Harvard Beauty Spa
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UPDATE: My nails chipped on the second day, but they were nice enough to fix my nails free of charge, and also fixed the wonky French tip, so am updating my review. Unfortunately did not have a good experience here. The staff were really sweet and friendly, but I paid $45 for a gel manicure that looks like I just dipped my fingers in white-out. The polish is streaky, french tip is wonky, and the polish doesn't even cover some of my nails. Maybe would be an ok place for a one-color basic manicure, but not for anything else. Honestly should have asked for a refund but felt bad because the lady doing my nails was so nice. The other reviews mentioning French tip manicures had better results, but those reviews were over 5 years ago, so it looks like things have changed.
This is my second visit to this business. 16 days later the gel manicure is intact! Except for where I nicked it with a knife in the kitchen which is no one's fault but mine. Ivy did the removal, reshaping + cuticle trim, application of a new color, and quick hand + arm massage - very kind and professional and efficient. Super happy with the quality. $38 for the set and very consistent experience with my first time here. Thank you again! Highly recommend this nail salon to anyone. Everyone I have interacted with so far is wonderful. This is the only nail salon I have ever been to where the staff will provide helpful commentary and suggestions for colors and designs if you request it.
I walked past this place several (covid) times and always noticed how strictly they're following covid precautions (social distancing, limited number of people, and plexi glasses). AND they have massage chairs (bc let's be real, pedicures aren't the same without it). So I decided to try it out. I made an appointment by calling in, the staff was very nice and accommodated me same day. When I walked in, there was only one more customer. They took my temperature and made me sanitize my hands before taking me in. I got a regular manicure and pedicure ($45). I am very satisfied with the service and work! They were sure to take my contact details for contact tracing. I'll definitely be coming back.
Tony and team came to the rescue on my vacation; I didn't have time to get my nails done before leaving San Francisco. They needed a refresh before attending a wedding and I only had about 90 minutes before a dinner reservation. I called beforehand about 2 hours before arriving and they took me in on-time (it was move-in weekend for MIT and Harvard which is a notoriously bad time of year for busy crowds in the area). Tony did an excellent job overall, he focused the right amount of time on food scrubbing and foot massage. He also was very quick and efficiently at working through my gel manicure, while making sure each nail was thoroughly painted and cured. I have damaged nail beds from various finger and foot injuries and working around my ridges can be quite a battle! I was in and out within 75 minutes. The place was also pretty clean overall and seemed to be the go-to mail spot in the area (every other nail salon has terrible ratings on Yelp). $65 for a regular pedi + gel mani is a pretty average rate for larger cities. The only reason it doesn't get 5 stairs is the non-gel nail color selection was pretty limited outside of hot pinks, reds and random fun colors (I couldn't find a toe nail polish to match my gel polish...yet coral pink is a pretty standard color for most salons). Also, there were a few stray nail filings and polish marks on my skin that I had to smooth out later on my own. Nothing horrible that would keep me from coming back again on future trips, if I had more time I would have asked him to fix them before leaving but I knew I could do it on my own no problem.
After messing up my nails with press ons and poor quality glue, I wanted to fix them ASAP and got an appointment here for Monday at 5:30pm. I was slightly wary of the other reviews on Google, but I wanted to give the place a chance since more recent reviews seem positive. When I got there, all of the nail technicians were still working on other people so they didn't get to me until 6pm. The man who did my nails (Tony I believe?) paid careful attention to the shape and color and made all of the adjustments I asked for during the process. The shape, length, and color turned out perfectly! The base total came out to $55, and they prefer tip in cash.
I've been here a few more times and I like it. After a getting a refill twice here I find they're gel mani are definitely way better. I also get gel pedis and they both last very long. My nails break easily that's why I been getting acrylics but they do such a good job with the gel it last long. Any breakage is solely due to my brittle nails.
Was a teeny bit pricey (but in the context of COVID and the extra precautions and materials salons need to purchase to keep their customers safe, this is worth it!) I got a dip powder set and it came out beautifully! Very friendly service :)
Above & Beyond! Tina did my nails & I have never had someone pay so much attention to detail - I was blown away by how she took her time & truly wanted to give me the best Manicure. It's easy to want to push people in and out in order to squeeze more folks in, but that's not the case at HBS they treat you with kindness and care.
Gave this place another try after a pretty messy manicure two years ago. My assessment of this location has not changed - while some parts of the manicure process are meticulous and careful (they do a thorough job shaping the nails), other crucial aspects of their manicures are unfortunately lacking. The end result is barely passable, and I will not be returning. The ok: Manicurists are nice, but they won't try to talk to you. Their color selection is ok: mostly pinks/reds, but they don't carry any bold (fluorescent, glitter, brights) options. Prices are lower end of normal: paid $40 before tip for full set of dip acrylic. The not good: Removal of my existing manicure was a bit messy. I can understand not needing to be 100% thorough with removal because a new set would be on top, but the removal process was uneven, leading to lumps in the final product. Something about their dipping technique or powder (they do use the OPI dip acrylic bonding kit, but not the OPI powders for color) leads to uneven color distribution. I have bands of color where some areas are actually see-through. I've been getting dip acrylic for years and have never had a see-through result or such uneven application. They either need to switch powders (why is it so sheer?), or use more than the standard 2 dips.
I've been trying to find a nail spot in Boston that won't leave me bleeding and I guess this place did not cut me up real bad like the stores in newbury however the women here severely rush the process and the paint job is just terrible. So uneven and doesn't try to fix the unevenness of the nails. I also left the place with gel nail polish on my hands smh
My nails came out perfect! I only had a wait a few minutes after my appt before they started on me, which is the case with every salon. Employee was polite and got the job done quickly without it feeling rushed. $35 gel mani is competitive pricing in this area as well
4 months ago
5 months ago
5 months ago
1 year ago
3 years ago
UPDATE: My nails chipped on the second day, but they were nice enough to fix my nails free of charge, and also fixed the wonky French tip, so am updating my review. Unfortunately did not have a good experience here. The staff were really sweet and friendly, but I paid $45 for a gel manicure that looks like I just dipped my fingers in white-out. The polish is streaky, french tip is wonky, and the polish doesn't even cover some of my nails. Maybe would be an ok place for a one-color basic manicure, but not for anything else. Honestly should have asked for a refund but felt bad because the lady doing my nails was so nice. The other reviews mentioning French tip manicures had better results, but those reviews were over 5 years ago, so it looks like things have changed. read more
This is my second visit to this business. 16 days later the gel manicure is intact! Except for where I nicked it with a knife in the kitchen which is no one's fault but mine. Ivy did the removal, reshaping + cuticle trim, application of a new color, and quick hand + arm massage - very kind and professional and efficient. Super happy with the quality. $38 for the set and very consistent experience with my first time here. Thank you again! Highly recommend this nail salon to anyone. Everyone I have interacted with so far is wonderful. This is the only nail salon I have ever been to where the staff will provide helpful commentary and suggestions for colors and designs if you request it. read more
I walked past this place several (covid) times and always noticed how strictly they're following covid precautions (social distancing, limited number of people, and plexi glasses). AND they have massage chairs (bc let's be real, pedicures aren't the same without it). So I decided to try it out. I made an appointment by calling in, the staff was very nice and accommodated me same day. When I walked in, there was only one more customer. They took my temperature and made me sanitize my hands before taking me in. I got a regular manicure and pedicure ($45). I am very satisfied with the service and work! They were sure to take my contact details for contact tracing. I'll definitely be coming back. read more
Tony and team came to the rescue on my vacation; I didn't have time to get my nails done before leaving San Francisco. They needed a refresh before attending a wedding and I only had about 90 minutes before a dinner reservation. I called beforehand about 2 hours before arriving and they took me in on-time (it was move-in weekend for MIT and Harvard which is a notoriously bad time of year for busy crowds in the area). Tony did an excellent job overall, he focused the right amount of time on food scrubbing and foot massage. He also was very quick and efficiently at working through my gel manicure, while making sure each nail was thoroughly painted and cured. I have damaged nail beds from various finger and foot injuries and working around my ridges can be quite a battle! I was in and out within 75 minutes. The place was also pretty clean overall and seemed to be the go-to mail spot in the area (every other nail salon has terrible ratings on Yelp). $65 for a regular pedi + gel mani is a pretty average rate for larger cities. The only reason it doesn't get 5 stairs is the non-gel nail color selection was pretty limited outside of hot pinks, reds and random fun colors (I couldn't find a toe nail polish to match my gel polish...yet coral pink is a pretty standard color for most salons). Also, there were a few stray nail filings and polish marks on my skin that I had to smooth out later on my own. Nothing horrible that would keep me from coming back again on future trips, if I had more time I would have asked him to fix them before leaving but I knew I could do it on my own no problem. read more
2 years ago
After messing up my nails with press ons and poor quality glue, I wanted to fix them ASAP and got an appointment here for Monday at 5:30pm. I was slightly wary of the other reviews on Google, but I wanted to give the place a chance since more recent reviews seem positive. When I got there, all of the nail technicians were still working on other people so they didn't get to me until 6pm. The man who did my nails (Tony I believe?) paid careful attention to the shape and color and made all of the adjustments I asked for during the process. The shape, length, and color turned out perfectly! The base total came out to $55, and they prefer tip in cash. read more
2 years ago
2 years ago
4 years ago
I've been here a few more times and I like it. After a getting a refill twice here I find they're gel mani are definitely way better. I also get gel pedis and they both last very long. My nails break easily that's why I been getting acrylics but they do such a good job with the gel it last long. Any breakage is solely due to my brittle nails. read more
6 years ago
Was a teeny bit pricey (but in the context of COVID and the extra precautions and materials salons need to purchase to keep their customers safe, this is worth it!) I got a dip powder set and it came out beautifully! Very friendly service :) read more
2 years ago
5 years ago
Above & Beyond! Tina did my nails & I have never had someone pay so much attention to detail - I was blown away by how she took her time & truly wanted to give me the best Manicure. It's easy to want to push people in and out in order to squeeze more folks in, but that's not the case at HBS they treat you with kindness and care. read more
Gave this place another try after a pretty messy manicure two years ago. My assessment of this location has not changed - while some parts of the manicure process are meticulous and careful (they do a thorough job shaping the nails), other crucial aspects of their manicures are unfortunately lacking. The end result is barely passable, and I will not be returning. The ok: Manicurists are nice, but they won't try to talk to you. Their color selection is ok: mostly pinks/reds, but they don't carry any bold (fluorescent, glitter, brights) options. Prices are lower end of normal: paid $40 before tip for full set of dip acrylic. The not good: Removal of my existing manicure was a bit messy. I can understand not needing to be 100% thorough with removal because a new set would be on top, but the removal process was uneven, leading to lumps in the final product. Something about their dipping technique or powder (they do use the OPI dip acrylic bonding kit, but not the OPI powders for color) leads to uneven color distribution. I have bands of color where some areas are actually see-through. I've been getting dip acrylic for years and have never had a see-through result or such uneven application. They either need to switch powders (why is it so sheer?), or use more than the standard 2 dips. read more
3 years ago
I've been trying to find a nail spot in Boston that won't leave me bleeding and I guess this place did not cut me up real bad like the stores in newbury however the women here severely rush the process and the paint job is just terrible. So uneven and doesn't try to fix the unevenness of the nails. I also left the place with gel nail polish on my hands smh read more
2 years ago
4 years ago
My nails came out perfect! I only had a wait a few minutes after my appt before they started on me, which is the case with every salon. Employee was polite and got the job done quickly without it feeling rushed. $35 gel mani is competitive pricing in this area as well read more
5 years ago
4 years ago
Tony did my gel nails and pedi. He's really good and fast! Gel mani and gel pedi were $78 total read more
8 years ago
Went in to fix my former nail extension and gel French manicure and ended up with satisfying results beyond my expectation. Vihn and his wife were very welcoming and made recommendations to how to improve my current nails which were too thick and hard to maintain. I went with the dipping method French manicure they recommended and loved the lightness and natural look it works out on my nails. Vihn is very experienced at what he does and I was really touched by his attention to detail as well as professionalism. I definitely recommend the business and will return for my next job. read more
9 years ago
ORANGE, PURPLE AND GREEN, OH MY! If you plan on getting color done, DO NOT COME HERE. It is an absolute waste of your time, money, and you risk destroying your hair. I spent my whole Saturday here only to have my hair be PURPLE at the top and GREEN at the bottom. This was after the first stylist botched the first round of coloring and turned my hair orange, tried to fix it and turned it orange, green and purple, then another stylist tried to cover it up with a very dark brown which was actually dark purple and green which I just had to pay another salon several hundred dollars to fix. WHAT HAPPENED: I came here three days ago for a single-process color and cut. The cut was fine, but the color was horrendous to say the least. I arrived with a lot of natural growth and ombré at the ends (most of which was cut off anyway). I wanted the color to be ash-blonde, not far off of my natural color. I explained to my hairstylist that I wanted dark ash blonde, he proceeded to turn me into some color of yellow-light-blonde with orange roots (after being in the salon for 2 hours to have this done to me). It looked tolerable under the salon lighting, but when I got home and pulled my hair back into a ponytail, my husband and I were horrified to see all the orange. I had to go back and fix it. I came back at about 1:30 in the afternoon to allow the first stylist to fix his mistakes. He was completely incompetent with the colors he was using. While he was washing my hair out from the second round of dying, I saw that he had made the ends green. While washing, he ran to the back room to grab another bottle of something purple, proceeded to dump it over my head in a rush, then rinse it out quickly. I felt uneasy looking at it while it was wet, but he said, "be patient until it's dry to see the color" but I could tell it was looking pretty bad. When he dried it, I HAD ORANGE HAIR IN THE BACK OF MY HEAD, PURPLE IN THE FRONT, AND GREEN AT THE ENDS. At this point I could not walk out of the salon or be seen on the street period. I begged the other stylist, Tony, to fix it. He asked me what color I wanted and I said, "dark-ash-blonde" and showed him the photo of my example as I had done with the stylist before him, the model who is blonde in a dark-ashy way. At this point though, I was even fine with something closer to my natural color. However, what I got was a very dark brown, which at this point felt like something I could live with. At least if I could walk out of the salon without looking like a circus act, I was feeling ok. However, when I looked under normal light, that "brown" was in fact purple, and it did nothing to remedy the green at the bottom. The photo I leave you with is of me today with the purple-green hair. As I said before, I ended up having to shell out a couple hundred dollars to have this fixed. I am happy that I could at least get it fixed without my hair falling out. It's not worth a lower price if you end up having to pay for a botched job. I was also not offered a refund despite the fact that I had to spend my entire day there. read more
Business owner information
Toni T.
Sorry about ur experience. Your hair need corrective color but u…
7 years ago
Went here for a gel pedicure and a dip manicure. The pedicure was great and I loved it. However, the dip manicure was the worst manicure I've ever gotten. One, it wasn't sanitary at all (nail instruments and towels were reused). Two, they didn't soak my hands and she wasn't even going to cut my cuticles until I made her cut them and clean them up (also they used the electric file on my skin and I have cuts in my skin now from it). And three, the dip manicure came out so terrible I'm actually getting them re-done tomorrow. They came out so thick and the top coat was not smooth at all (multiple nails were gloopy from the top coat). The didn't even clean off my fingers from the dip and I can't get it off. I came in around 6 and I left at 830. I understand she wanted to leave but I came in at a reasonable time. For the price I paid for a manicure and pedicure ($85 not including tip) I don't think I deserved to have such a shoddy job. I don't recommend for a dip manicure. read more
6 years ago
Nails look terrible- lady was on the phone screaming the whole time while doing them and was getting her roots done at the same time. So unprofessional. Never going back. read more
7 years ago
I was initially concerned after reading some negative reviews, but was desperate after the closure of Soleil in Central Square. Called this place up to check availability and was told to come right in. When I arrived I was warmly greeted in a clean well lit space. I had a manicure and pedicure from Tina, who was delightful. She repeatedly said I could come back at any time if I smudged or chipped the nails. Prices were fair and they accepted Venmo. I will definitely be back. (Minus 1 star because the services were slow...but methodical and attentive) read more
4 years ago
3 years ago
7 years ago
8 years ago
Business owner information
Toni T.
Thank you Amella C. For good review
7 years ago
$30 Regular gel manicure. It was good, two colors are better than one! 4 out of 5 starts just because they don't have bright yellow to match with the hot pink so I picked lime instead read more
7 years ago
5 years ago
7 years ago
I've had a few terrible/painful experiences getting tips that I'll never forget, and this was one of them. I got dip polish on top of tips ($50). In some places, the nail is not smooth, and in other spots the color is not consistent. Worse, my technician did not do a good dry manicure before the dip application and wound up having the dip polish too close to the cuticle. She then used the electric file on skin PAST the true cuticle to create the illusion of a clean cuticle. This left both thumbs and two fingers bleeding at the cuticle, and she used some unknown blue substance at one point to blot/hold off the bleeding. The cuticles sting at multiple points throughout the process. The clear coat on top is NOT smooth on many fingers and instead looks grainy. Also left dried dip residue on five fingers. I will never return. read more
Business owner information
Toni T.
Hello chandra s . We are very sorry to hear you weren’t satisfied…
5 years ago
5 years ago
Clean and professional studio, and very relaxing and beautiful gel mani-pedis for myself and a friend. Super friendly too! read more
8 years ago
I went into Harvard nail salon and was pleased to see they offered both nail and hair services I got my hair done and feet done first both service done with professionalism but when it came to my hands I can not say that it was nothing less then hostility and unwillingness to serve me and my nail needs the man cut off my nails and said he could do my set after a full hr of sitting with him! I sat there shocked VERY UNPROFESSIONAL I strongly recommend that anyone looking to get there nails done here steer clear! I will post a picture above of the hack job I received on this pleasant Sunday afternoon read more
8 years ago
I get manicures extremely rarely, but I felt like treating myself, so I got a gel manicure ($30). Richard did it, and he was absolutely lovely - we had a jolly conversation and were joking like old friends by the time the polish was trying. He did a beautiful job too, as my picture shows. read more
6 years ago
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More info about Harvard Beauty Spa
997 Massachusetts Ave
Cambridge, MA 02119
Mid-Cambridge, Central Square
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(617) 945-2955
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How much is a manicure and pedicure with regular polish?
The price for manicure and pedicure with regular polish is $55
Review Highlights - Harvard Beauty Spa
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