I stumbled across this amazing nail shop in a small strip mall across the street from Baskin Robbins years ago. From the moment I walked in, it felt like home. Mai was super friendly and the air inside was fresh, it did not smell like dangerous chemicals like other shops. Instead of soap operas or the news, the tv was tuned to a peaceful channel of a woman in China, gathering vegetables, cooking, and feeding her family. The French gel manicure and regular pedicure I received was long lasting and beautiful. My cuticles were not sore afterwards, rather, the oil treatment left my skin soft and smooth. From that day forward, I have stayed loyal to this shop, for over ten years now. If you're looking for a friendly, down-to-earth place, this is the shop for you. Great prices, great service! read more

Was looking for a nail spot open past 7PM near El Cerrito Del Norte BART and found this hidden gem tucked behind a building/apartment area. So worth it! The owner was kind enough to squeeze me in last minute and stayed open for me as long as I communicated. She is incredibly sweet, talkative, and made the whole experience feel so welcoming. We chatted the entire appointment and she took her time trying a new design that came out BEAUTIFUL. You can tell she's passionate about her work and people. 33 years in business and it shows! Already planning to come back for my fill and probably a pedicure too read more

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Mai + Julie were wonderful & so sweet! Scheduled a last-minute mani pedi & it was exactly what I was hoping for. Thank you Mai!! I'll definitely be back read more

Mai's Beauty Nails - Nail Salons Near Me - El Cerrito, California

Mai has been doing my nails for more than 10 years. Her work is beautiful, and she is kind and supportive. My nails are always a mess when I go in, but she works around things like cuts or rough cuticles and the end result is always lovely. read more

This is the worst place you could probably get your nails done at. I was cut twice and my nails are horrible. The acrylic is so thick and my nails are crooked. And the cuts were not small cuts it is now the next day after getting my nails done and the cuts on my fingers are swollen. During the time I spent at this nail shop, I was with my friend, and my friend had a horrible experience as well, getting her toes done. At some point she needed to remove the brush from the lady and paint her nails herself. If I could rate this place a 0/10 I would. read more

Mai's Beauty Nails - My first cut while getting my nails done at Mai's. - Nail Salons Near Me - El Cerrito, California

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We were a walk in about an hour before closing, and Mai agreed to take us in to get out nails done. I had a great experience with Mai. She is so knowledgeable about nails and how to keep them healthy, and she helped me shift to a less destructive Mathis of doing my nails. My friend was very pleased with her technician and we plan on going back again! read more

I've had my final negative encounter here. Mai, the owner is moody, invasive, judgmental and mean. They seem to only care for their long standing clients. Sometimes she's pleasant and other times she's fed up with the world and you know it! She chases people to the parking lot if they seem to be shopping at any business other than hers and I over heard her gossiping about someone... not coming back, even though it's very convenient. read more

Thank you Mai for the beautiful cat eye nails! I love how the silk base feels (I've never had that before, I usually do acrylic) it looks so natural! And the French tip pedicure done by Julie was amazing! read more

Mai's Beauty Nails - Nails - Nail Salons Near Me - El Cerrito, California

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Personable. knowlegeable, very experienced. The atmosphere was friendly, And the pedicure was the BEST I ever had. Mai is knowledgeable about taken care of my foot problems. read more

Always 5 stars for Mai. She is the hardest worker ever. I appreciate her so much. Such a great job every time I go. She is so helpful with the color choices. It is so helpful l. And she is super fast too read more

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Made it for a last minute appointment at Mai's and was really glad the could accommodate me. They are open earlier than most salons as well which is a big plus. The quality of the manicure however was very very disappointing. All I did was a gel manicure and it was chipping within 2 hours of the service. The quality of service for cleanup and painting was also not good with standard processes not being done. Needless to say 8 out 10 nails chipped or completely came off over the course of a week. Would not recommend. read more

Mai did a fantastic job with my nails! I got normal polish, not gel, and she did such a great job -- even better than other salons with gel. No nicks. Beautiful color. Her and her staff make you feel like a princess. Her salon is a gem that you must check out! Definitely worth the visit. read more

Mai's Beauty Nails - Manicure and pedicure and polish (not gel) - Nail Salons Near Me - El Cerrito, California

Generally mediocre. My gel manicure barely lasted 2 weeks and thinned out my cuticles a lot. Nice session, but the ambiance can be improved for the same price somewhere else. They need improvement on decor and a more relaxing environment and then it'll be better. Colors are of variety and quality to last longer and not damaging the nails too, can be helped! read more

Mai's Beauty Nails - White and glitter twinkle on one finger - gel mani ($25) - Nail Salons Near Me - El Cerrito, California

I'm so disappointed with this nail saloon. The girls were nice but the nail job was horrible. My gel nail polish only lasted for less than 10 days, while they said it would last for 1 month. Also their pedicure was a joke , Julie helped me with the pedicure and she absolutely did NOT clean the cuticles , just filed it. I was beyond shocked. This will be my first and last time going there. For the gel manicure Mai helped me, both ladies were nice but the nail job was beyond horrible. Never recommend anyone to go here. read more

Mai's Beauty Nails - Nail Salons Near Me - El Cerrito, California

I've gotten three manicures now at Mai's and she has become my go-to. Her little shop is totally unpretentious, tucked into the back of a mostly-empty building on San Pablo, but she really knows her stuff. I have weak nails, and Mai's was the only local shop to offer a hard gel mani - on short notice, even, when I really needed it! On my next visit, Mai recommended silk wrap and I'm a convert - the French silk wrap lasted a month! She doesn't have every color under the sun, and she won't let you pull the test colors out of their plastic(!) but she's very good with color matching and will suggest colors you might not have even considered. Her prices are very reasonable - just note that even though she owns the shop, she really appreciates gratuities for her hard work. read more

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I am SO grateful I found Mai! And even happier to have found her on the very day she opened back up after being shit down due to the pandemic. She was the SWEETEST human being who's ever done my nails. She was patient, fun to chat with, personable..... and did such a wonderful job on my poor hands and nails that haven't seen any love for an entire year now. They were in REALLY rough shape going in. And my hands felt baby soft when I left! And my acrylics fell reinforced as I wanted them to be for my gardening!! I can't wait to go back in a few weeks to get my fill I just wonder what design I'll have her do next read more

Mai's Beauty Nails - Mood changing color with cactus design! - Nail Salons Near Me - El Cerrito, California

I hadn't been able to get to a nail salon in over a year. I l moved and didn't know where to go. This place was recommended to me, and I went today! Mai is the owner and she is super nice and accommodating , and very reasonably priced ! Very happy and will be back ! read more

Mai's Beauty Nails - Nail Salons Near Me - El Cerrito, California

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I came today for the first time to this spot to get my vacation nails done and I'm so happy I found this gem! I had an appointment for 3pm with Mai. She was such a sweetheart, with amazing attentiveness. We chatted as I got my mani pedi done and shared how much she cares dearly for all her clients especially the ones that have been with her for many years. I can see why they've been going to her for nails. I got a gel manicure and and a regular pedicure, I accidentally messed up the polish for my toes so I came back and Mai fixed it up for me with no issues :) I will definitely be coming here again. The best part is there's parking right in front of the shop! read more

Mai's Beauty Nails - Regular pink polish pedicure - Nail Salons Near Me - El Cerrito, California

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I have been a customer for many years. Mai (the owner) is very knowledgeable and experienced nail stylist. I have silk with gel polish. Not many salons work with silk. Mai has a great personality too. Julie has been done my pedicure for many years. Julie isa very good too. Great leg massage. Very warn and comfortable salon. read more

Wonderful experiences at Mai's Beauty Nails. Mai is not only experienced and excellent at what she does, she's super friendly, accommodating, and listens to what you need. Very happy to have discovered this shop (which has been around for 30 years!) and will definitely return. Easygoing but professional atmosphere. Each time I've gone there are clearly longtime loyal customers there, which speaks volumes. Highly recommend! Thank you, Mai! read more

Mai's Beauty Nails - Gel French manicure with almond shape and thicker white polish by my request--Mai did it perfectly! Love it!! - Nail Salons Near Me - El Cerrito, California

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I have been coming to Mai's beauty nails for over 5 years and they are the best! They have more color selection than any salon around and are one of the few places that still do silk wrap. Mai (the owner) does the silk wrap and dip nails and I usually get my toes done by Julie. I am so picky about my nails and both ladies pay great attention to detail. read more

LIAR! I called to ask if they do dip powder. She said yes. I asked again to be sure. She assured me they did. I drove there, and she tells me to pick a color. I say, these are gel. Where's the dip powder? She said you pick gel. I said, I specifically asked you for dip powder. She then said, we don't have powder. I told her she wasted my time and left extremely disappointed. read more

I went to Mai's nail salon originally to get a normal nail fill. My regular nail artist was on vacation so I decided to try this place. The salon was dirty, dark, and had a very gloomy atmosphere. And I didn't feel very welcomed. I don't ask for anything fancy, just acrylic French tips. But the nail artist seemed distracted while doing my fill. She was too busy talking to the owner, Mai, and as a result, my nails were very sloppy and 2 of my acrylic nails broke off within the first few days. I wouldn't recommend this place to get your nails done. read more

Gahhh! I'm so torn about this review & establishment. I WANTED to like it! I'm desperate for a nail salon I can call home, but I just haven't found one that meets all of my needs. At any rate, here's where this place stands: Pros: -open later than other nail places; was able to fit me in the day of -owner was super kind (she was also my nail tech) -lots of gel colors! -affordable; my gel acrylic set + removal of my prior set was $35 -she's been in that location for 20+ years & I love supporting a female-owned local business -Has its own parking lot Cons...sigh: -Hasn't been updated in awhile; not the end of the world, though -Tricky location; not in plain sight -Actual nail job was less than amazing (refer to photo to see for yourself) All in all, I'd go again in a pinch, but this is far from being in the running for America's Next Top Nail Salon. Tune in next week, folks! read more

Mai's Beauty Nails - Side view - Nail Salons Near Me - El Cerrito, California

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This place is amazing. This is my second time! I got silk nails, I felt very content with the outcome. She's very caring, and really is passionate about what she does, which is it always important for me . Helps me feel more comfortable and they are trustworthy. Mai and the other woman are super warm and welcoming! read more

Mai's Beauty Nails - Nail Salons Near Me - El Cerrito, California

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I really wanted to like this place since there are so many good reviews. But my nails don't look good at all. Uneven, nail polish all on my fingers. I'm going to try to fix it but it's gel and I'm not sure how. Julie did my gel mani and pedi. Ladies were really nice. read more

Mai's Beauty Nails - Left hand - Nail Salons Near Me - El Cerrito, California

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I am so happy that all the other places I called were unavailable and I stumbled on Mai's place. It was my first time and new to the area so I was 5 minutes late. Mai called to check to see if I was still coming. I told her I'm on "Mai" way (haha) I'm having trouble finding the place. She explained that it was in the green building in the back. Got there and Gina the manicurist was great with my basic pedicure ($25) and gel manicure ($25) . She's super patient and gentle. Overall, I love this place. You can tell that the owner Mai really knows her clients and has a loyal following which was really assuring for me as a new client. Mai has owned her business for 26 years now and you can really see her passion for doing nails. I got the sense that the locals love this place. When I was getting serviced, a mom brought her little girl and mother to get their nails done and the little girl plopped her itty bitty self with her hands out to Mai. It was the cutest thing! Multi-generational place for sure! Mai's Nails is a local gem. Love this place and this newbie has found her new spot! read more

Mai's Beauty Nails - #023 Orchid Blossom gel manicure $25 done by Gina. - Nail Salons Near Me - El Cerrito, California

My experience with Mai's has been a pleasant experience so far. She took me in last minute to remove my dipped nails and apply a hardener to help fix my damaged nails. I'm looking forward to a pedicure next, as I've heard they specialize in thorough service, which it's difficult to find in this area these days. read more

I didn't plan on getting my nails done today, however my sweetheart and I were running errands and paused for a brief moment's repose and he wanted to be sweet so he slid me some money and told me to go over to the first little hole in the wall shop we found and it just happened to be Mai's. I waited almost an hour and scrolled through pictures and pictures I'd saved from Pinterest. The wait was over in no time. Mai was warm, friendly, charming, and sweet. She held conversation well and laughed at most of my jokes. And she really got my nails together! They look great! I'm happy! read more

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Mai is quite simply a delightful human being. Your experience under her artistry will not only leave your nails looking beautiful, but it will deepen your sense of community in the East Bay, as the multicultural gem that it is. If your nails are dry and brittle, ask for silk nails. It is an old school process that feels far more like sculpture, than just simply "getting your nails done." As long as Mai keeps her doors open for business, she will have mine! read more

Mai's Beauty Nails - These silk nails were sculpted two weeks ago, by Mai. - Nail Salons Near Me - El Cerrito, California

LOVE this place! I came a while ago but forgot to leave a review. I came to get my nails done for prom and Mai was incredible! She helped me get the exact shade I wanted, looking at pictures of my dress to try and compare and the shade turned out a perfect match. She was so sweet and I could tell she really cared about all her customers. She was excited to talk to me about prom, asking me all about who was running for prom queen and other fun things. Overall I really enjoyed my experience and look forward to coming back now that places are reopening! read more

Mai's Beauty Nails - nails matched perfectly with my prom colors! - Nail Salons Near Me - El Cerrito, California

This is by far probably one of the last, best most hygienic and trustworthy nail shop in Bay Area. I've been known the owner Mai since my HS days since at least 2 decades even longer than I've been married. Mai and her staff is patient, nice and super caring about the health of your nails and hygiene. Been to other places before as this is a bit of drive for me now. However the other places I've been to the shops looks nice and decent but the services were so so, hygiene can be hit or miss, and most important sometimes when you ask them to try on color to see what it looks like on you they either just point out the polish or they paint it on their own nails... really??!!? I know what color they look like in bottle but there's a reason why I asked for u to try it on me so I know if the colors look good on my own skin tone. After all isn't that what you want so your clients can post it on social media...??!?? Sometimes when you are being stingy you lose potential clients. Well you will never have this concern at Mai's. Not only is she good at picking colors or knowing what shape is right for you she is super attentive and will care for your nails. I bring my daughter from time to time and even she concurs they are super attentive compared to the other nail shops. Now go pamper yourself... btw she also does waxing and facials too and prices are very reasonable. read more

Mai has been in El Cerrito for 30 years. Mai charges a very reasonable price and does very good work. They are open on Mondays, unlike some other shops and the atmosphere is casual and inclusive. I had my first appointment about a month ago and I was very satisfied with my nails. read more

Unfortunately I need to leave a bad review. I came with shapeless nails and left with shapeless nails, no care we're given to my nail. The manicure lasted only two days and it wasn't even pretty. You could see brush lines between the layers of nail polish and tons of bubbles in all ten fingers. The pedicure is holding up better as expected and while the polish is better applied my nail didn't received any care either and are not shaped. read more

I stumbled on Mai's Beauty Nails because I was driving home from work and needed to find a nail salon that was open past 7:30pm. Mai's facility is conveniently located with a small parking lot, so parking was made super easy. I called ahead to ask if they would be able to accommodate a gel manicure only half an hour before closing at 8:00pm. They said yes, so I rushed over. I enjoyed how clean, friendly and humble the atmosphere was. Mai immediately greeted me while she finished up someone else's pedicure. I chose my color and she went straight to work on me. I learned that Mai has run her business since 1993! She and I had a pleasant chat about business, family, friends, and so on. There was also a television in the ceiling corner that I could watch if I chose to. It seems as thought many of Mai's customers are long time guests that have been going to her for years--and I see why! She is sweet and honest lady, and you can count on her many years of experience pleasing people with beautiful nails and great customer service. We talked about the difference between gel, acrylic, silk and dip nails. While other nail salon owners have tried to up-sell me in the past, Mai said she was very honest with her customers about nail care. "You don't need dip nails," she said, "because you already have very strong and long nails. We don't want to cover them up with extra layers that will weaken them if you don't need to!" She also pointed out that dip nails may be less sanitary because every customer is dipping all their fingers into the same pot of powder. That is why Mai says that she sanitizes the fingers and the rim of every dip pot with each use. Mai worked quickly and my manicure turned out beautiful. When she applied lotion to my hands at the end, she gave me a WONDERFUL massage from my forearms to my fingertips. This, I could tell, she has many years of experience doing because it felt AMAZING. In addition to Mai's extensive talent, many years of experience, inviting facility, and friendly and honest demeanor... the price is also very affordable! I will be a long time customer from now and on. Thank you, Mai! read more

This is an awesome jewel tucked away... Mai is so sweet and so gentle.. this is one of the last places around that does a true silk mani!!! And it is the best in the world.. the most natural set ever!! Sooo happy read more

Mai's Beauty Nails - Nails - Nail Salons Near Me - El Cerrito, California

Love this shop! Lucked out on finding this place, they're open late and take walk-ins. Called them Friday late afternoon to see if I could come in. Came in and was seen promptly. Gina gave me an AMAAAAZING manicure & pedicure. The massage was great; never realized I had pressure points in my hands. I almost fell asleep it was so good. The manicurist were very friendly & welcoming. I'll be back! read more

I've been coming here for a while but I haven't left a review! Silly on my part! Anyways, both women are very nice. Mai is sociable, does a fantastic job and takes care of me every time I visit! I enjoy the fact that neither ladies will rush when an appointment or another customer comes in, unlike other places who rush and do a terrible job just to earn a bit more dough. I've been coming here a little over two years since I moved in the area and I was just happy to find a helpful, well detailed nail salon in my area! Keep up the good work, Mai and Julie! I'll definitely keep coming back! read more

I visited for the first time and instantly loved how friendly I was welcomed. Mai makes me feel like I've been going to her place for years. She is definitely knowledgeable and schooled me on the proper way to care for nails. My pedicure and manicure was awesome. She helped me picked the right shade of yellow that I wanted. I will definitely return. read more

Mai's Beauty Nails - Nail Salons Near Me - El Cerrito, California

Love mai! She literally treats my nails like her own, shes almost anal about them being perfect and it's greatly appreciated. Been going here about 3-4 years now and don't plan on going anywhere else! read more