I had an appointment at 10:30 on a Saturday, the salon was busy but they all seem to move very fast. I was in the chair at 10:35, didn't mind waiting at all. Vivian did a full set French Tip on my nails and a polish change of white shallac on my toes in a little over an hour. Great service and it cost me $75 without tip! The place was clean and very sweet staff! I will be going back! Thank you! read more

Popular Nails - Full Set French Tip - Nail Salons Near Me - Carlsbad, California

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The staff are warm, friendly, accommodating, and skilled. I trust them so much I even say "whatever you think looks good" and relax while they make me look amazing. I get compliments on my nails daily!! read more

I was recommended this place by a friend. I arrived on time and was taken in maybe 10 minutes after I arrived. I wanted my acrylics removed & a gel manicure. The lady removed my nails painfully by shoving plastic underneath the nail rather than soaking them in acetone and filing them off. She then cut my cuticles on my pinky & ring finger which proceeded to bleed pretty badly. She put glue on it which burned to try to stop the bleeding. My ring finger continued to bleed over an hour after I left. I won't be going back after this experience. read more

Popular Nails - Cuticles cut and red on my Ring finger and pinky finger - Nail Salons Near Me - Carlsbad, California

Popular nails is my go to nail spot! Not only do they always get me an appointment when I need one, the employees are so sweet every time I come in. My nails come out perfect every time, whether it's acrylic with designs or just a simple mani/pedi. Shout out to Lena for doing my nails so beautifully for so many years. Highly recommend it! read more

Popular Nails - Acrylic nails - Nail Salons Near Me - Carlsbad, California

I used to love this place! I went in yesterday for a 4:00 appointment for a pedicure and dip manicure. I waited 45 minutes just to get sat down. Then, they said they would work on my nails at the same time as my feet to "get me out of here" since I had been waiting for so long. I was hoping to enjoy my time there. They rushed through everything with me and somehow got gel on my finger. I was thinking it'd eventually wipe off so it wasn't a big deal to me, but they ended up using the nail drill to try and take off the gel stuck on my finger! This completely took off a layer of my skin (see picture attached). They didn't even apologize. Not to mention, the lady doing my feet used the buffer so hard on one of my toes that it started bleeding. She just squeezed it so it would stop. I'm overall disappointed with my experience and definitely not worth the 100+ dollars I spent. read more

Popular Nails - Nail Salons Near Me - Carlsbad, California

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I really enjoyed Lena's company. She was very sweet and able to get me in with only a few minutes wait. Thank you for my birthday nails! read more

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I echo the sentiment of some of the reviewers here. The ladies really rush you and don't take their time. They were very harsh with my cuticles and now some of my cuticles are swollen and peeling. I am worried one of my fingers is infected. I am 90% sure they weren't using sterile tools either. As a physician, I should have known better because I have seen patients with terrible infections because of improper handling of tools between clients. I do not recommend this place. read more

I've been here at least 15 times and I've never been disappointed by my nails at this place. I've had regular manicures, pedicures, gel manicures and dip manicure and they've all been great! The technicians are nice and the prices are pretty standard even though it's in Carlsbad village. My only complaint is that they get pretty busy and sometimes you have to wait a bit even if you have an appointment, but that happens at a lot of places. read more

Popular Nails - Perfect Dip Mani by Kim - Nail Salons Near Me - Carlsbad, California

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I started going here about 9 months ago and I've had 1-2 pleasant experiences and 5-6 terrible experiences. I always call in to make an appointment and somehow end up waiting about an hour after my appointment time. What's the point of an appointment? Last time, I said something to the manager as I saw her taking in the later appointments and I had been waiting for an hour and a half past my appointment time. I was calm and kind, just inquiring when I would be called up as I have another appointment. She looked at me and turned her head, completely unphased. It said a lot about the business- they clearly don't have any appreciation for return customers. Definitely not worth your time, so many other good salons in the area that honor appointment times and care about their customers! read more

Positive- they were always able to fit me in and had good operating hours compared to other local salon. Some staff were amazing and others were just ok. read more

BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE. I called the salon for dip nails and they asked me to come in later because they were busy. I show up for my appointment on time and they sit me in a chair and file my nails for 30 min. The phone was ringing a lot and another woman came in later for the same appointment time as me and they had no one to help her so she was frustrated. As I'm still getting my cuticles and nails filed for a while I knew something was up because that should not take 30 min. The owner came up to me and asked if I could get gel instead since they were busy. I let them know I waited to come in for the dip and was told I could get it. By that point they took the other woman with the same appointment time that came after me. She asked if I could wait 45 min to an hour to finish her nails to do mine even though I had been waiting. I told her I'd just leave because I was in a time crunch and only came in later in the day because they had been busy. This salon is a hot mess and I do not recommend because even though you are sitting in a seat they will take someone else if they're complaining. very frustrating to have waisted 30 min of them filing my nails for them to say they can no longer do what they agreed to do :-) I WOULD HAVE GONE TO ANOTHER SALON HOURS BEFORE WHEN I FIRST CALLED. Customer service is key. Don't waste your time like I did. read more

Absolutely lovely staff there! I recently discovered them across the street from my husband's restaurant that he owns. They are all so accommodating and friendly. I've been 3 times and today I took my husband for a mani and pedi which we both received. They really took their time, the scrub and massage were great. My husband was VERY pleased and his hands and feet look amazing. My gel nails are perfect shape and she did many coats of color until it was perfect. Reasonable prices, clean, large array of color choices. We will continue to support them! read more

I have been going to Popular Nails for about 8 months now and they never fail me! Angie has done my acrylic fills almost every time and no matter how difficult the design might be, she's always up for the challenge! The best part is that I am in and out in less than 45 minutes. The staff is very personable and always remembers my face when I walk in. I've brought so many people here, and it's definitely worth the drive! Reasonably priced and I'm never disappointed! read more

Popular Nails - Nail Salons Near Me - Carlsbad, California

I was in town for one day, called in the morning to make an appointment for the afternoon. Glad I did because they were super busy! And I can see why -- very friendly, quick work, they were detailed and did a perfect job. I wish I lived here, this would be my regular spot! read more

Popular Nails - Gel acrylics - Nail Salons Near Me - Carlsbad, California

Wowzers!! This salon is amazing! Right in Carlsbad village and let me tell you, I've never seen such AFFORDABLE prices by the beach. You would expect prices to be very high but they're not. Ladies take their time and don't rush while working with you. There is a huge gel color selection. I love getting gel fill and pedi! Kim, Lien, Tammy, and Tina are all wonderful. Come here for great service, good prices, and a stroll along the beach. The store is clean and their spa seems brand new. I would definitely recommend calling for an appt but walk-ins are okay too (i do that sometimes and depending on how busy they are, its no longer than 20-25 minutes- i usually walk around). They are ridiculously accommodating. Highly recommend and great place in the village to pamper yourself, friends, and fam! read more

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I have been enjoying their services for two years now and I have to say the ladies at Popular Nails are wonderful. They are wonderful at taking walk ins and the nails last. read more

DISHONEST & DIRTY!!!! Please look at the below photo!!!! Speaks volumes. This place is so DIRTY!!! Just look behind the pedicure chairs. NASTY!!! Especially with covid you would think they would mop the floors. As I was getting a pedicure from the man that works there, water spilled out from the bowl and he got mad at me. You would think he would wash the floors at the end of the day. Even if I spilled water, aren't going to wash the floors or use a towel to wipe down the few drops that spilled. I also left a bag behind and without a doubt they refused to return it. I hung it in the chair and it certainly wasn't taken by anyone as it was hidden. Only after everyone had left, would they have found it. I asked the lady on the phone if she would return items that people left behind and she flat out said no. We are not responsive! If that's your policy to be that rude is one thing, but at least wash your floors and clean the place. They use a rag that they used all day and pretend to spray Lysol to clean the work station. I will never ever understand how these types of nail salon owners get away with the cosmetology board not regulating how unsanitary they run their shops. RUN FROM THIS PLACE!!!! I regret not listening to my instincts and turning away. We need to contact the CA Cosmetology Board and the BBB!!! Now more than EVER with Covid, they need to shape up. Good luck everyone and stay healthy! read more

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I've been here before and they've done a good job but today I left extremely upset and disappointed. I got a pink French manicure and none of them are even or look nice. While she was using the drill she broke one of my nails. I asked if she could put a tip on so it matches the other lengths and she said it would be $10 extra which I don't really consider fair since she was the one who broke it. I also asked her not to file them a few times but she did anyways and made them uneven. I'm really upset with how much money I paid when I don't think the end product matches the price point. read more

Popular Nails - pink French manicure - Nail Salons Near Me - Carlsbad, California

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"Popular nail salon" very clean, professional and with a friendly staff. Kim did a spa pedicure and manicure. She is very good and professional. Lena also was so nice. Really it was the best experience! Thank you! read more

I'm not one to leave a bad yelp review unless it was that awful of an experience. Unfortunately, getting my nails done here was one of those. To start, we called and made an appointment for 3:45pm and didn't get pulled back until 4:26pm. That was only starting on one of us, my other friend had to wait another 15 minutes in the chair. Secondly, they made me soak the acrylic off of my nails for 45 minutes! Once the women was done with my friends pedicure, there was nail polish on her skin and had to ask the lady nicely to get it all off around her toes. Around 5:15pm they started on my nails. When I told the lady shorter for my nails, she laughed. While gluing on the acrylic, I noticed she didn't do the glue right on a couple and saw it still poking up on the sides so had to ask her to add a dot of glue. It's now about 6pm, the shaping and acrylic was horrific. It was at this point I had kindly asked them to finish this step and I needed to leave. They switched ladies and another one tried reshaping and working on my nails. I was then told if I wanted to call to make an appointment to get the gel color done when I have time she would do it for $10 vs the normal $25 they charge. I said no thank you and she kept persisting. Not understanding, I did not want to come back. Although, at this point I started getting tears in my eyes because I come to a nail salon to relax and quite frankly that was not my experience. I'm not one to walk out of a salon and not pay, so I of course paid for the two pedicures and she charged me $39 for my nails (picture attached) and said that was already a discount. I was in disbelief. I left with acrylic all over my hand, them completely dry from the acetone, the acrylic stuck around the sides of my nails that they didn't use the drill for, etc. They were understaffed and kept accepting people over the phone and walk ins. We were rushed and very unhappy. She told us, at least five times, next time we also needed to tell them exactly what we wanted (fill and acrylic), not just a mani/ gel pedi. I hope no one has to experience what we did. read more

Popular Nails - $39. Shaping is all off, acrylic all over my hands. I walked out of the salon with my nails looking like this. - Nail Salons Near Me - Carlsbad, California

I've been going here for over 6mo. The place is busy on the weekends but the staff is always friendly. They always do a good job! I've been getting the powder dip with acrylics & I love it always. I've only worked with Lena & Brian & they are both great! My nails last 1mo & I always get compliments. read more

Popular Nails - Nail Salons Near Me - Carlsbad, California

This place is a very busy place, right in the heart of Carlsbad Village. My girlfriend was really excited about it because it is very close to our house and the people overall are pretty friendly; however, yes I know "here we go". My girlfriend has frequented this place for a good year, manicure, pedicure, she was told that making an appointment is best since they do get very busy, so she started doing so instead of just walking in. She made the appointment more for her manicure since it takes longer. The first time she went after making the appointment as they requested and said it's best, she was told if it were ok to wait ten minutes, she said ok. The second time again made the appointment she set and set and set waiting until she finally got up and told the so called "manager" that she had an appointment and she had been waiting for over 20 minutes now and NO ONE even bothered asking her who she was waiting for, the manager said, "sorry but whoever gave you the appointment, she gave you the wrong time, it was too close to the previous customer" and they apologized. By this time of course she was now pretty upset to see that other people, walk in people mind you, were seated and were done while she was still sitting down waiting to be called and had an appointment. Remember, this is all about appointments that supposedly are better to haven than not. One more time she said, and I'll never go back if this will happen again, what is the point of making an appointment when it truly doesn't matter, it was faster without an appointment. Third time was a charm, again made the appointment. She walks in and notices that the lady that she was supposed to see and sees all the time was still working on another customer and immediately realized that even this time she had to wait. Desperate to haver her nails done, she did wait for the last time, almost an hour later is when they called her "I'm sorry the customer took so much longer than I thought, she wanted different things plus designs" etc., etc., as if my girlfriend cared. The customer didn't take longer at all, it was a total lie to once again cover themselves, what they do is that want each and every customer that walks through their door and don't look or care to see their appointment book, why they even have one is beyond me. They don't care, it's all about money for them, not good customer service, and they don't care if you've gone there for years, they don't respect or value their repeat and loyal customers and they should not take appointments because it doesn't matter, and you also know that it doesn't matter to them because when you call THEY NEVER TAKE YOUR PHONE NUMBER DOWN and/or barely your name, it's only "what time you like to come" and that's it, they don't even care if you don't show up because they keep going and going and don't even realize you didn't come. She wanted to love this place for the convenience and again, they are pretty friendly, but for her, she felt she wasn't treated at all with respect because she would set there like an idiot for quite a while and no one really cared, and the customer service is zero; however, and she is right about this when she says "try to NOT TIP THEM" then all of sudden you will see their true color and English all of sudden becomes their first language. I personally would not have tipped these people if I had to wait so long every time I had to get my nails done to teach them a lesson that it isn't right to treat customers this way, but my girlfriend couldn't do it and tipped anyways. This isn't the only place that rushes people or treats people this way that she has experienced, she's done her nails for many years and almost all of them seem to be the same identical copy of the previous one, but it is pretty sad that after you spend your money and they expect a tip for their work, they don't respect you and/or YOUR hard-working money as well. It is what it is and she'll move on to the next place that most likely we'll do the same but hopefully not an hour wait and/or even 1/2 hour especially if you have an appointment. If you like this place and want to come here, up to you of course but from experience, don't bother making an appointment here, it is definitely faster without it, unless you want to leave upset after spending your money. I would not recommend this place for the carelessness of the staff, and making a loyal customer feel as if they don't matter or simply "wait your turn" even if you had an appointment. The reason why they get away with it it's because it's right in the heart of Carlsbad Village where anyone and everyone passing by can see it and quickly go in, it's also one of the biggest one in town and the prices although raised twice over one year period, are still less expensive than other places. I believe they know this and like other places, they take advantage of it, so whether you are a repeat customer for years or just walking in, it's no different. read more

Tammy is so amazing! The entire staff is so talented. My daughter and I absolutely love them read more

Popular Nails - So creative! - Nail Salons Near Me - Carlsbad, California

Very nice staff. Knowledgeable and did a wonderful job on my nails. Would recommend for sure. read more

I stopped coming to this place because the work is always rushed even if you called in ahead of time to make an appointment. It was after several appointments that I finally gave up to look for another salon. The manicurist will take walk ins and will start rushing her work when she sees the lobby filling in with people. The work typically is not the best nor the service because of the rushed job read more

The service the was not the best, the lady that was doing my nails was really aggressive trying to move my hand the way she needed it.

Without a doubt the worst manicure/pedicure. Place is dirty, nail polish is old and bad quality. Will never go back. read more

Popular Nails - Nail Salons Near Me - Carlsbad, California

Good quality and vibes the manager does the best fastest nails, full set and it's very cheap surprisingly plus she got new comfy furniture to relax in stop by it's the best in town.! read more

Awesome place. A girlfriend of mine convinced me to come with her today... And let me just say I'm super stoked I did! Thanks Lisa! The service and pampering was a breath of fresh air. I was totally not sure what to pick for color"s on my mani and pedi...and they mastered it. Well....."KT" mastered it ! Your amazing! Thanks ladys! read more

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Went in last night for my second time after making the switch from Carlsbad Salon & Spa. I had been a loyal customer there for almost 15 years, long story short I felt they weren't doing a good job anymore and their prices just weren't worth it. Popular Nails does such a good job, their prices are affordable and even when they're really busy they still manage to fit you in which is always a plus in my book. read more

Popular Nails - Gel Manicure - Nail Salons Near Me - Carlsbad, California

I had one of the owners do dip on my nails that had no polish on them prior. Two days later one nail had chipped and one nail (dipped nail) had completely fallen off. No problem, it happens. I went back, one of the ladies was nice enough to fix the two broken ones, and put an extra layer of clear coat on all my nails. Three days later another nail just completely popped off like I had used dollar store stick in nails. Do not recommend this place at all. read more

I loved it here. I got a fill with Angie. I actually like my nails more now than I did when I initially got them done at a different place. Wish I had a before photo but she was very nice and made them look so much better. I WILL be coming back here specifically for Angie read more

Popular Nails - Nail Salons Near Me - Carlsbad, California

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We had an appointment for two mani-pedis but when we walked over a young lady asked us to sit and wait a few minutes she said, which was fine. We sat on the wall outside for 15-20 minutes and went back to check in to see how much longer. An older woman asked us how she can help, and i repeated that we had an appointment 30 min ago, and wanted to know how much longer our wait would be. No one answered. Instead Three of them who were working on other customers spoke to each other in Vietnamese without looking or addressing us. while we continued to wait for their response. After a few very long minutes and continued conversation amongst themselves in Vietnamese, we left. All i wanted to know was how long the wait was so that we could decide to wait or not. RUDE & Unprofessional read more

Well Yelp is wrong they close at 6pm on Sundays not 7pm. I got there at 6:08pm. They were very understanding and took me in anyways. Two women worked on me to make it faster and the quality was still better than many places I've been to before. Thank you so much. read more

Been here a couple of time. The first time I asked for gel extensions and the lady that saw me said yes they do those here but then pulled out everything to do acrylic nails. I'm glad I stopped her bcz that is not what we talked about. Another lady jumped in and convinced me to do hard gel nails instead. I drive all the way from fallbrook so I figured I might as well. Most salons do a cuticle soak or some kind of light massage but she strictly did a nail trim and coat. The next visit I wanted to do a different style completely. I was charged for the removal, which is expected, but then also charged for cuticle work which she didn't soak first or push back just took a dremel. I suppose she dyd touch up the cuticles but they still didn't look polished. The nails looked very nice tho so I just left it at that. That was a little over a week ago and my thumbnail broke already. I am not hard on my nails so I went in today to get it fixed and a fill why I am at it bcz they are a little grown out but not much. There were two customers being seen the rest of the place was pretty empty. They asked me to come back in an hour and a half (???) or another day. I told her that wouldn't work, I come from fallbrook and I am starting a new job tomorrow. Sign says they take walk ins, and I'm a returning customer, and I should not be coming in with a broken nail after one week anyways. So not took impressed. 3 stars bcz the lady who original did my nails does do really good work. I cannot speak for the others tho. read more

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Took my bf here for his first pedicure after a drink in the village. The lady who did my pedicure and his were both amazing. However the lady who did my nails did not do a good job at all... I got a French tip and they are crooked. I asked for her to cover my nail beds and they are still showing. I asked to not have my nails done in the chair (they also do a rush job when it's in the pedicure chair) and she did it anyways. Then they asked for me to pay and tip before she even finished which I feel like is why she rushed afterwards. Massage wasn't even included after spending over $100. Not very friendly, seemed annoyed. Don't recommend. read more

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Tina!!! I've been getting my nails done for years all around Carlsbad. Tina is the best of the best. Very clean salon friendly people and they know what they're doing! read more

First time coming in. Tami made my nails look fabulous. My nails are on point and I'm loving them. I'm looking forward to many more visits. I was able to walk right in and be seen, even though they were pretty busy. read more

Popular Nails - Before nail polish - Nail Salons Near Me - Carlsbad, California

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I just came in for a walk in while I was in town and they got me right in and got my gel polish on my nails and toes well. It looks great and they were very friendly. Great arm and calf massage read more

AMAZINGGGGGG!!!! Brian did such a great job, just look at these!! Also, ladies, designs are not easy to do and they take time so if you're gonna come in and ask for a design... tip good. Support your amazing local nail technicians. I'm tired of seeing people tipping poorly to the people that make your nails look good!!!! THANK YOU AGAIN BRIAN! read more