I came in for a simple color change on my toes. As soon as I walked in, I greeted the woman sitting…read moreat a station. Instead of a greeting back, the first thing she said was, "Can you close the door because the air is on?" There was no "Hi, how are you?" or even a polite request. It immediately set the tone for the visit.
When she finally asked how she could help me, I told her I was there for a color change. She looked around, sighed, and said, "We're not gonna have time for you today." I paused, expecting her to offer another appointment or suggest another time, but instead it just felt like, "We can't help you."
I said, "No problem," and started walking out. An employee (who I believe was her assistant) ran after me and told me another customer had offered to let me go ahead since my service was something simple. I honestly hesitated because of the owner's attitude, but I wanted to give a black owned business the benefit of the doubt, so I came back.
I thanked the customer who let me go ahead, but the owner never acknowledged me. Even something as simple as, "It's been really busy today, but we appreciate you and we'll be with you shortly," would have gone a long way.
When it was finally my turn, I sat down and the owner asked, "You're just getting a color change, right?" I said yes, and she didn't say another word. It honestly felt like she still didn't want to service me but was doing so because I was already there.
A little while later she yelled across to me, "Hey, blue shirt... what's your name?" After I told her, she said that from her angle it looked like I had my leg resting on the technician and that her client didn't want to turn around. It was awkward, but I laughed it off and once again tried to give her the benefit of the doubt, figuring maybe she was just someone who was a little rough around the edges.
After my service was finished, I went to pay. The technician asked if it was my first time there. When I said yes, she then informed me there was a $10 fee because they had to remove someone else's polish. The "removal" was simply sanding off my previous color. My issue wasn't even the fee--it was that it wasn't disclosed before the service started. Any additional charges should be communicated upfront so customers can decide whether they'd like to proceed. So I ended up paying $30 for a simple color changed when I could've just waited and got a pedicure at that point. The final straw was leaving the salon without so much as a "Thank you," "Have a great day," or "We appreciate your business." The owner said absolutely nothing.
While I was there, I also watched other customers come in asking for pedicures. They received the same short, dismissive responses and were simply turned away. As they walked out, the owner called after them, "Keep us in mind." Honestly, that's difficult to do when customers aren't greeted warmly, prices aren't fully explained beforehand, and there doesn't seem to be much effort to make people feel welcome.
The salon itself is nice, but customer service matters just as much as the quality of the work. A little kindness, professionalism, and clear communication go a long way in building loyal customers. Unfortunately, because of how I was treated, I won't be returning, and I can't recommend this salon based on my experience. I hope this brings awareness to the owner and no one else has to go through this experience