I wanted to give a three star rating but my fingernails are damaged after my experience so it will have to be two.
I purchased a basic manicure ($20, no artificial nails, no gels, just basic file and paint of my natural nails) and Deluxe Spa pedicure ($40).
I sat down in the chair and soaked my feet while I waited for my tech, Queenie, to gather her supplies. I liked the chair, the water was perfect, and the overall salon atmosphere was very nice (quiet, subdued, dark). I watched as some other customers received bottles of cold water which I thought was very nice but I was not offered one at any point.
The pedicure was good. Although she scraped my feet a little too hard (they were raw and red the rest of the day, but I figure I probably needed that as winter-prep) and the paraffin wax was a little too hot (I told her and she left the bag open so it would cool), I was enjoying the experience.
However, the whole time she was scraping and massaging, Queenie was looking around the shop. By this I mean she was very obviously turning her head from side to side, looking to see what other techs were doing, looking to see who was coming in the door, watching the register as people were paying. I mean OBVIOUS. Her ponytail was whipping back and forth and she kept wiping her head on her upper arms/shoulders like she was sweaty but she wasn't. I felt like she was exasperated to be there. She also answered her phone once and kept reading and replying to texts.
This was all kind of a bummer but I figured Queenie might have been having a bad day and wasn't giving me her complete attention/focus for that reason. I noticed that other techs were having discussions with their clients and seemed more focused so I don't think the way I was treated was the norm for the salon in general.
The reason for the TWO STARS rating, however, is that, as she was finishing my pedicure (painting my toenails), before she began on my hands, another client walked in the door. The owner greeted her like he knew her and she mentioned Queenie and another girl by name. The other tech was also with a client. The owner asked both Queenie and the other girl how long they would each be then told the client it would be fifteen minutes for either of them. The lady chose to wait and sat down by the window.
Queenie jumped up and started SAWING on my nails. My understanding of fingernails is that you file them in one direction to keep them strong and to not damage them. She was literally sawing back and forth across my fingernails. It wasn't painful but it was shocking. After she very quickly buffed them, she painted one coat on one hand, one coat on the other hand, another coat right on top of the coat she had just painted, then finished the other hand. My nails looked like a five year old had painted them. It was globbed on really thick and several of my fingers (not all) had paint smears down the edges/on the cuticles.
My manicure could not have taken her more than eight minutes and, as soon as she took me to the drying station, she took the new client over to her station and they started talking as though they were old friends (the client asked Queenie about her baby).
I took the paint off as soon as I got home because it looked so bad. When I took it off, I noticed that my nails were not squared but CURVED in the middle. They were higher on the edges and dipped down in the middle. Additionally, my nails were shredded. I had to rub oil on them to get the pieces of shredded nail off and I didn't want to file them into shape because I didn't want to further damage them. However, one peeled off today while I was making the bed so I had to cut them all off. I am sure it is for the best as they looked so bad and will grow back within two weeks. However, they looked bad and I was so embarrassed that I let her do that to me and that I PAID for it and TIPPED her very well (20%).
I won't discount this salon because others' reviews seem positive overall and I got a very good impression from both the atmosphere of the salon and the quantity of and satisfaction of the other clients (everyone seemed happy) but I will not have Queenie as a technician again and I will make note of the service I receive next time. read more