This place is far and away the best nail salon I've been to in the greater Portland area. I've been to:
Serenity nails, Barnes rd
Lena gel nails, by Washington sq
Rex nails, S waterfront
And they're better in all these ways:
1. Good service - they know me and greet me like a friend
2. Good vibe - the technician (artist!) Hannah was not only friendly but engaged me in conversation about kids, family, healthcare (recent similar injurys requiring PT), and STAYED LATE because we were having such a nice convo. And whilst doing all that she *also* did an amazing job with my nails.
3. High quality - of all the salons I've been to, my nails (gel mani-pedi) look the best and last the longest. (See the pic - that's no chips AT ALL AFTER 3 WEEKS!). I dunno what brand/product they use, but it's the best - the results speak for themselves: I routinely get three weeks with no chips, doing woodwork with tools and sanding, etc., and it is *consistent*.
4. Finally, SAFE SPACE!! I am trans and they treat me with the same respect as all the other ladies.
I love this place so much, I've brought my whole family (wife and two daughters).
You know of course that first impressions are the most lasting.........so my first visit, they really blew my mind. So, this is it:
One Sunday afternoon, me and my oldest daughter - my mini me, cos she looks just like me - on a whim, and we're trying to find a nail place round 5pm on a Sunday, and all our usual places are closed, of course. And my daughter's in tears (and so was I, because she was - I can't help but feel what she does)...and after calling like three places, I just called Max TL because they were the last on the list. Half an hour before closing, they said "Come on down!". We got Hannah as our tech, and she was the one who treated me like a friend and talked to me in a way that showed she actually enjoyed talking to me, rather than normal, polite platitudes everyone in service industry does (I know it because I worked service for 20 years too). We've never gone anywhere else since then.
And you can tell a place is good when, at 5:30pm on a Sunday evening, they are absolutely packed. They had only one table/chair available, which they gave me.
Needless to say, I gave them a 25% tip. Oh yeah, and despite being in Lake O, the most bougie place in Portland, their prices were actually better than all those other places I listed. read more