This place is really great. Not sure all the complaints? If you want a long massage you should go to get a massage by a professional. Not by someone who charges $20 for a pedicure. There are some staff better than others, but I have been to a few places that are more expensive and this triumphs all of them. of course, will be back :) read more

I've lived in the area for several years but just recently discovered Best Nails in Encinitas -- and I'm so glad I did!! I have been a few times for manicures (shellac) and pedicures, and have had a great experience each time. The salon in clean and the staff is friendly. I highly recommend this salon. read more

I am so disappointed... this place is so close to my house and I have been searching high and low for a good nail salon. So about a month and a half ago I walk in and looked around for a minute until someone finally said "what do you need" no hi or how can I help you. So I told them i needed just gel polish no manicure. I usually do my own gels but every other month or so I get lazy and want to go get them done. So I sit down after waiting for fifteen minutes which was fine because there was no one available when I walked in. This older woman told me to sit and pick a color. (Keep in mind I already prepped my nails. Filed, buffed, cuticle trim, etc.) she starts soaking my nails and I told her I just wanted the gel polish. Well she keeps going and is pretending to cut non existent dead cuticles off.. lol ok I'll pay the extra $5 for you to do the manicure part. At this point I find it slightly funny. She proceeds to start the gel process, when doing the base coat she misses every edge on all ten fingers. I remind her to paint the edges and she just ignores what I am asking of her. So you can literally see my nails on the edges of every finger. Goes to put on the top coat and it's so old and clumpy she wipes the brush nearly clean and paints on practically no top coat on my nails.. I just want to leave.. so I'm going to pay after watching a woman with a credit card pay in front of me and she says "no get cash" I told her I didn't have cash and that I would have to use a card. She then leads me outside and points across the parking lot to an ATM "you get cash, I want cash" I was literally dumbfounded I just walked across the lot to the ATM and got cash. I am in customer service and this had to be the worst I had ever received. Spend a couple more bucks and go to 101 nail studio above Urban Outfitters. They do an amazing job, have great Colors and make you feel like your business is appreciated. You also won't have to go put a gel top coat on once you get home. read more

If you want to get the worst customer service; Visit "Best" nails. Also they don't have any of their "technicians" permits posted, shady....wI was there Thursday and requested a acrylic fill with gel color. The man that did my nails made them extreamly thin! I had a hair appointment and I needed to go, so I decided to just let it be, maybe I would get used to it. I decided to came back 2 days later bc the corner of my nails were broken because of my paper thin nails. I was greeted by a lady (she acted like the owner). When I expressed my issue she decided to yell at me in front of her customer. She said that is was technically my fault for not letting them know that I wanted my nails thicker, that they make the nails very thin there because that's what everyone else around that area likes and that they were basically doing me a favor fixing my nails. I didn't want to cause a scene so I just kinda just stay quiet and allowed the "nail technician " to continue on and fix my paper thin nails. I asked him to add another layer of acrylic and the color. He did not, he simply added some gel and color. Needless to say I am not happy with my nails. I will be visiting the place that I usually go to soon! I wanted to try a new place closer to home but I will never come back to this establishment. read more

Unsafe - avoid at all costs. I had a pedicure here last week and will NEVER go back. The techs do not clean their instruments. They carry around plastic bins and when they are finished with one customer they put the instruments back into the bin only to take them out again for the next customer. If they don't have a customer they put the bin in a closet and it reemerges when the next customer comes. This is all the more frightening because my tech drew blood 3 times when cutting my cuticles. read more

My manicures did last quite a while but I also got a fungal infection. I thought they seemed clean enough but they are not. Also, cash only. read more

I went here on my lunch break looking for a new permanent nail spot after my regular nail girl of many years moved. I had read the Yelp reviews which seemed positive. I honestly do not know how they got these reviews. I got a gel manicure and spa pedicure. All of the chairs seemed to be broken. They seemed to be in a super rush to get me out of there. No massage with manicure, barely a massage with the pedicure. They kept forgetting about me and going and doing other stuff. I watched them clean out the pedicure basin and once I saw that and how they poorly cleaned it I immediatley wanted my feet out. I left with polish on my skin and very disatisfied. I spoke with some of my co workers and they said they had a similar experience the night before---I wish I would have spoken to them sooner! Nothing worse then paying good money for a bad experience. read more

Lee was amazing. She worked efficiently and my acrylic coffin style nails came out flawless. Not bulky at all. Great shape and even. Truly professional and friendly. The place was clean and busy but it didn't feel like they were rushing. Very affordable. Highly recommend this place. read more

so nice and the nails are so good! love the people, ever time I have been thereI've never been let down and even nails I request that they haven't done been they've always done an amazing job! read more

I really wanted to like this place since it's convenient to get to and close to where I work, but yikes, the service here was TERRIBLE. I love the woman who did my pedicure- she was thorough and made sure that every part of the nail had polish and that the nail shape was right. She gets the stars here (except that I understand Vietnamese and definitely endured 15 of sh*t talking about my feet- but hey, I deserved that, they were pretty bad! Haha) But the gentleman who did my gel manicure completely ruined it. He was rough and left cuts on my fingers that burned with any touch of acetone, shaped my nails irregularly, missed multiple parts of the nail with polish, filed my nails as an attempt to "fix" the flaws I pointed out ruining all my gel at the tips, and skipped the massage to get to the next customer (who they had waiting for about 25 minutes.) I tried to ask politely for the things I wanted fixed, but he was pretty short about anything I had to say and then just kept filing, so I finally stopped asking because my nails were down to the quick and started to hurt with all the filing. Bummer because I have a wedding in Kauai to go to tomorrow, and I paid way too much for half done service and to have to go to the nail salon down the street to get my manicure fixed.... never again. read more

Stopped in on a Sunday without an appointment to get gel removal and a manicure. They were fairly busy so they asked if I could wait 10 minutes, which I could so I picked a color and waited. A half hour later, everyone was still busy and no update on time so I left. Seemed nice enough, but I won't be back. read more

No frills. I've been here about 5 times now, as it is very close to my house. The owner "Lee" is, so far, the only one in this place who gives a good manicure and pedicure. I'm not sure about the cleanliness of tools. The last person I saw kept hers in a Tupperware box with a sticker on it that said, "Clean instruments." However, after she did my toes, she just wiped the tips of the nippers off with a dry towel and put them back into the box. Even Lee did a very careful, but matter-of-fact, kind of rough-handed job. There's nothing that feels luxurious or treat-like or special here. Except for Lee, they don't do a good job of removing dry skin and cleaning up cuticles. The massages are short and "meh." It is relatively clean, but the seat cushions of the pedicure spa chairs are looking shabby. The whole staff gabs away in their native language the entire time as though the clients aren't there to relax and enjoy a quiet, peaceful moment. This place is relatively inexpensive and conveniently located so all kinds of clients come in, too - including ones who think it's okay to talk out loud on your cell phone the whole time, duos/trios of teenagers on a girls day out, and moms with small kids. The staff takes their breaks and eats (if not right at a manicure station) in a curtained closet which is the same space used for waxing. Gross. read more

I have never seen such a mani/pedi mill in my life and I've been to lots of nail salons around the world. They took tons of people with both appointments and whoever walked in and were noticeably rushing with everyone. I would appreciate if they were quick in a way that they wanted to get people out of there with a job well done but it was clear they were trying to get as many mani pedis done as possible with no concern for customer experience. Poor attention to detail - half my baby toe doesn't even have color on it and the polish is not smooth on a few on my nails. This place is priced comparably to other places with much better services and attention so it's not like you're even saving money. Never again. read more

I had a manicure here a couple of weeks ago and it lasted forever. The polish stayed on for over a week. They were meticulous and took their time. I will go back for sure! read more

I look forward to going here...always. My sisters have been going here for years. I've finally moved into the area and get to enjoy the same. The owners do the best work so request Sang or his wife. My pedicure polish amazes me whenever I leave it usually stays on for 3-3.5 weeks. Which is excellent for an active mom who wears sandals all of the time! I usually go back before it comes off. I did not give it a 5th star because decorations and furnishings are outdated. Could use a touch of paint. Overall, gteat experience. Don't forget the seasalt scrub on your legs!!! read more

Consistently Good. I've been coming here for at least 13 years. The quality of the work has always been good and I always enjoy the massage. It is clear that the owners and staff aim to please their customers and that is evident in the return clients who are greeted like old friends. There are nail salons on every block. People don't return to a place year after year if they are unhappy with the quality of work or level of service. Yes, the atmosphere is not "zen spa". The building is old and there are some limitations on what can be done to bring it up to date. However, there are new chairs and friendly people, fair prices and quality service....consistently. read more

When did manicures become painful. Plus my pedicure was super short. Nope...never again. $35 for nothing. Didn't wanna stay for color. Plus they are not clear on payment options. No atm or credit card, no checks sign posted... only cash. Yet when i went to pay was told please write a check. Also you can get long lasting color....for an additional fee. read more

I am really bummed to say that my first Yelp review is a negative one. The experience was so bad; it prompted me to write about it. Walking into the salon, the people were not very friendly and when I asked how much the manager? just pointed to a sign on the opposite wall. I was instructed to pick my color (there were typical options. Can't complain about that) and sit at the gentleman's station who was to complete the manicure. The filing and cuticle trimming were done well but what stuck out as peculiar was the fact that he could not even communicate to me what he would like me to do (lift one hand out of the water, or move it here or there). Instead, he tapped my hand, which was actually a little more than a tap and pushed it to where he wanted it to go. The lotioning of my hands was a lotioning of my entire arm, reaching up to my blouse, which I tried to avoid getting greasy by pulling my arm back. The polish application was not smooth or even, and the gentleman neglected to remove the excess polish from the cuticle around 3 of my nails. The most communication occurred after I had been gestured to put my hand in the blue light polish driers. He moved the machine that my right hand was in and it took the polish off my pinky finger. He looked at me and said "you hit me" implying that it was my fault. He did a poor job or re-applying the polish, top coat and then he put my hand back into the machine. I know it is usually hit or miss with random nail places with the level of English proficiency of the technicians, but I don't think beginning level of speaking and comprehension is too much to ask, especially when providing a service to someone. Unfortunately, it was not limited to my tech as the woman getting her nails done next to me hard a hard time communicating with her tech as well. Something that was also amiss was when she asked who she made the check out to, the tech responded with blank. Hmmm. read more

Do not go here!!!!! "Best" nails try WORST!! My friend and I were in town from az to get our nails done for her wedding the next day and called and made an appt for gel nails (not cheap) and pedicures .. So we were easily spending total like 160 plus.. We told them gel and then showed them a picture of what we would like not knowing if they could do it and (and prepared if they said they couldn't) they said they could do it. So pedicure was quick and didn't even get all the skin off my heels and then the nails when they were done they looked like I had done them myself. My cuticles were not pushed back the paint was everywhere. And when I asked for them to be fixed they were not happy about it she did it with attitude and said it was my fault because I didn't say manicure so she didn't touch my cuticles and I had to say that if I wanted them done... I guess I didn't know that cause where I am from in az when I go in for a full set and am paying for my nails to be done they make them look pretty push the cuticle and well give something worth paying for. So then my friend (the bride) her nails turned out nothing like what she wanted and they argued with her they say there and just stared when she said no that was to much color and just stared at her angrily. Then they said this is why we don't do that style... Okay well why weren't we told that before hand we would of been okay with it.. This nail trip official became one of the brides wedding disasters thanks a lot "best" nails!! read more

I came in a little while ago, the salon was clean and the staff was friendly. My nails turned out great and they look so natural. The staff didn't rush and too their time to perfect my nails. I would definitely come back again. read more

If I could give this place 0 stars I would, the entire time I was just thinking I just have to get through this so I can leave. First...they have horrible customer service, they are not friendly and they are rude. When removing my gel nail polish the were not gentle and scrapped not just the nail polish but also the skin around my nail...it was very painful. When filing my nails they didn't smooth out the nail so it was very rough on the edges. Then they painted my nails without doing anything other than rip my cuticles off painfully. AFTER they painted my nails they gave me a massage on only my upper arm with only cuticle oil and no lotion. The massage was not even pleasant, it was painfully hard and rough...that was just the manicure, lets move on to the terrible pedicure I received here. They did not hand me the remote for the massager and I could not find it, about half way through I found it hidden on the side of the chair but I couldn't use it because I was getting a horrible manicure at the same time as my horrible pedicure. Even when I mentioned I wanted it on, they did nothing. Instead of cutting my nails with nail cutters they only used cuticle cutters, again they barely filed, massaged with only cuticle oil and it was very painful when they removed my cuticles and even a little bit when they were only filing my nails, then they painted my nails. I was then told immediately after they were done painting that I had to move because they needed the chair...There were bubbles in the nail polish on both my hands and my feet and nail polish all over the surrounding skin that they did nothing about, by the end I just wanted to get out of there. DO NOT GO HERE. IT IS NOT WORTH THE MONEY, FIND SOMEWHERE ELSE. read more