Really confused about the negative reviews for this place... It was my first time here. I came early on a Sunday without an appointment and they took me right away. They had a good selection of colors and brand name polishes. Amy did my mani-pedi and she was awesome. She did a great job, gave me an amazing foot rub and was such a nice and sweet person to talk to! Not to mention, the price for a mani-pedi & designs only ran me $43. That is a fantastic price compared to other salons in the area. This will definitely be my new go to place. read more

Rather than waiting for a walk-in, I went and made an appointment for a few hours later. Big mistake. Returned 10 mins before the appointment time, was barely acknowledged and wasn't asked what I was there for. Meanwhile the place was packed with no one anywhere near getting finished with their pedicure. I sat down to wait and someone came in behind me, signed in on a piece of white paper that I guess you just have to know is the customer list since none of that is explained. So I had just moved down the list. I waited until 3:05 and still with no acknowledgement, walked out wondering why they bothered scheduling my appointment. It was packed, super busy, the opposite of relaxing - and the fumes in the place were the worst I've ever experienced in a nail salon. Will never go back. read more

While the quality of manicures and pedicures is likely fine, the blatant disrespect for appointments and customers' time makes this place a terrible choice. Natalie does great work and my daughter goes to see her. Outside of that I have not found anyone here to be worth it. Don't bother making an appointment. It will not be honored and you'll wait sometimes up to an hour or more. And the crazy thing is no one who works there even cares! When you are short on time like many of us who come on the weekend, it is a frustrating experience to not have that honored after you've taken the step of making an appointment a week in advance. I will avoid this place completely after today. There are many other places in Arlington and DC that do good work and won't keep you waiting. Mimosa and Mancini de Paris are both much better choices. read more

Rachel is the best! I'm a very picky lady and love to get my nails done every two weeks (doesn't always happen ) I've been all over the area, and although this may not be the most luxurious place... it's still great. I've seen almost all the ladies here, and had a nice experience...but RACHEL is by far my favorite! THE BEST! THANK YOU! read more

Vi is the best for gel manicures. She takes her time to make sure your nails look perfect! The best part is that my gel lasts 2-3 weeks whereas other places I tried lasted a week. Highly recommend Royal Nails! read more

i love this place for my pedicure - it's very fairly priced and my pedicure came out flawlessly! i appreciate that there's parking, and it's definitely a no-frills quieter type of spot. bougie ppl should avoid. read more

this salon does not do long nails, me and my sister-in-law came in with an inspiration picture and they said they could do it then proceeded to cut the tips short. when I said something they said that they can't do long nails, they took the tips off and we left. they where very kind about it, but were not clear about what they could do even though they new what we wanted. time is money people. read more

I love this place. The place is so clean and the staffs are wonderful. They have so many colors to choose from. They are always take time to do my pedicure and manicure. They are very friendly. One of my favorite was Stephanie. She did a great job. Last time, she did gel on my hand. Then I went to vacation, the gel lasted at least two weeks for me. My nails were so pretty. I will sure come back. read more

Royal Nails - Nail Salons Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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Natalie is amazing but the owner of the salon is not only rude but he is an idiot as well. Instead of performing the job he was paid to do, he decided to spend a total of 20 minutes on a personal phone call while trying to do my nails which he screwed up! He seriously lacks any customer service skills and professionalism. Also please be aware that prices are subject to change based on the length of your nails. This little tidbit however will not be shared with you in advance nor is it noted on the salons posted price list. This salon is in dire need of new management and standard operating procedures. read more

this has got to be one of the most pathetic pedicures i've ever received in my life. i suppose that's what i get for thinking it'd be a good idea to walk into a random nail shop in a strip mall to kill an hour b/w my appointments in arlington, but still. PA-THE-TIC. the shop, overall, was ok. just, ok. not sparkling clean by any stretch of the imagination, but not a roach motel either. pretty much your standard strip mall nail shop set-up of several mani stations, a central drying hub, a few pedi spa chairs in the back, and waxing rooms in the way back. the lady i had was so small i probably could've blown her away with a sneeze, but i didn't let her size turn me off b/c i've received awesome spa services (massages even) from folks as small as, and smaller than, her. unfortunately, this time, my small service person was as weak as she looked. when she started the pedi, she was gentle and i figured she was just feeling me out. nope. it continued that way, and her touch was so light it almost tickled. i told her she could go harder, but that didn't change anything. now, IDK about her other clients, but most ppl i know get pedicures for 2 reasons: to get their toes prettified and get a good foot-rub in the process. there was no good foot-rubbing from this woman. i've had more vigorous foot-rubs from my kitties when they sleep around my ankles. really. after the barely-there rubbing, there was very minimal buffing/filing/clipping/scrubbing. that pumice-like square thing they usually use to scrub the bottom of your feet was used for less than 5 seconds per foot, so IDK WTH was scrubbed. i watched the ladies on either side of me scrub their client's soles like they were trying to get grease stains off of old frying pans, and was jealous. (however, they also used those scary potato-peeler blade thingies on their client's soles - a process i find horrifying yet fascinating - so maybe i should consider myself lucky that my nail tech wasn't all that attentive to my soles.) the rest of the pedi was just as pathetic, and worse, when it came time for polish it went further downhill. they use rolled-up paper towels for toe separators! come on now. i've nothing against being creative or thrifty when you need to be, but this is just cheap. i don't even do that when i get my DIY pedicure on @ home. i have those ugly spongy toe separators that look like foam brass knucles. they work much better than paper towels and/or cotton balls, and it's even a green option when you consider how many paper towels/cotton balls would be used a year's time just for weekly pedicures. but i digress. i told this woman that my little piggies are too close together for just flimsy paper towels to separate them, but she swore it'd be fine. well, after having to repair 4 toenails b/c it was not fine and my toes kept hitting each other/smudging the nail polish, she says i was right and starts stuffing cotton balls b/w my toes. and the little hairs from the cottom balls get in the repaired polish so she has to re-repair. and when i wriggle my toes i can see where she's missed the sides of several of them and so she had to RE-RE-repair the polish AGAIN. then she tells me it's going to cost extra b/c she put on three coats. WHAT?! *i* have to pay extra b/c *you* cannot do your job? i don't think so. i left royal nails completely dissatisfied and highly annoyed. sure, i had a pretty polish on, but for what i got i could've stuck to my own regimen @ home of simply doing a little rubbing and clipping and polishing of my feet/nails and gotten the same result. waste of time. waste of money. just a waste. read more

Good place for a quick wax! I like the style they do brows, but don't have any experience w/ the other salon services.

This place was great! My friend has been going here for years and suggested I go. We went on a Thursday after work and they took us right away (For mani/pedi $48). It was one of the best pedicures I've had...Mai spent at least 15 mins massaging my calves and feet- wonderful. She was friendly and made sure I was comfortable with the water temp, pressure, etc. The tools were sanitized and all surface areas looked clean. I will definitely go back here again. No chips yet---5 days so far. Judging from the previous reviews, new management was needed! read more

They've replaced their spa pedicure basins since my last review and even coat them with a plastic liner (taken out and replaced after each customer). I'm impressed! read more

I will absolutely not visit this place again. I asked for four different nail styles and told the tech to choose which one she was able to do, she couldn't do any at all for a full set. I ended up getting one color and no design. She didn't narrow my nails to the correct shape so they ended up looking square shaped and crooked. I almost just asked her to stop and take the nails off but I was on a time schedule and running late. She filed my nails so hard that it made my finger bleed and all of my nails are extremely sore now. And for my crooked nails charged me 50 dollars! I was hoping I found a new home close to my job for my nail needs but I will stick with LA Nails on Georgia Avenue in dc. These nail technicians need to get up to speed on how to do nails and trends. I will never visit this place again read more

Definitely not a spa - more like the fast food version of nails, but a decent price and good service. A mani/pedi combo is $32 and they get you out in about an hour (not to say that they skimp on the hand or foot/leg massage, because they don't). All the girls seem generally friendly, but if I were you I'd ask for Jenny. read more

I used to go here pretty frequently during 2010 and then it started to go down hill---rushed appointments, messy, rude staff and they always seemed to be upselling people. I went the other day when my normal place was crowded and learned that Royal nails is under new management. It was good this time around. Cleaned up a lot and a much more attentive staff. She took her time on my nails and they came out great. I had to wait for a little while, but it was a rainy Sunday afternoon so, is to be expected. I'd go back. read more

This was just a very unpleasant and uncomfortable experience. My nail technician kept pressuring me to get services I did not want or need. I am in sales, and would never do that to any of my clients. I speak Vietnamese and overheard her gossiping about me and other customers in the store. When I spoke to the Owner about the unprofessionalism, he did not seem to care. And p.s. My nails looked terrible. It was truly one of the worst experiences I have ever had and will not be returning. read more

My niece and I were visiting Washington and stayed in a lovely AirBnB in Virginia. We stopped in this nail shop and was not disappointed! The people were professional, courteous and provided wonderful service. The women were inviting, the atmosphere was relaxing and other customers were nice. They do a great job on manicures and pedicures, their work is top notch and beautiful. Prices are good also plus they have $10 massages, I will definitely go back. read more

I want to like this place because it is so close. I have gone here time and time again to be more disappointed than the last. I think I've finally learned my lesson. This is the worst manicure I've ever had. My nails look like they were done by an 11 year old. My cuticles are jagged. I got the "American" tip and the off white looks yellow. The size and shape of my nails aren't consistent. I realize that manicures don't always last so long, but they should certainly last longer than 2 days. For all the nail places in the area, skip this one. read more

My friend and I have gone here a few times and really liked that it was never crowded, the staff was friendly and the leg wrap was amazing. However, the last time we went the staff was very rude and acted as if they could not be bothered doing our pedicures. When my friend asked the guy doing her pedicure if she could have the leg wrap he rolled his eyes and acted very annoyed. Also, the older lady who I think owns the place also gave me a bit of attitude when I told her to add extra money when swiping my card since I didn't have cash and you're not able to add the tip once they run your card. Don't waste your time going here I'm on here because I am now looking for a new place. read more

I don't know how anyone can leave a bad review about this place! I have been coming here for nearly 5 years. The ladies are so kind and helpful. I got to Vee b/c she knows how I like my nails shaped. I love that they use bags in the bowl for the pedicures! This definitely shows how much they care about things being sanitized and clean. They have a great selection of gel and regular colors. Lots that match. Call for an appointment b/c they get booked b/c they're great! read more

I dropped my car off for an oil change nearby and had a couple hours to kill, so I stopped in here to see if they could give me a quick manicure. I was taken care of immediately (the place was empty @ 10:30am on a Tuesday), and left a half hour later with a nice French manicure for $16 from Lisa. She was friendly and the place seemed clean enough, though nothing fancy. I wouldn't make a point of going back here, but if you're in the area and want a quick nail job, this isn't a bad place to go. read more

This is my friend's neighborhood go to for mani pedis. But OUCH my spa pedi could have turned into a trip to the emergency room for burns--hot towels!!! Glad I said something. Overall mani pedi were fine but messy clear top coat. One highpont: a good massage. If I didn't already have a "go to" nail salon of my own, I might give this place a second chance but until then...I probably won't go back. But overall not bad if you need a quick mani and you're in the area. read more

I JUST left this nail salon and I'm highly disappointed!!!!! I should've asked for management but I'm not sure if it would've helped. I have blood, cuts and burns from the file and buffer. I plan on posting the pic for all to see. I received a $40 service that should've been $10. My nails look horrible and I came home with cuts I didnt have when I went in. SMH!!!! Stay FAR FAAAAARR AWAY!!!!!!!! Plus the seating is super uncomfortable. Zero stars and WILL N E V E R return. No, this isn't an exaggerated review. Its 100% truth. Tell LeeLee she did a horrible job on the first customer of the day!! read more

I agree with the previous reviewer Vicki-the place is under new ownership now and its been remodeled recently. There are a number of new employees and the new owner is friendly and goes out of his way to be helpful. I always make an appointment ahead of time, especially since i tend to go in on weekends, when they are busy, but I dont usually have to wait more than a few minutes. I tend to see one manicurist (Ann) and she is amazing, but I've also had manis/pedis with others and they were good (grade B). Its inexpensive and close by in the neighborhood so convenient for me, and always a pleasant if not completely spa-like experience. read more

I used to go to this salon quite frequently awhile back after it changed ownership. A few weeks ago, I decided to treat myself to a gel mani on the way home. The tech I had was very sweet, but it was a painful mani -- left with three cuticles bleeding. And the gel polish started peeling off of one nail after the first day. read more

I went there for the first time this week even though I've lived close to there for a while now. I had read over the reviews and heard the place was under new management. I had a 5-star experience there. I had come back from a business trip and didn't make it there until 7:15 pm, when they were set to close at 8 pm. They were very gracious about taking me, and my taking a while to select the colors I wanted. I had Amy, and she was great - she took her time and wasn't rushed, gave me the best leg massage I've had in eons during my pedicure, and was extremely careful during the shellac manicure. Not only that, but another woman came in at 7:45 pm (again, the salon was set to close at 8 pm), and they called another manicurist from their other salon to drive over to help her!! I didn't end up leaving until 8:50 pm. Not a peep about my being 50 minutes over their closing time. Fantastic experience. I will definitely be going back. I should mention, too, that this is my first time ever posting a review on Yelp. I thought my experience merited a great review. read more

I have tried every nail salon in the area and finally found Royal Nails and absolutely LOVE them. They are always well staffed, friendly and kind. My nails have become so healthy since coming here and my shellac manicures last three even four weeks looking flawless. They never rush the process or push for things I don't want. Highly recommended! read more

I've been coming here for about 3 years now. I used to live right down the street and like it so much that I keep coming back after I have moved. I think it's the best value you can find in the area - $30 for a gel mani (with free paraffin wax at the end - aka the best part) and they do not charge you for gel take off if you're getting them done again. The spa pedicure is amazing (~$50 I think) definitely worth treating yourself. I always do walk-ins, never tried to make an appt but never have to wait too long. They are located in a strip mall so there's free parking which is great and an ATM machine inside in case you need cash to tip. read more

I would say this is one of the best nail salons in VA area! The staff is super friendly and skillfull. Natalia is my favorite. Not only she is great at her job but she is just an amazing person. Always smiles and wants to make sure you feel satisfied. The owner is also super friendly. Overal I think they rank 10 at customer service! Prices are very fair. I recommend getting their Spa Pedi. You will not regret! Enjoy! read more

I've been going to this salon for many years and it is the only place that I will go for a mani/pedi and waxing. Vee is the best but everyone is friendly and professional. My gel manicure lasts for 3 weeks! The salon is clean and they use bags in the pedicure bowls. Highly recommend! read more

The pedicures here can be great if you get the right person; if not you are better off just painting your nails & applying foot lotion at home. Just had a pedi by Helen, don't waste your time. All she did was basically cut & paint my toe nails and apply foot lotion. Minimal scrubbing and said I didn't need the blade b/c my feet are just dry--- well I've been here before in the same condition and left with brand new soft feet, so I know it's possible. Forgot the names of girls that are good, will update when I go back . read more

I have never had a bad experience here. They just changed ownership and have remodeled the place. The service is excellent, and the work is very high quality. I've tried many other Arlington and DC nail salons, and nothing compares to the treatment I get at RN. I see some negative reviews and I am incredulous about that, but I'm sure these folks have their reasons. I have nothing bad so say whatsoever. I normally make an appointment, and I've only had to wait once more than 10 minutes if I haven't booked ahead. I've taken friends here, too, who say they really like it. read more

I wish I could leave 10 stars on a 1-5 scale; that's how excellent this place is!!! I've been coming to royal nails for about 5 years and loyally see Natalie every 2-3 weeks. I'm scared to let my secret out of the bag, but yes Natalie is the absolute best. She takes her time, makes sure my nails look perfect and is seriously the sweetest thing ever. She once told me "I always give my clients the type of manicure id want if I was paying $30" You are missing out if you don't come here. Clean, timely, kind and reasonable prices. read more

I love this salon. The owner Brian and my technician Vee are the greatest. I've come here for over 5 years and have always had a great experience read more

This is my absolute favorite nail salon in NoVa. I moved away from Arlington but still come here for mani and pedi. They do a quality job that lasts. The nail technicians are pleasant and not rough with your nails. Decently priced. They have an ATM (only $1 fee) in the salon so you can easily tip (You must tip in cash). read more

Really bad customer service. I called and made an appointment for 12 pm. I got there at 12:05 and was told I would have to wait for 15 minutes. read more

I've been here now three times. Each time was worse than the first. I know its cheap and I know its convenient (esp. if you're doing errands or grocery shopping) but they do a terrible job. My last visit was this past Saturday. So four days, right? My manicure has already chipped, one of my nails broke and I will never ever go back again. If you're in the DC area and looking for a decent manicure at a low price, I highly recommend Extremities near McPherson Square! read more

This place used to be good. They increased their price which may be fine if they did a good job and were courteous. While some of the ladies are good, the general work is often very sloppy and when that's pointed out they raise their voices at clients, pretend not to understand English well and make a spectacle in front of the whole salon. When a translator is requested, no one steps up. My last visit confirmed that when after paying, it took my having to deal with a shouting drama queen and insisting that she repair her mistakes before I walked out with remotely presentable nails. I don't recommend it at all. read more

This place is amazing. Best pedicure and manicure massage. Julie is the best! She really takes her time while giving the best service ever!