I recently had my first experience at Alo Nail Salon, and while it was generally positive, there…read morewere a few bumps along the way. I went in with my 5-year-old daughter, three teenage sisters, and my stepmom to celebrate my birthday with manicures and pedicures. I called ahead to book the appointment, and Mimi was fantastic in organizing everything to ensure we were all set. Upon arrival, I was immediately impressed by how clean, modern, and thoughtfully designed the salon was. The staff wore matching uniforms, the towels were embroidered with the business name, choice of vitamin-infused salt bath for your pedicure, and there was even a mini bar set up for special events. We were given choices of water, tea, coffee, juice, wine or champagne (I ordered a mimosa of course!). It was clear they take great pride in their space and service.
However, there were some issues that affected our experience. My daughter's manicure and pedicure started to disintegrate after just two days, which was disappointing. I took her back to have it redone, and while the staff was accommodating, it was still a hassle. My shellac manicure, which I've had done many times without issue, also started lifting and chipping after just one week, which was unusual for me since I'm used to it lasting 3-4 weeks with no problems. What really added to the frustration was the delay in my stepmom's service. She had trouble with her technician, who wasn't familiar with shellac, and after everyone else was finished, we had to wait for someone else to redo hers. This pushed us over an hour late for our birthday lunch in Uptown and set off a domino effect, causing us to be late for the rest of our planned events.
The service was great, the salon's cleanliness and atmosphere were top-notch, and the staff was friendly and professional despite these setbacks. I'm willing to give Alo Nail Salon another shot as it may have just been an off day, especially knowing I've had shellac manicures last for weeks in the past and not to assume 2 hours would be enough for a mani/pedi. I'd recommend it with a bit more caution and extra communication next time--especially if you have a hard stop for time-sensitive plans.