3/5 - Beautiful nails at first, but disappointing customer service when I came back…read more
This was my first time visiting this nail salon. I actually decided to come here because I saw a waitress at a restaurant with a BEAUTIFUL set of acrylic nails and asked where she got them done. With my baby shower coming up, I wanted to treat myself to a manicure and pedicure, even though I don't get my nails done regularly and am still relatively new to the area. She recommended this salon, and I wish I had asked for the name of her nail tech!
I made an appointment for a French tip manicure and pedicure with gel polish, booking with the first available technician. My first experience was honestly pretty good. She took her time and did a beautiful job. She was a little too aggressive with the cuticle nippers for my liking and made me bleed a few times (more than I'm used to, although I do have sensitive skin and have experienced this at other salons). However, I was still enjoying my experience and tipped her $10 because I appreciated the time and effort she put into my nails.
Unfortunately, just TWO days later, two of my fingernails had already chipped, and by the following day, even more were coming off. This was especially disappointing because gel polish is advertised as lasting two weeks, and mine usually lasts even longer. I couldn't come in right away because the salon is closed on Sundays, so I called Monday morning and was told they could fix them. The only downside was that it was nearly a 30-minute drive for me to return.
When I arrived, I was directed to a seat and explained that my nails had started coming off after only two days. I even showed the technician that some of the remaining polish was already lifting. He immediately started working on my nails without asking questions or really acknowledging what I had said. He spoke to his coworkers in another language while working, and I got the impression he was frustrated with the original technician's work.
I initially expected him to fix the four or five nails that were affected, but as he realized how easily the polish was coming off, he decided to remove everything and start over. He used an electric drill and even peeled some of the polish off with his fingers because it was lifting so easily.
The experience really went downhill when he started buffing my natural nails. He used SO much pressure on my left hand that I was uncomfortable, but I initially tried to tell myself I was just being sensitive. By the time he moved to my right hand, I noticed that THREE of my cuticles were bleeding. I had to firmly tell him to be gentle because he was hurting me. He apologized once he saw that I was bleeding, sprayed my fingers with alcohol, and cleaned them up.
I understand that he may have been frustrated with the original work, especially since he later mentioned that he believes the first technician hadn't applied base polish. I specifically remember her applying it, so I'm not sure whether that was actually the issue. I specifically remember her not using a nail buffer, so it's possible that skipping the nail-buffering step during my first appointment left oil on my nails and contributed to the polish lifting. Regardless, whatever went wrong with the original application, I don't think that frustration should have affected how he treated me during the repair.
I'm SEVEN MONTHS PREGNANT, and I really wish he had been more gentle. On top of that, he finished my entire manicure (with French tip) in about 25 minutes. He rushed through the French tips without making sure the lines were straight, and I ended up with bubbles on my thumbnail that he didn't notice or fix. At that point, I honestly just wanted to leave so I didn't bother mentioning it.
What made the experience even more disappointing was that the salon wasn't busy. There were only a few customers when I got there, and no one was waiting for him when he finished my nails. I didn't feel like there was a reason to rush through the appointment.
I did notice an elderly woman a few seats away who seemed to be having a pleasant experience with another technician, so I genuinely hope this isn't how the salon normally operates.
Overall: I loved how my nails looked after my first appointment, and I really appreciated that the salon offered to fix them when I called. However, the polish shouldn't have started lifting after just two days, and the repair experience was much worse than the original appointment. I would have been understanding of the initial mistake if the salon had handled the situation with a little more patience, care, and gentleness. Instead, I left with sore, bleeding cuticles, rushed French tips, and a disappointing second experience.
I'm giving them 3/5 stars because I did enjoy my original appointment and appreciate that they offered a repair, but the way the repair was handled makes me hesitant to return.