I've been to Lux a couple more times after my first visit - and the reasons why I came back was because of the cheaper prices and their convenient location. Their pedicures are also decent.
Management could be a bit better, and overall in terms of skill, what you pay is what you get.
I wouldn't say that they do a horrible job - the mani/pedis that I've gotten were just okay. Pedicures were better than manicures. Yes, I have standards (i.e. the shape of my nails) but at the end of the day, you need to make sure that your clients' nails look amazing. Maybe they only really put in effort if the client requests for shellac? I've only ever gotten regular manicures and both times, I've noticed that the top coats would not cover the entirety of my nail surfaces. The last time that I got a manicure, my technician ended up being frustrated when I've pointed out the spots that she's missed and the crooked shape of my nails. She complained about me to another technician, right in front of me, in Vietnamese. I was taken aback by her reaction. When I thanked her for doing my nails, she just ignored me :/
During another appointment, I requested for a mani/pedi. I called ahead of time to request what I wanted. They did not seem to have noted that down and assumed that I wanted just a pedicure. I had to clarify that I called in earlier to request for a mani/pedi, not just a pedi. I ended up being at the salon for almost 2 hours, waiting for one of the technicians to do my nails after getting my pedicure. No technician came during the 45 minutes that I've waited for a technician. I was told that someone would come and that "she was almost done". Apparently only one other technician was "willing to do my nails" because I had "high standards". They thought that I had high standards because I requested for minor touch ups during my pedicure (some nail corners were sharper so I wanted them softened and there were a couple of cuticles they weren't trimmed down enough). It's not like I criticized them for every single thing that they were doing - I just wanted a few touch ups before they did my colour. Is that not unreasonable? At any other nail salon, they usually ask if there was anything else that needed retouching before adding colour. I also never said that I disliked what my technician was doing when he did my pedicure...I don't know why they even said that. I actually thought my technician did a great job at my pedicure! I suppose they're not used to their customers requesting for touch ups.
I ended up leaving without my nails done because being there for another hour was just too long of a wait for me and I had other things to get done that day. My last two experiences has left me with a bit of a bad taste in my mouth, all because I requested for touch ups. If I have to come here again, I'd get a pedicure and that's it. I wouldn't go out of my way to come here again - I think I'll just stick to my usual salon. read more