I really wanted to love it, thanks to the few really good reviews, but I just didn't. Here's why..
I'm not judging - the place is a bit older and not all suped up like most of the nicer nail places around here but I have been to some amazing nail places that aren't fully decorated and I've also been to shitty nail places that look like they'd be amazing - so this all didn't bother me that much. What DID bother me was the old equipment, dried out nail polish selection and the fact that I saw no sanitation process between clients. The chair I got in wasn't even cleaned out after the last client, but I didn't realize that til I had already stepped foot in it. No worries, first time here, I needed an open mind. (So if I get an infection, I'll let you know, but so far, so good.) I also didn't see tools being sanitized either. I legit saw her go from client to client. Despite old equipment and a ragged nail polish selection, it's a rule to sanitize things - you are a business and I assume you received training for that Nail Tech certificate. I didn't go to beauty school, but I work in the industry. I cannot stress the importance of sanitation enough! But I guess that's just me? They definitely lose a star for lack of cleanliness. Not to mention, their counter behind the massage chairs are decorated with water bottles and oh, hai! There's a random adult-sized shoe behind one massage chair...
My next issue... you are lucky your kid is cute because if not, I would have disciplined her myself for crying that much in public in front of my customers! She's barely 2 years old and it honestly didn't bother me that there's toys and baby stuff everywhere. What bothered me was the fact that she interrupted my service with her fake crying and distracted my nail tech from focusing on what she was doing on me. Can you clean my cuticles and not cut my skin, please? Thanks. A legit 10-15min straight of her fake crying! My ears are bleeding! :/ and I LOVE kids - I even helped run a daycare! So if even I don't have patience for your kid, that says a lot! My nail tech kept going away to take care of her, but couldn't be polite enough to say "excuse me" or "I'm sorry". She left me for a good 10min with my feet half cleaned. Just chillin.. waiting on her. -_- Haha. Another customer told me "She does that. Get used to it if you plan on coming back" - wth? What kind of customer service is this? And I work in retail, so I'm all about clients being happy. Can you imagine how i felt? Lol.. i mean, babies are babies, they're gonna get fussy, I get it - but for the sake of your business and your customers, you either handle your kid OR your business - not both at the same time. For me, that's unprofessional. Otherwise, I didn't mind her being there just hanging out or whatever, but when she's taking away from your service/business, that's not ok. Note: Both my Mom's service and mine were rushed and not as "amazing" as I would have expected with all the reviews I read for this place.
The wait time was horrible.. I wasn't really trippin at the time, I had nowhere to go after, but if I did, I'd be upset. I had an appt for 530p and didn't get started on for an hour. I could have walked in and it probably would have been the same thing. Another girl came in at 6 for her appt and still hadn't been sat down when I left at 715 or so. There were 3 of them that day, I don't know if that's normal, but one of them had to take care of the baby at some point cuz she was going bananas. I saw 4 certificates on the wall, so maybe there's another person? If you need a place that can service you within a time frame, maybe come in when it's suuuper slow because setting an appt made no difference for me. :(
I am, of course, factoring in many things here before making my final decision on this place, lol.. maybe Sophia (the baby) was extra fussy today and I caught her on a bad day? Maybe their other nail person was off so they were short of people? Maybe they aren't making much money so they haven't invested in new supplies? My massage wasn't as amazing as some of you experienced, perhaps she was distracted by a shrieking baby? Lol..
My toes look pretty for $20 (additional $4 tip), but my experience didn't blow me away enough to come back or be excited for my next visit. I'd much rather pay $18 for my usual spot in Pinole and have less interruption, better nail polish choices, cleanliness and pristine service (maybe even for some courtesy that this place seemed to lack)... #butthatsjustme
P.S.: I told them specifically that I had never been there and was recommended by a friend - they did nothing to make my experience any better than what their normal regulars experience. Wouldn't you want me to come back? Or even recommend you to my people? -_- #justsaying
You can tell the people that go here are definitely regulars... I can also see why it's not a booming business tho... read more