I was visiting my sister in San Antonio and needed an update on my gel manicure, which had fallen apart from being in and out of the pool and the sun.
On my last visit to SA, I had bookmarked Leon Nails for its high reviews, but ended up at Asiana Nail Lounge instead. This time around, I decided to try Leon Nails, which was in the Castle Hills area and closer to her home. I have to admit, I was not all that impressed.
I decided to try Henry based on his high reviews. I arrived right on time for my 1:30 PM appointment, and was greeted by Tam, who instructed me to take a seat and wait. The waiting area was quite nice, with plushy chairs and many glossy magazines for reading. They also had an area for coffee and water bottles. Henry did not appear from the back until 15 minutes after my appointment time, which made me worry that I'd be there longer than 2:30 PM. Some salons will offer the colors to be selected, or a bottle of water, while customers wait, but not this place. I'm quite picky about colors, so I could have used that time to look through colors, especially since Leon has their gel colors displayed in an awkward way, on individual plastic sticks crowded onto a metal ring.
Henry finally started on me, and noted that at my previous salon, they had used the wrong topcoat (for acrylics) and that is why it had caused my gel polish to crack so badly. He removed the old paint carefully using foil and acetone, then scraping gently, and then he had to resort to light drilling. He did a good job at that, not overdrilling or hurting me.
He trimmed my nails and filed them, and I was happy to see that he listened to what I wanted. I asked for short nails, square with rounded edges, and he did a great job at that.
He did a very cursory cuticle trim (he barely trimmed any of it) and then a super quick buff (literally only a few seconds) and then began painting. My hands were in the LED curing light device within 20-25 minutes, which is the fastest removal, soak, cuticle trim, and paint I've ever had. Honestly, the mani just didn't feel very thorough.
I picked a neon yellow color (Perfect Match Happy Hour) and neons are usually somewhat thin and streaky, requiring three coats. But after two coats, he started brushing on the topcoat. I asked him if it might be better to do three coats, but he said, "No, the color is fine with two." Of course, later when I got home, I saw the streakiness, the beginning of air bubbles, and uneven color. The cuticles were not very neat, with paint on the skin on some fingers and wavy, uneven edges. They're going to look a mess when they start growing out, and they do look as if I did them myself. Streaky. Bumpy. Amateurish.
PROS: Quick and easy to get an appointment by phone. Salon is clean and chairs are comfy. Trimming and filing. In and out quickly. Henry's calm demeanor. Massage duration a good length of time and felt firm.
CONS: Cuticle care and painting ability are lacking. Appointment did not begin at scheduled time. $30 for a gel mani is less than I've paid at other San Antonio salons (this price seems pretty typical for San Antonio) but I still think it's too pricy for the service I received.
OVERALL: My search for the ideal nail salon (while visiting San Antonio) continues. This place is not it.