TL; DR. This is a rush job shop...unless you are paying over $100 for complicated nail art, or for you and your family to get mani/pedis, in which case they will mow over other clients for you! You don't want to be the person mowed over when you need them, so I would avoid.
I have dealt with this salon many times over the years. Usually, something happens and I take a break from them for a few years until they have a staff change.
This go around, I had four progressively worse gel manis in a row. Unfortunately, the manicurists here don't have enough time to care about your natural nails. I don't know if the owner isn't allocating enough time for the service or they are letting other clients run late but the staff here always seem like they are rushing, especially with gel removals. That means they end up hacking away at your natural nails, which leaves them in progressively worse shape.
After my last mani, my thumb nail ripped hours later when I reached into my pocket for dog poop baggies. There is also evidence of polish pooling at the cuticles with the nails grown out. It wasn't the best mani by a long shot and I'm sure the manicurist likely knew that.
Ahead of a trip to the Berkshires, I booked a gel removal only for today. Appeared for my appointment 5 minutes early. The receptionist literally said that since I was just booked for removal, I could have a seat.
I sat there for 20 minutes.
During this time, some hyenas getting complicated nail art were harassing me for no good reason. I said nothing to them, but they were making appearance-related comments and laughing.
In the past when running behind, the receptionist has called and texted to ask if it's okay to push my appointment back, but not today - I guess because it was "just" a removal. I'm currently the primary caregiver for an elderly relative who was with a paid caregiver during this time. I wasn't going to sit around all afternoon waiting for "just" a removal and also didn't want to continue having to listen to the hyenas. The receptionist had left her desk after checking me in and hadn't returned. No updates from anyone on staff. I walked out of the salon...and am left with a mess on my nails for a weekend at Tanglewood.
Different people are of course treated differently. I watched a white family come into this salon once with the daughter having booked everyone at the wrong location. There were three of them and a packed salon but they still found a way to accommodate them on time. I've also seen whites come in for removals only and get served on time.
And the logic of prioritizing high cost services doesn't math if you've been a loyal customer - having dropped hundreds over multiple visits - and you need the not-so-great work of one of this salon's manicurists off your nails. It's still "just" a removal???
All of the manicurists at this location have their pluses and minuses. Siobhan was wonderful when she worked here but no longer does. Francesca is the only person I would trust here these days but she's careful, which means that she's usually running behind. Also, her cuticle work isn't the best - they sometimes look a little more ragged after she works on them. Didn't have a good experience with Q. She really hacked up my nails doing a gel removal and she applied a subsequent gel polish too thick.
Note about comments from the "manager": Thank you so much for reaching out directly to apologize for the poor service. (Wait--my mistake. That must've slipped your mind.) While we're celebrating great communication, you may have also overlooked the part where your receptionist wasn't at her desk. Small detail, I know.
Just to clarify: I call out what I experience, which I'm fully entitled to do. You're certainly welcome to say everyone is treated well--when the appointment actually starts on time and the service runs as scheduled, like it did for the clients who walked in after me.
And as for your records, they may want to double-check themselves--unless "waiting for someone to vacate the chair" now counts as part of the treatment time. read more