BB did a fantastic job on my husband's pedicure. We made an appt online the night before and the salon confirmed immediately. Hubby was in need of a nail clipping and thinning and wanted a basic foot massage and moisturizer. BB went above and beyond! He was very happy with the service and said he'd request her specifically moving forward. We enjoyed the salon and the staff - everyone was amazing. Good vibe. read more

Being serviced here for 5 months. I text my tech to be serviced today she messages oh no longer working Mondays. I come in today and look who is here "Linda". I'm beyond pissed. Now I'm being serviced by a lady who doesn't know how to do anything. My nails are naturally long and I only do dip and design and every tech always wants me to do the gel because it's faster for them to service. Absolutely not I tried once and all my nails broke off, I can't do gel or acrylic. I tip her well because she takes her time and I have headphones in the whole service, but to lie to me, the only reason I can assume is due to how long the service takes. Service was great until now, they've lost a client! read more

My visit to Inspire was unusually disappointing, and while the shop managers did promptly address the situation, I feel compelled to share what happened as an example of the type of salon experience and quality of service you might encounter by going to this shop in the first place. For context, I had a pre-scheduled appointment and arrived early to the salon with clear regular nail polish on my hands, and colored regular nail polish on my toes. I booked a pedicure w/ regular polish and a gel manicure. Here are some of the things I experienced: - My appointment started 30min after my scheduled start time. I understand that things get busy, but I was left waiting in a pedicure chair with cooling water and was preparing to walk out when someone finally arrived to do the service. - During the pedicure, the nail technician attempted to charge me extra for callous removal, even though it was already included in the pedicure package I requested (Long Island). She was adamant that I needed to pay more, until I pulled the shop's price pamphlet out of my purse, which I had been reading to kill time while waiting for my appointment to start. - My toenails are generally cut straight across, as is the podiatrist-recommended shape to prevent ingrown nails. The nail tech attempted to round and cut the sides of my toenails, and when I asked her not to, she had an attitude filing them back straight (as best she could given the way she cut them). - The pedicure started off rocky, but it ended smoothly so I decided to proceed with the manicure...which I later regretted. - During the manicure, the nail tech seemed to go out of her way to half-ass necessary steps and seemed annoyed when I would ask her to be more thorough. For example, when I sat down, she dove right into trying to buff and file my nails without actually removing the existing clear polish with acetone (polish that I had let her know was there at the start in case she couldn't see it). When I asked her to take it off, she tried to ignore me and move on. A nearby employee managing the front desk overheard and intervened to tell her to remove the polish, which she finally did. - After removing the polish, she tried to rush into painting my nails without doing any necessary cuticle care, which is standard...but which I had to explicitly request. In hindsight, this was a terrible idea because the nail tech cut me twice during the process. I don't know whether it was due to inexperience or maliciousness, but the cuticles themselves took forever and I left with small puncture wounds that took several days to heal (see photos). - By the time the gel manicure was done, I could see that the application of the gel polish was SLOPPY. While her application technique seemed okay as I was watching her, I believe she had too much polish on the brush, which caused it to go on unevenly and spill in several areas across several fingers. I could not see this until I got up to wash my hands after it was done. Normally I would've asked her to correct the polish issues, but I was exhausted of having to deal with someone who didn't care, the shop was busy so no one else available, it was now 6:30pm, and I had to get to the airport for an evening flight. - While checking out, the woman at the front desk asked me how my service was and I transparently told her that it was not my best visit to their salon. I explained the issues I had, and when I showed her my manicure, she asked me to sit down so that they could have someone else fix it. I let her know that I had to get to the airport, so she connected with the manager on duty to take $20 off of my service for the day, and asked me to come back another time so they could "have someone better do my nails". I greatly appreciate the steps the manager and front desk woman took to address the situation, but this was such a poor service I don't think I'll be back anytime soon. That evening, I boarded my flight and paid a nail shop in another city to redo my nails the next day since this was for a business trip. My parting thoughts about Inspire: Just don't. Inspire clearly isn't able to provide basic services. read more

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I am EXTREMELY disappointed with my experience at Inspire Nail Bar and honestly cannot believe I was charged almost full price for a Brazilian wax that the technician DID NOT EVEN COMPLETE. The technician literally stopped before finishing and apologized, telling me that she doesn't do Brazilian waxes often and that she hadn't dealt with "hair that long" before and it was too difficult for her to finish. If you are not experienced or comfortable enough to complete the service, that needs to be communicated BEFORE starting -- not after I've already spent my time there, gone through part of a Brazilian wax, and am left with an unfinished service. What makes this even more frustrating is that despite acknowledging that she could not complete the service, they only took $10 off the price and still expected me to pay nearly the full amount. How does that make sense? I paid for a COMPLETE Brazilian wax. I did not receive one. I understand that sometimes a technician may encounter a service they are not comfortable performing, but in that situation the professional thing to do is either have a more experienced technician take over or be upfront BEFORE beginning the service. You should not perform half of a service, admit you cannot finish it, and then charge the customer almost the entire price anyway. I left having wasted my time, paid for a service I did not fully receive, and now I have to go somewhere else and pay AGAIN to have the job completed. Taking $10 off an incomplete Brazilian wax is not an acceptable resolution. I am requesting a refund for this service and am extremely unhappy with how this was handled. I would absolutely not recommend booking a Brazilian wax here based on my experience. read more

I loveee my nails and i loved how my nail tech's vibe ofc they're always good and Were definitely going to end up laughing. She always took constructive criticism very well but yeah I love my nails and my tech! #yallgobookwith@z.beautylounge read more

Came back for another set. Tuan was amazing! Efficient & delivered great results! He's well-versed in nail art & design. read more

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

I've been coming here consistently for almost a year. It's close to my home and I do think most all of the techs do a decent job. Unfortunately, the customer service is so bad I truly cannot recommend coming here. I have called to make appointments countless times and every time I get there I am either still waiting to be serviced or they have no record of me calling or of an appointment. For example, today I called to see if they had any openings and the woman on the phone told me to come now. I was there in less than 10 minutes. When I got there she said she hadn't gotten my call and suggested I called the wrong place. I showed her my call log and which reflected that I did in fact call the right place. She said one of her colleagues must have answered and told me to pick out a color. I asked if they would be able to see me soon. She said yes pick out a color. Twenty five minutes later and I am currently walking to cosmopolitan nail bar instead as I was never helped. This salon cannot handle anything other than a basic polish service. About a month ago I went in for a nail design and it was done so poorly I asked for a polish change. They charged me an additional $25 for the polish change which is insane. Overall I don't think this is a very professional salon and I don't think they value their customers. Going forward I will take my business elsewhere. read more

I went here every 2-3 weeks and really liked the place for being affordable and good, but I think I'm done now. I went tonight to get my acrylics off, just to give my nails a break for a month or two, and the man used nail extensions to peel off my acrylics. It was excrutiatingly painful. Then he asked if I wanted a cut down. They've started charging $5 to cut your nails in the last couple of months (an absurd way to rob your customers for a basic, bare minimum service) , so I said no, I would do them myself. Minutes later, he holds up the cutters to my nail. Again, I said no, thank you. He keeps holding the cutters up and saying something I couldn't quite understand. Since I'd now said TWICE very clearly that I did NOT want a cut down, I assumed he was saying he had to cut them because of the extensions left over. Nope. He proceeded to charge me the extra $5 when I went to check out. Inspire Nail Bar Navy Yard - you were appreciated for your affordable prices. Beginning to up-charge for basics like CUTTING NAILS (even when the customer explicitly says NO repeatedly) or even for a round shape (that is NOT an unusual shape, give me a break) is making it less so. If I'm going to be charged the same price for basic services that I would pay for fancier services elsewhere, I will just go elsewhere. It's really disappointing because I'd become a regular. read more

Walk in late morning on Sunday, was able to be seen right away. I got regular pedicure, gel manicure with chrome, and eyebrows. The total was around $110 before tip, which I thought was pretty reasonable. I love the quality of everything she did. The vibe was clean, basic. No complaints! read more

Inspire Nail Bar - Chrome gel manicure, regular pedicure - Nail Salons Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

DONT GO HERE. I recommend cosmopolitan nails or Inspire nails on 4th street by waterfront station. I really wanna give zero stars. I left a review yesterday and a day after I'm back because yet another nail cracked!!! Dip powder set done five days ago now and within those five days I've gone back twice to fix nails that cracked. One of the redos was done terribly. Today another nail cracked. So three mishaps within five days. This service was a WASTE of money. Horrible service and horrible resolution from salon. I asked them to make sure no other nails break and they refused to examine all nails. It's very disappointing as I paid for a service and it will not last a couple of weeks for sure. I would not recommend this place at all. read more

I asked about whether they'd be able to do the design I gave them a week advance and came out with a sloppy, toned down version of what was a simple variation on French tips. read more

This nail salon is a newly opened location in Navy Yard, but they do have several others throughout the DMV. I called to make an afternoon appointment, but when I arrived, they couldn't find it. I ended up having to wait 25 minutes past my appointment time. Considering this is my first experience with this salon, it wasn't the best first impression. The salon opened just last week, so of course everything is new, bright and clean. There's also a decent selection of colors to choose from, and the snacks by the entrance is a nice touch. The salon has WiFi and also offers a beverage menu for customers, which is great because I feel like this is something other salons have stopped offering, so it's a small touch that set them apart from others in the area for me. I got an SNS manicure and champagne pedicure. My manicurist was T, and she did a great job with good attention to detail. Although I didn't have the best first impression, I do feel as though the staff was friendly and professional, and I like that the salon is not yet overcrowded. I wish they would implement an online appointment system, but aside from that, I would give this place another shot. read more

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I was in there for over three hours for a mani pedi. My nails did not come out like the picture I showed and they are extremely pricey.

I welcome any nail salon that I can get to by foot, but unfortunately many of the salons in this area are pretty mid so I've found myself historically cutting across the city to get my nails done. So it was such a pleasant surprise to discover Inspire! Both of my visits so far have been pretty good with my second visit being great. On my first visit, my tech was nice but fairly rushed and I can't say that I loved the way my pedicure looked after. But upon that first visit, I noticed that the salon was clean, seemed to be well run and everyone seemed very nice. It wasn't hard for me to get an appointment either as a walk-in (although I called ahead both times.) I wish I remembered the name of the last tech that did my pedicure but she was SO sweet and did a great job. I'm going to request her next time, because I left very happy with the results and didn't feel rushed. Additionally, she was so kind at ensuring I got my phone charged before calling at Uber during a rain storm. Overall, a great option if you're in SW or the Navy Yard! read more

Went for the first time for SNS manicure. Tina has great attention to detail and still did them in less than an hour. Very clean and nice.

I had a really great experience here! Everyone was so nice and welcoming from the moment I walked in. They even offered me something to drink, which I appreciated. I got a fill-in on my acrylic nails & toes and a mini pedicure, and they took their time to make sure everything was exactly how I wanted it. They were patient with any changes I asked for and didn't rush through the service. My nails and toes came out looking really good. I'll definitely be coming back! read more

Went to this place today. Closed down already. Wanted to try this place . Decent parking on street available but it's been shut down. read more

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

Cut DEEPLY during pedicure -- still bleeding/causing me to literally limp almost three weeks later! I went in for a pedicure, thinking I'd be treating myself getting ready for a beach trip, but while trimming my nails the tech kept cutting too deep and hurting me. I was hurt/cut more than once, but one in particular was incredibly bad. I started bleeding immediately and it hurt quite a bit. The cut was actually so bad/deep that it was painful to walk and I couldn't wear heels because of the pressure put on my toe. I went to feel good/look cute for my trip and left not being able to wear certain shoes and wanting to minimize the amount I walked as much as possible because it hurt so badly. I am very worried it will turn into an infection or an ingrown toenail. Almost three weeks later and it is still hurting, bleeding, and restricting my ability to wear certain shoes. read more

Inspire Nail Bar - CUT during pedicure -- almost 3 weeks later and I am still bleeding - Nail Salons Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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I asked to have my acrylics taken off at a salon and I was so excited to try this new spot opening a block a way. Big mistake and huge waste of time. I arrived at 2:15pm and had 7 nails ripped off with an acrylic tip then waited until roughly 3:45pm before getting the other 3 nails taken off. The individual who did this take off service told me that she was done and she let me walk out with my nails looking like I had ripped my acrylics off at home (see photos). She told me she could not buff my nails any further which was false-- I walked out after pitifully paying $11 ($15 without 30% grand opening discount for acrylic take off) to go home to finish buffing my nails MYSELF and added some cuticle oil. Waste of time and money...she should have done what she is being paid to do. Even more, I came with my neighbor and she had a full manicure/pedicure service appointment and she was finished before me! (i was a walk-in acrylic take off service). She unfortunately had a bad experience as well with the man who had done her nails-- he let nail polish hit her cuticles and it looked sloppy. We will not be back. This was my first time not tipping at a nail salon...This was truly the worst experience and first impression they could have made. I heard them stating they were understaffed but they could have easily turned me away instead of wasting so much of my time. Do yourself a favor and do not waste your time here or be fooled by the beautiful aesthetic of the establishment. It's just a newly renovated nail salon with low quality services. In addition, I noted another comment stated there was beverages? We were offered nothing at all. These are just the highlights of all the cons, see for yourself if you must lol. read more

Inspire Nail Bar - After buffing and and using cuticle oil to finish my nails myself at home... reference before photo for what I left the salon with - Nail Salons Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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I got the Sea Breeze pedicure, and left with what I asked for! I came with a friend (set an appt the day before) and we weren't seen until about 15 mins after our appt time but they said they wanted us to be sat at the same time so we were fine with waiting a little bit! Check in was easy, have a lot of colors and decent prices. I will definitely be back since it's close to my house, clean and efficient service. Only downside is at least as of yesterday, the online booking link wasn't working so we had to call. read more

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On February 22nd, 2025 I got a manicure and pedicure at Inspire Nail Bar for an upcoming vacation. This was my very first time using their service. Since I had an appointment at European Wax I decided to try the services next door at Inspire Nails. Four days into my vacation my toe nails started chipping then on the 5th day my acrylic nails starting falling off one by one. I had to have my toes and nails redone on the 6th day. The nails were also shaped very poorly. I had to redo my manicure and Pedicure while on vacation(picture with the gold nails). Today is 3/14/25 and both my manicure and pedicure that I redid are still looking great and this is after a week. Upon return from my vacation I went back to Inspire to voice my concern but the owner refuse to refund me the $122.00 I paid for my service. I would have given inspire nail bar 0 STARS but you need to include a STAR in order to submit your review. POOR POOR SERVICE, nail techs are still learning and they are obviously using OLD POLISH. read more

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

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Henry did an amazing job with my wedding day nails. I asked for cherry blossom details and he delivered! read more

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

I came yesterday. No appointment but they took care of me professionally. The nails turn out so pretty. Salon is cleaned.

First time in Inspire Nail Bar, and walked away with these beauties! The new shop is cute, clean and quiet and Chau is an absolute artist - I've been seeing her for a year now and there's nothing she can't do! She's always up for a challenge and has the best attention to detail. So happy with these! read more

Inspire Nail Bar - Rainbow Butterflies by Chau! - Nail Salons Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Go see Chau!!! I am so glad she is back in the Navy Yard area, she does amazing work and keeps up with the trends. She always takes care of her clients. read more

I got a manicure and pedicure on Tuesday evening, and by Thursday afternoon (less than 48 hours later), one of my nails had chipped and another had cracked. I returned to have them fixed, and they did correct the issues, which I appreciated, especially given that I paid over $130 for the service. However, I don't believe they have enough experience with builder gel applications, so I would keep that in mind when considering this salon. Also, the sea breeze pedicure wasn't worth it -- my feet still feel very rough, as if I didn't get one at all. read more

0/10 do not recommend! My pedicure was horrible. I wouldn't even accept a free service from this place

The girl didn't do a good job with my shape or polish. I asked for coffin and got square and had nail polish all around my nails. 2 hours after I left the acrylic broke in half which has never happened before. I did go back and they fixed it for free which I appreciated but then yesterday another acrylic broke in half again, which leads me to believe this was just a low quality manicure / products. I won't be going back read more

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

The initial service itself was good. But I picked 2 pedicures on the menu which were not available which was frustrating, So after 2 attempts to get what i wanted, I just went with the basic. I asked to get chrome on a dark brown and it came out a diarrhea color which I really hate. I went back 2 hours later to see if I would get it fixed and I was told it would be an additional 48 dollars for a polish change because it's not a chip. I would be willing to pay 20 for a polish change plus tip, but paying the same amount as I spent earlier is crazy. I was not asking for a a whole new manicure. Kevin is great though. So it's not nail tech related just the customer service is not great. They are always busy but being accommodating to a returning customer obviously is not their priority read more

New salon in Navy Yard! Salon is pretty clean and offered refreshments which is a nice plus. Chau is an amazing nail tech that will do an amazing job. She pays attention to detail and is precise. I am very picky when it comes to my nails but Chau did an amazing job! Will be going to her again read more

Terrible service. Don't bother making an appointment. I have waited 30+ minutes with a confirmed appointment numerous times

This was my second visit to Inspire for a pedicure and both times I had a great experience. Mina was amazing and I will definitely be back!

I never complain at nail salons so I paid for my manicure and pedicure for my friend and I for $140 (basic services and tip not included). It's upsetting since my nails were so bad, uneven, and I left with polish everywhere. A lady made the man come back and fix them which meant him putting more polish and if becoming so thick it cannot dry. I am upset since I feel like I was ripped off. My pedicure even has speckles in it that I noticed when I came home. read more

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This was my second time getting my acrylics done here and it was fantastic both times. Vivian was incredible, she is a killer design artist, she did mine and my friend's designs. She's also so funny and sweet. All the techs are awesome. Clean, friendly, cute spot. read more

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

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They do a great job! I come here often for acrylics and I've never been disappointed!

I go wherever my girl Chau goes!! She's the absolute best and knocks it out of nats park every single time. :) The salon is clean, calm, and not overly crowded like many of the ones in navy yard can be. This location can't be beat! read more

Inspire Nail Bar - Gel X with ombré pink and white, white chrome, and nail design - Nail Salons Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I never write reviews, but I know how hard it is to find a good nail salon. I was really hopeful about this place since it's so close to my apartment, but unfortunately I paid more than $50 for a simple gel manicure (solid color, no design, normal round shape) and the polish cracked and starting chipping/peeling off within the first week. Gel manicures, especially for that price and considering I don't do anything rough with my hands, should last more than a few days! read more

Newly opened nail salon in navy yard!! I had Lucy she was so sweet and I got a Long Island pedicure. It was so relaxing and great service. I walked in without an appointment and they took me in 20 minutes. They were transparent with the wait time. I would have liked a longer massage but overall great experience read more

I've been here two times now and just like with any nail salon, you have to find a nail tech you are happy with. I had no complaints the first time I went, but the second time I went I was taken care of by Amy who was super friendly. She gave me a great gel manicure, even though I had a few broken nails she did her best to save them and it came out so well. I'm always offered a drink right when I sit down. Very clean, friendly, and bright. My new go to spot and go to nail tech. Thanks Amy! read more

Mina and Helen were absolutely amazing!!! Mina really cares about her clients and makes sure they get the best service for the best price. My boyfriend and I got pedicures and enjoyed the entire experience. My toes looked great and I was ready for the wedding I was going to this weekend. read more