't let them dry, as I told her! So anyone reading this.... I can attest that Galaxy Nails is the best place in the town of Half Moon Bay to get pampered. After 20 years would I still be going there if they were anything less than perfect? I think not! Michelle N. does not know what she is talking about! read more

This place sucks. I called ahead to make sure they had time to see me & they said I would be next for my fill. I arrived at 4:30 and when I was sitting down waiting they helped a random walk in who wanted a wax. Keep in mind I had my year old daughter with me. After I was finally helped the lady wouldn't talk to me. The lady kept burning my nail bed and cutting my cuticle bed. It was annoying. Then after an hour for just a fill I stayed for 10 min to dry my nails the lady said I was okay to leave and that my nails were dry. I go to put my daughter in the car I ruin almost all my nails. I was so mad. They charged me to fix my nails and denied that they said I could leave. All the other woman confronted them and said they heard them say it to me. The fact that they argued with me and lied is pathetic. There customer service completely sucks. I will never go there again ever!!!!!! I got home at 6:45. What a waste if my time. This place will go out of service soon. Beware!! Dont go to this place they are horrible. read more

Been here 3 times. First visit in June 2017 brought a friend for pedi and gel mani. Seemed okay. We were walk-ins and had to wait 30 mins but expected it even though we were told 15 mins and her pedicure was much longer than mine. Second visit in July 2017, was not as good with no ask for extra massage and nails not done as well. Gel mani lifted on two nails within a week. Third visit in August 2017 was horrendous. Made appt on a Sunday and had to wait 30 mins past appt and walk in customer they recognized with no appt was taken before me. Dropped tools on floor and tried to use on me without cleaning three times. Hot stone massage included in two previous pedis never materialized and was given to another customer. Wanted me to walk barefoot on floor covered in toenails because technician said she couldn't put my flip flops on me with wet toenails. Switched manicurists on me two times to take walk ins. Third manicurist finally couldn't get gel polish on nails to harden after three tries and eventually realized their own dim bulbs were to blame. Apologized many times but then the credit card machine wouldn't work. 2.5 hours later for a pedi and gel mani I left never to return again. read more

i have been going here since i was 5 years old. i have tried other places in half moon bay but this for me is the best place. i always get acrylics and 90% of the time i go here they look really great. they can sometimes be really rough and cut your fingers up. the lady's are super sweet. but they do not have a consistent rate. i have been charged for acrylics that cost $35 and i have been charged for $50. i have also been charged $25 for a refill and once $50. i recommend asking how much it costs before and then asking to pay before they do them. the rates and the occasional roughness are really the only downsides. the nails last a long time and the girls are very skilled and can really imitate any picture you show them. the place is very sanitary and nicely decorated. if you are in half moon bay and need a nail place then this is the place to go. no other place's nails last nearly as long or look as good. read more