I have been completely and utterly disappointed by this place. As a new establishment in a great neighborhood and city, I was excited to support them. Although the establishment is clean and well decorated, the quality of work is subpar.
I first visited the establishment the week they opened. I went in to get a fill and pedicure. I was there for two hours. I requested to have my set painted over with regular nail polish and coated with clear gel to make it last longer. The gentlemen that did my nails ended up not understanding what I wanted and ended up applying the clear gel before the nail polish. The way he painted my nails with regular nail polish ended up looking like a child had painted them. I had nail polish over the sides of my fingers, and he never cleaned it up. I could have done a better job myself. I did not complain and just blamed it on them being new. In addition, I did not feel the need to complain as they decided not to charge me the $5 for the gel coat.
I decided to give them a second chance and returned a couple weeks later. Again, it took about two hours for them to do a fill and pedicure. I requested that they use nail polish over my set and sat down to dry them. After waiting 15 minutes for my nails dry, I had to leave. My nails ended up not drying properly and were ruined in my attempt to pay. I could not wait to have them re-done so I just asked that they take off the entire nail polish. I will admit, they were fair in allowing my to come back later that night to have them re-done. I ended up spending 2 1/2 hours that day getting my nails done.
Again, I decided to give them a third chance since they were so nice about my nails not drying quick enough the time before. This time, I requested a simple gel manicure and pedicure, since the acrylic they had done before kept lifting. This time I only spent an hour at their establishment. However, FIVE hours after having had my nails done, the nail polish on my toes were ruined due to wearing shoes, and the gel manicure on three of my finger chipped off. I thought it was ridiculous that after having let my feet "dry" for FIVE hours, they would still smudge due to wearing shoes. I also could not believe that gel polish would chip so quickly. I was very unhappy.
I ended up returning that week in an attempt to get my two toe nails fixed and my three finger nails re-done. I had already taken off the entire gel nail polish on the three fingers that needed to be fixed. All I needed was for them to apply the coat and let me sit there while it dried. When I went in, they had three workers, and each were helping a client. They told me they did not have time to help me, unless I came in later that day. Since I had an event to attend, I told them I could not come back later and tried to plead with them. I explained that all I needed was just for someone to apply the polish and that I would just sit there and let them dry. Now I understand that they had clients and I did not have an appointment, but this is not the first time I had witnessed them turn a client away.
On multiple occasions, I had witnessed them tell people to come back, or refuse to take a client because they were too "busy." As a frequent nail salon go-er, I have witnessed many salons that are capable of multi-tasking in order to please all their clients. This establishment is incapable of taking on more than one client at a time. Though it might be wonderful for the one client being helped at the moment, for individuals that either have no other place to go, or were relying on the ability to attend a salon close to home, it is a complete disappointment. They only have about three technicians working at a time, and there is a fourth employee that I've been told on multiple occasions calls in sick all the time. I found it ridiculous that not one of the technicians could have taken the time to help me out while the nail polish of their current client dried. Again, I understand that they are attempting to devote their entire attention to the one customer, but that logic would make more sense if they did not spend 2 hours on one client and did a decent job. Every single time I have gone in, something has gone wrong.
If they wish to prosper, my suggestion would be to (1) not turn clients away, (2) figure out how to best multi-task, or (3) higher more employees. They have about eight comfortable and expensive spa chairs, and in the times I have been there, I have only seen two of them occupied. I would rather they worry less on providing water and small talk, and worry more about the quality of work they are putting out and how they make customers feel when they turn them away. read more