I have yet to find a nail salon in the Capital Region that I have returned to for a second visit…read more None of the places I have visited have been horrible, and, admittedly, I do not get manicures or pedicures very often; however, none have left me with the feeling that I have gotten my money's worth. I was hoping that my visit to Natural Nails would break that one-visit streak. However, I do not think I will be returning, at least not for a regular manicure or pedicure.
I visited on a weeknight evening with my mother (unfortunately, no dog present, as noted in other reviews). I planned to get a basic (non-gel and not ANC, just regular polish) manicure and we both wanted a basic pedicure. Basic manicure was $15 and basic pedicure was $25, which I have learned is about average in the area for your non-spa nail salon.
We both had an appointment, and when we entered, all of the technicians were engaged with other clients, but noted and confirmed our presence. We first went to pick out our colors. They had a fairly big selection of colors, many of them OPI. I spotted a very small number of Essie (only could find about 5) polishes (usually my go to brand), and was surprised to see a few bottles of Wet n' Wild. However, the majority of the colors had either sparkle, metallic, or a pearlescent sheen to them. I did not want any of those, so my choices were narrowed somewhat. They did seem to have a very large selection of the ANC colors.
After a very short wait, we were called over to the pedicure chairs. Once seated, we were left for about ten minutes until the techs came over and began our pedicures. I felt the technicians spent a good amount of time with us for the pedicures - all of the usual cutting and filing of nails, cuticle cutting, and some scrubbing of the bottoms of the feet. I also liked that they used a salt scrub on our legs, followed by a hot towel and a lotion. In fact, everything about my pedicure was to my liking, except for the application of polish. The layers were applied unevenly, such that you can see the jagged edges of the second layer of polish because the second layer was not painted down to the cuticle.
My technician (same for pedicure and manicure) was lovely. She was friendly, and asked a few questions during the manicure. She did suggest, twice, that I choose a gel manicure instead, suggesting that a regular manicure will only last two days, whereas a gel lasts two weeks. I did not mind this much as I usually expect a suggestion for an upcharge at nail salons and similar places, but would have preferred if she had only made the suggestion once. However, I did hope that my manicure would last more than two days!
Although my technician was friendly and gentle, I was similarly disappointed with how she applied the polish in my manicure. I chose a light color, and she applied two layers of polish. Although two layers is standard, because the color was light, the polish looks streaky. Further, like with the pedicure, the layers were not applied evenly, leaving the polish looking jagged and unfinished down near the cuticle.
I am wondering if the majority of people who have visited Natural Nails went for a gel or ANC manicure, as they seem to have had great success (see other reviews). So perhaps that is where they shine and maybe if I choose to try an ANC or gel in the future, I will try Natural Nails out again because the technicians were friendly and the location was clean. However, as I just want a great manicure/pedicure with your plain old polish, I will likely continue to look elsewhere for those services.
