This is my second review for Vanna at Inspire Nails, and it's well-deserved. I've been seeing her for the past several months, and I couldn't be happier that I've finally found my forever nail technician. I'm usually a very simple, plain-style person, but she convinced me to try these beautiful holiday nails I'm sharing--and I'm obsessed! Vanna is truly one of the last great nail techs in the DC area. She's professional, her work is flawless, her attention to detail is unmatched, and she has such a warm, positive energy. Every appointment feels relaxing and worth every minute. Highly recommend! read more

Inspire Nail Bar - Gel X Fill - Nail Salons Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I've been coming to Inspire Nail Bar for about 2 years now every single month. They've maintained a very clean space and it's been great to watch the team grow. I love coming to Lily to get my gel pedicure. She is so friendly and sweet and is great at what she does. She always ensures that you leave happy. Highly recommend her or really any of the techs here. I've never had a bad pedicure. Also note, they have happy hour Monday- Wednesday opening till 2 pm I believe where you get a discount and then if you book online you can get 10-15% off your service. Check them out, they're right next to the red line Rhode Island stop read more

See all

I never get my nails done but wanted to treat myself to a manicure and pedicure for my BIRTHDAY (Saturday). The pedicure was not done well, no scrubbing or massage. I asked for water and had to ask again. But this isn't where it goes wrong. After she quickly did my nails I noticed the edges were sloppy. I could see MY nail and the old polish I had that she (Tammy Tran) did not fully remove. I asked them to clean it up and she did. I cried a little as I was so upset by her lack of care. I want to add that for the original job, Tammy did not: 1. Prep the nail tip, my nail bed. 2. Didn't clip my cuticles. 3. Add cuticle oil. 4. Completely remove old polish. 5. Left little bubbles in the Polish. By Wednesday the left thumb nail popped off. I returned and they said they would redo it and give me a gift card. I asked to just fix the thumbnail and took the giftcard. The next day, Thursday, the right pointer nail popped off. I went back and gently asked if they could redo the set. I've done press ons on myself that have lasted longer! They started being weird about it and said I needed to use the gift card. I'm here exhausted from work and lost my voice and they want to argue with me on this. Then the new tech asked if I wanted a design and I said yes. They again were like use the gift card. Bad business. I went to the salon three times in one week becuase of their laziness! I'm not spending anymore money here! The nail tech who redid my set did an AMAZING job. She took her time and paid attention to detail. Sent HER a nice tip! Overall, Gonna stick to my ethos and DIY my nails! Money and time wasted. read more

See all

What I love is they accept walk ins or last minute appointment requests. The location is easily accessible and it's a nice large space. What gives me pause is that the two times I've gone I have had nail image issues--either wrong shape or dips in my nail when looking sideways. I think pricing is fair. I will happily try again. read more

Inspire Nail Bar - Nail Salons Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I started to go to inspire nails at Bryant street about 6 months ago. I decided to visit for the first time because I was looking for a salon that offered a builder gel manicure. I tried 3 different nail techs before working with Anna and I'm glad that I was able to get in her chair. She has provided me with the most thorough and clean builder gel manicure/fill out of the 4 techs I experienced. She has shaped my nails so beautifully! Although a cuticle removal is not included in the manicure, my nails always look healthy and clean after my service. I appreciate her talent and the care she takes for my nails. Each time with Anna my nails have maintained their structure and have not chipped until I returned to the salon. The most recent visit was 4 weeks after my previous, her work lasts! I will continue to return to Anna to take care of my nails. The salon itself is always clean and bright. All of the staff are friendly and I'm always offered something to drink. It's a calming environment that I enjoy visiting. read more

Inspire Nail Bar - Nail Salons Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

See all

I like it here! It's also in a very convenient location lol. It is right next to the train station if you are commuting and right next to a whole bunch of food spots so that you can get food after if you'd like. The workers are nice and attentive, but of course it depends on who's here when you come. Their gel pedicure always lasts a long time! The regular nail polish often chips quickly but I feel like that happens with any regular mani/pedi read more

Inspire Nail Bar - Gel pedicure - Nail Salons Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I had my fill in done by another place. They took it off, and I got gelx the nails were done beautifully. The tech was pleasant. The issue for me is the price I payed 100 for everything which I knew would be more because the fill in she had to fix. But when I called about the price for Refill for gelx they said 60' and up huh ?? No I need the price. I didn't like that read more

Inspire Nail Bar - Fresh - Nail Salons Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

See all

Most of the techs are not experienced. I've had an entire service done over because the tech was so bad. This caused me to be in the salon for over 2 hours for SNS. Just about every service that I've had lasted for less than a week. They will fix things for you if you go back, but that's very inconvenient. read more

I have now had two disappointing experiences here. For the first, I take a lot of responsibility so I wasn't going to review. But the second one solidified it. For context, I've only gotten pedicures/manicures maybe 5 times before this. I really only do it before trips because I like painting my nails at home. I've also only been to one nail place prior to trying Inspire. I've tried dip powder twice, which damaged my nails. So I was not interested in a gel (or dip) manicure when coming here because I heard gel can be even more damaging. I just wanted to do the Mimosa pedicure and just a regular manicure. Based on their online prices, I expected to pay about $75-80 before tip. I told them this was what I wanted. They had me look at nail colors while getting my pedicure and I had picked one at after looking for a while. My nail tech told me I should look at the books they also brought over, so I did and found a color I really liked. So I told her that was what I wanted. 10+ minutes after I told her, she basically said "oh you know that's gel right?" I had not known that. But I didn't want to go back through and search for a different color so I decided to try it. She had also shown me her nail and that she did a heart design in it (the polish I chose was magnetic). I told her it was pretty, but never said that was what I wanted done to mine. When painting my toes, she did the heart design on my big toes. Since it was too late before I realized it, I just told her that I didn't want that on my fingernails. She then also told me she was going to use builder gel on my nails. Anyway, this is a long explanation, but I wound up being charged $188. I knew some things would be an upcharge, and I absolutely should have asked and also been more firm about what I did not want. But I also think some responsibility is on my tech because, if the suggestions she is making are going to cost $100 more than anticipated, I feel they should be transparent. However, again, I am inexperienced with this and understand I had a responsibility too. Additionally, while I liked my nails, I had one chip within 3 days. All others were fine, but was just another frustrating part of the experience. However, I came back a few weeks later to get the gel polish removed. I *just* wanted it removed, no polish change, because i dont have the tools at home to do it. I told them this when I came in and was questioned by the person at the desk. I reiterated what I wanted. I was also questioned by the guy who did the removal. Not just once, though- I would understand that. But no less than 5 more times. He kept asking me why I didn't want a polish change too. I explained I like to do my nails at home. I said this at least twice. Another time he asked, I stated that I just got them done for vacation. It was super uncomfortable, as it clearly upset him and i was treated like an inconvenience. Which maybe I would be more understanding of if it weren't dead when I got there. But there were at least 4-5 employees just sitting in the massage chairs (I have no problem with this, this is just how dead it was - it also may have been their break time, though ‍). And there was only one other customer on the pedicure side. They had a price on their website for the gel removal itself ($8) and a separate price for if you do it with a polish change ($5). If it isn't a service you want to offer, then i suggest you don't have it on your website. I also was charged $23. I should have asked for a receipt, but I just wanted to pay and leave. I still tipped appropriately for both services (I *did* receive the services afterall), but I will not be returning here. And while I wouldn't say don't go here for quality reasons (my mani and pedi were fine), but just know they will likely try to upsell and be sure to ask what everything is if they suggest something. Again, fully understand this may have been my own ignorance, but I just feel there was a lack of transparency. And there was just absolutely no excuse for my second experience there. read more

I've been coming here for about 2 years since I moved to the area. Anna is my go to gal! I get the dip manicure about once a month, because that's how long they typically last! She is amazing and professional... read more

I came here unplanned and on my birthday, as I had a medical appointment at a hospital nearby. I was immediately greeted and serviced for a gel pedi. My technician was the beautiful, Vanna! Not only is she very experienced but she also has amazing customer service which made a me feel welcome and seen. She's also very funny. After this visit, I plan to bring my mom visiting from out of state as well as my three daughters for pedicures in a couple of weeks. Very beautiful and open facility and friendly workers. I love my nails short and ended up getting an acrylic overlay as well. read more

Inspire Nail Bar - Acrylic overlay w/ French - Nail Salons Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

It's Valentine's Day and I had an appointment for a gel manicure and regular pedicure. I came in and wasn't seated until an hour after I arrived. The person who began my pedicure was switched in the middle of the service for no clear reason. He took about 5 minutes to situate himself after being directed to me during the hand off. Me and another customer looked at each other in pure confusion. Several customers were serviced before I even got seated and then came in after me. We all talked about the disorganization as we watched people get randomly taken over walk-ins despite many of us having appointments. It's a beautiful salon but they're definitely not able to accommodate high volume days with ease. read more

Inspire Nail Bar - Front desk - Nail Salons Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I went with my sister for her wedding nails and I was happy with the service. HOWEVER, this time I went it was truly horrible. The woman who did my nails made me bleed 3 times. My nails have streaks in the and are risen (way too thick). She kept shaving my nails down so they are extremely short. They look horrible so now I'm going home to re-do them myself. I tried to take pictures but they don't capture how bad they look. read more

See all

I love this nail salon! It is so beautiful and everyone is so nice. Jennifer gave me a gorgeous manicure! read more

Inspire Nail Bar - Nail Salons Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

First time here from out of town. Convenient location with lots of parking for a fee. $35 for a basic pedicure. No complaints and nothing to brag about. Don't forget to ask for your free champagne. Plenty of seats and colors to choose from. Ladies are all very pleasant and the place is very clean. If In the area, I would visit again. read more

Inspire Nail Bar - Found blue to match my toes. Basic Pedicure and free champagne. - Nail Salons Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I got a gel polish pedicure and it was peeling the same day I called to get my money back and they they have a no refund policy but it says it nowhere in the store. they don't have pricing up so you don't know how much you are paying for anything. I staTed in the being if they didn't have anyone who could keep my nails looking the say way then don't worry about it but they claimed they could my nails look bulky and they aren't sharp. I was there for almost 4hrs and paid 125 for this mess!!! I don't recommend them at all. Save yourself the trouble read more

See all

This was a pleasant surprise. I popped into this nail today with the goal of getting a simple pedicure to kick off the new year. I walked in right when they open and was greeted immediately. I loved that they have an electronic check in process making it easy and seamless. The space was cute and clean! My nail tech was very nice and paid close attention to my nails. They have lots of pedicure options creating a great spa experience. I am happy to have the space in NE and will absolutely be coming back. read more

Inspire Nail Bar - Simple funny bunny - Nail Salons Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I have been to this saloon a few times and the experience has been ok overall. I got an acrylic set done other times and while I was never thrilled about the result, I was satisfied. Also because the salon is pretty close to me and in a very convenient location. Last time I went in for an appointment was last Saturday morning. I had a gel color on my nails and wanted to get an acrylic set. It's important to highlight that they always kept the same technicians there and they did a good job, the past two times I have been there it was a completely different team. This man proceeds to bring some plastic tips - which was not what I always used to get. I let him know but I he kept ignoring it. I didn't want to make a scene because I had good experiences there in the past. I was very bothered by how long he asked me to keep my hands in the uv cabin, I have gotten my nails done before and it was NEVER that long. I let him know but he still brushed it off and pushed my hand in the uv cabin. I see this whole experience was mostly my fault because I could have simply walked out and said I changed my mind. The man was asking instructions on how do to it to this guy that walked by. I ended paying 70$ for this, got home and tried taking if off, which ruined my nails. Lesson learned and never going back. read more

See all

Cindy was excellent- she took her time and made sure my nails looked just right. She took care of my builder gel nails with great care- will request again! read more

It's 2023, and I'm one of the only guys left who's never gotten nail services. Inspire Nail Bar opened about a week ago in my apartment building; my unit is exactly three stories up from the front entrance. This was the perfect time for me to go for it. I've basically watched them build the salon. So it was surreal going downstairs and seeing what that skeletal space had become in a blink. I sent pictures to my boy up in Baltimore, and he said it was giving him '90s mall throwbacks--the GOOD ol' days. It's absolutely beautiful in there, as the first half of the salon is a sea of manicure stations and walls of polish. To the right of the entrance is the front desk, and left is the checkin kiosk. Duc, the owner (?) was at the helm that Saturday, and led me to the seating area in the second half of the salon, with complimentary snacks, a bin of swatches, and the neon/shrubs motif that's popular nowadays. But my favorite aspect was the green bubble fountains. The overall look of the place, paired with the calming ambient music, was the exact vibe I needed after a dizzying week. With a 2:30 appointment, my service began at around 2:40 or so, as expected. During the wait, the owner offered a drink, and I chose a mimosa. Soon after, my chair was ready, with Tao (?), his wife, as my technician. As I write this, it appears to only be a staff of three so far at this location including the owner, naturally until business picks up. The treatment started with a warm soak for a few minutes. My technician briefly handed me a menu book, but I already knew what I wanted thanks to the website. The services are named after drinks, with the Sea Breeze serving as the base, for the most part. Like my drink request soon after checkin at the kiosk, I got a Mimosa. After the soak came a nail and cuticle trim. She knew it was my first pedicure, so she explained each of the steps. Next was an underfoot scrub with a little sponge and moisturizer, followed by a mango exfoliating gel on my feet and legs, and a mango moisturizing mask in the same place, later wrapped in a warm towel. After everything was set and rinsed, a specialized lotion was applied. From here, polish is usually put on. This is all totally optional. But sure, why not? For obvious reasons, I just went ahead with a clear protective coat. I only needed 10 minutes or so to let it dry, and I was free to go. As I looked up from Reddit during the wait, I let out a quiet, "Wow." I dunno--sitting there, I just felt kinda powerful, the same way most men feel at the barbershop. You're getting yourself ready for the world, and this is all part of how you present yourself. And as they say, cleanliness is next to godliness. So next will be a manicure. I won't be weird posting super tight shots of my bare feet on here. But rest assured that the polish is 1000% subtle and merely restores luster. And the mimosas--both the drink *and* the treatment--were really good. At $45 ($35 due to a promo) and a little over an hour of relaxation, Inspire Nails will be part of my regular routine. read more

See all

Pedicures are always nice & last forever. I normally arrive as soon as they open on Saturday mornings and am always quickly serviced. Nice calm and serene environment. My baby also loves coming with me because of all the attention he gets from the super friendly staff lol! read more

Inspire nail bar was fine to visit, but their scheduling is really poor. Even if you make an appointment beforehand, you may still end up waiting for 30 minutes or more. It's nice because they give you refreshments while you get your nails done, but it's clear that they are very short staffed which turns the experience sour. My nails started chipping after a gel manicure which was very odd and has never happened before when I get gel at other salons. I went to get it fixed and the new nail polish they used basically stained my nails after they removed the gel. It was overall pretty unprofessional and I will not be returning for a pedicure or manicure. Still rehabbing my nails and growing them back out after my visit here. read more

This place gave me a solid builder gel fill-in and my hands look quite nice, but I found the pedicure experience overpriced and not great. You're shown a "menu" when you sit for a pedicure featuring different kinds of pedis. I sprung for the one a step above a regular pedicure because it said it was 35 minutes compared to the 25 minutes of the regular pedicure and because it mentioned exfoliation, which I am used to being included in a pedicure, but that's neither here nor there. The difference in price was about 10 dollars bringing the cost of my pedicure up to 45 dollars. I happened to be doing a timed project on my computer while she worked on my feet and noticed when she finished with me, my timer said 22 minutes. This was barely the length of their standard pedi. I wouldn't have cared about the time if the pedi felt thorough but I didn't feel I paid for anything "deluxe". Not to mention, to scrape heels is 8 dollars extra which I passed on. Again, that's something I'm used to being included-especially for a 45 dollar above basic pedicure that felt very rushed. Would come back for nails but not the pedicure. read more

Workers are heavily micromanaged and only a couple of "techs" are experienced nail techs. Would not go back!!! And will learn how to do my own nails. read more

Absolutely adored my experience. I've been getting acrylics for years, but my manicure at Inspire was the fastest and best manicure I've received! Not only do I love my set; I appreciated the full manicure experience. the employees were all kind and the salon was very clean. Will be returning and recommending to my friends! read more

Inspire Nail Bar - Full set acrylics - Nail Salons Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I had a great experience with Wendy today. They were available for walk ins and I got an sns dip powder manicure. Wendy was great, efficient, and had great energy. I'm glad I'm nearby so I can stop in for manicures! read more

See all

I met with Rachel for mani pedi. She is very professional and accommodating. I really like my pedicure and my mani is stellar. Thanks Rachel. Hope to see you soon read more

Inspire Nail Bar - Pedi - Nail Salons Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

See all

What a great first experience with Wendy! Inspire Nail Bar is so clean, fun staff, and such a cute vibe! 100% coming back to see Wendy again! read more

Inspire Nail Bar - Nail Salons Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Hannah was wonderful!!! She did a wonderful job on my nails! I love them. The place has a very friendly and welcoming staff! read more

Inspire Nail Bar - Hannah's Beautiful Design!! - Nail Salons Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I love this nail salon! It's super clean and the service is amazing. I will definitely be back. Vanna was amazing. read more

Inspire Nail Bar - Nail Salons Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

On 4/14/25 I decided to come to inspire nail salon to get a full set of acrylic nails. I showed the nail tech an inspo pic and asked for it be replicated. To begin with she suggested gel x to which I responded "No thank you, acrylic is fine." When she returns to the table with my polish she has a box of gel x nails. I then ask her what is that and remind her that I requested acrylic nails. My reference photo was an image of stiletto french tip nails. When doing my french tip she struggled to which I corrected her and told her what I wanted. As I tried to show her the photo, she cut me off and told me to put my other hand back under the lamp and that she understood what I wanted. She did not! Not to mention the shaping was still almond like after telling her I wanted stiletto which means "V" shaped, sharp, and pointy. After finishing the first hand I said that they looked wonky verbatim to which she huffed and puffed. There was also two hairs on my nail that I pointed out to her and asked for her to file away at. She then looked and told me "put your hand back under the lamp". When walking up to register to pay, I notified her again that the nails were not what I wanted and pointed out the hair. I said verbatim "Hey, I am still going to pay and tip you accordingly, but I want to let you know that this line work is horrible." I do not understand why if she could not do something to my liking that she didn't offer my nails up to a different nail tech. In all I like my nails to be perfected as much as possible especially at the rate that I am paying. The establishment was beautiful, there just needs to be remediation in attitude and skill! read more

Inspire Nail Bar - The reference - Nail Salons Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

See all

This place is new and very clean. I got a pedicure and full set mani and it came out so pretty. The manicurist Vanna did a great job! I would definetely come back. read more

Inspire Nail Bar - Manicure (full set French tip with silver accent) - Nail Salons Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

See all

Love the nails! I got a mani-pedi from John, and Rachel painted the little gold fish. Very relaxing environment. I walked in around 5:30 pm and was quickly serviced. Everyone was very nice. Will definitely go again! read more

Inspire Nail Bar - Gel manicure on natural nails (I asked for cuticles to be pushed back instead of cut) - Nail Salons Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I had a terrible experience at this nail salon. The pedicure artist was named Tiffany. She was completely unprofessional. She kept talking while she worked. She cut my toe. I was in so much pain, my toe was swollen and had pus, I went to the doctor and they told me my toe was infected. I will see her when I can walk on my feet again. If you care about your health, never let Tiffany touch your feet. I highly recommend finding a reputable nail salon and professional technicians. read more

Inspire Nail Bar - Nail Salons Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I've gotten my nails done (basic manicure) three here three times now and they never disappoint! Wendy is so kind and did a great job with my nails. The vibe is very much spa, very relaxing. A great experience all around! read more

Inspire Nail Bar - Nail Salons Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

See all

After my original review I came back on June 11 to give them another shot with a classic pedicure. It's now June 28 and my toes are both infected from their lack of product sanitation! I have never had this experience before and have no other reason for this to happen. Do not go here if you're expecting a clean place. I wish I could get them to pay for my doctors appointment to fix this. read more

I always have exceptional service when I come. However, you have to know who to go to ( not telling your not taking my spot). But, they have options with the types of pedicures like lemongrass, champagne and roses. read more

I decided to try out inspire nails as it was new in the neighborhood. The atmosphere in the salon is very nice, chill and inviting. The workers are really sweet and explained to us how to check in aswell as shows us to the wall of all the colors to pick a polish. I was offered a complimentary drink I got champagne but they also had water and mimosa I believe. I got a gel manicure and was serviced by Wendy. She was very sweet and attentive to the color combo I wanted. I did a darker pink underneath and a lighter one on top and she helped suggest the way to layer them. To my surprise it was a very basic clean and cut of my nails. There was barely any cuticle cleaning which I had to ask for extra before she started to apply the polish. I'm used to a more deeper clean of your nails when getting a manicure so I was not very happy with the process. I did like my nails at the end but was skeptical about if I would return. Before I left I did read their policy on coming back within 7 days of your nails chipped if you had a gel manicure and thank God I did. As seen in the photos my nails after 3-4 days looked like I had them for atleast 2 weeks. I wasn't very happy as it was only about 3 days before my nails started peeling. I'm used to gel manicure ms lasting atleast 2 weeks if not I might aswell get a regular manicure. I did go back on the 7th day and was helped with redoing 2 of my fingers. I called and they were happy to help redo the fingers that were coming off. I was almost charged for a top coat on all my fingers as I was trying to make sure my nails could last a bit longer. I'm not sure I will be returning as I would want to get my moneys worth. It's a nice salon but maybe being a bit more thorough with the nails can help and maybe different polish? Not sure, nonetheless It was an ok experience. read more

See all

Was treated wonderfully by Wendy! This place is beautiful--clean and everyone is so friendly and professional. Many high quality nail colors to choose from. Highly recommend for all of your manicure/pedicure needs! read more

Inspire Nail Bar - Winter pedicure! - Nail Salons Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Super cute salon, and the staff was wonderful! I'm from out of town and popped in to kill some time. Definitely would become a regular if I lived closer! read more

Inspire Nail Bar - Nail Salons Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia