Ever since I moved to NC, I have been on the lookout for a clean, professional, and well rated nail salon. I don't get my nails done often as I try to grow them out naturally and keep them healthy; however, I occasionally get gel polish to help them grow without breakage. After looking at Yelp, it seemed that Phoenix Nail Spa had decent reviews and it was on my way home from work.
It was pretty busy at the complex when I arrived and it was difficult to find a parking spot. There appeared to be an event at the business next store; so, that may have contributed to the crowd. I wound up parking a few stores down and walked to the salon.
When I entered, I walked up to the receptionist desk and asked if they could take a walk-in appointment for gel polish and a polish change on my toes. The woman working the desk asked one of the technicians and they said they could take me in a few minutes. She then handed me the color wheels and told me to pick the colors I wanted.
I waited a few minutes, picked my colors, and was greeted by my technician. She was really friendly and engaged in some conversation throughout my visit. Unfortunately, the tools she was using were not the cleanest. I was hoping they used new nail files and/or sanitized their equipment after each use; but, the technician took a used nail file and other tools directly from her drawer. This was disappointing as I've been to plenty of other salons who use new nail files and tools taken from the autoclaves.
While she was working on my nails, I couldn't help but observe the decor of the salon. They had various seasonal decor scattered throughout the salon - the majority of it Halloween related. Some of the shelves had Christmas decorations and they had Thanksgiving/fall decor over by the nail dryers. Perhaps they don't have enough room to store their decorations when not in season? I'm not sure; but, it kind made for a strange aesthetic in the salon.
Aside from the decor, the music was awesome. It must have been a 1990/2000s playlist they had streaming because all of the songs took me right back to middle school/high school, haha.
Once my nails were done, she took me over to the nail dryers. I sat patiently, listening to the music, and felt something on my foot. I ignored it for a minute until I felt it again. When I looked down, there were ants on my foot and all around the floor under the nail dryer. :( :( I'm not sure if someone had spilled something while waiting or if they had been there regardless; but, it definitely made me want to leave.
The final result of my nails were ehh - the shapes of my nails were crooked from filing and there were bubbles in the gel polish. The nail polish on my toes didn't last long either (which was strange because I usually can get a few weeks out of my toe polish).
This definitely wasn't my best nail salon experience and I don't think I'll drive out of my way to visit again.
**Update to respond to the business owner:
Aside from the fact that I find your response unprofessional; no, I did not write this review to maintain my elite status. I write all of my reviews based on my experiences.
My visit to your salon was actually recent (near April) and that decor was out in your salon. I understand that is your personal style and preference of decor. I was only sharing my opinion of the aesthetic.
Thanks for your compliment on the color combination! I was excited to find the pair and thought that it did look great together (despite the nail shape).
I do always speak up with the technician if I notice something is off; however, they see the shape of my nails from a different angle. It's hard to see until you hold your hand up and I did not realize the shape and bubbles until I was in my car. Also, the ants crawling on my feet made me want to leave sooner than later...
I did comment that I enjoyed your music; so, I'm not sure where you saw that I said I had an issue with it?
Anywho, I wish you a wonderful week ahead and hope that you can take this feedback positively for your business! read more