This salon is really nice and fairly priced. They have many color choices and organic nail polishes! They use clean and new tools for each customer which is great. The lady who did my nails paid lots attention to detail which was very needed as my nails have been wrecked from acrylic nails! The customer service here is what wins me over, all the lady's are kind and caring. read more

Cole Valley Salon - Essie Gel Culture 60 - Nail Salons Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Lovely people and lovely service. I went with my mom and had a great experience. I will definitely be coming back!

Manager has been there since the beginning. They are like a family and really care about their customers. I usually go for an eyebrow wax and it's always well done and I don't have to wait. read more

CALLING ALL DUDES! Pedicures are AWESOME! I've been coming here for two years and can't believe I've neglected to say how much I love this place. I also can't believe that I have only seen one other man here. Brothers, you are definitely missing out on a delight that wil quickly become a necessity. I do 12 hour shifts as a bedside nurse, so happy feet are essential to keeping me functional. I came here once on a lark with my girlfriend who's been a regular for years. I flop into the giant reclining massage chair, set it on maximum, plop my barkin' dogs in the warm water and let the inimitable Nancy take over. I drift off with my ear buds in while Nancy brings me to a state near-Satori. The actual nail cutting is the least of it although it's nice to avoid this irksome chore. 10 minutes of fiendishly skilled massage from the knee on down for each leg. I used to try and read while Nancy works, but I soon learned to abandon anything at all involving cognition. Totally worth 35 bucks plus tip. Tip her nice gents, she's amazing! read more

These girls are so nice. Stayed open later to squeeze me in for an important appointment. And never rushed the process. Thanks again ladies! read more

I heave never seen nothing like that. When I entered to this place one of the stuff members were seating and making pedi for herself in front of the customers, then in 2 minutes she finished and moved to do mani for another customer without even washing her hands. Uuuupsy read more

I been coming to this place over many years now, very reliable! Friendly staff & comfortable environment. read more

Been going for years --love the staff. Diane is awesome on waxing. Note: Since Covid and post, they are closed Mondays and Tuesdays for now. Totally recommend... read more

For my birthday last year, a friend got me a gift certificate for a mani-pedi at Cole Valley Salon. I finally went to redeem it today and was pleasantly surprised by the service and the cleanliness of the place -- especially after reading Yelp reviews. Seriously, some of these Yelpers are bordering racist and prejudiced. If the women are speaking their first language to each other, don't freak out -- California has an incredibly diverse population so honestly there is no need to get upset at a foreign language or culture in your presence. I rarely get my nails done because previous experiences at other salons had been downright painful, which is why I was Very Happy today when the women at Cole Valley Salon were very gentle and careful and thorough with taking care of my fingers and toes, and I walked out a completely happy customer. The nail area was clean, the women were great, and I noticed they also provide waxing services in the back. Judging the steady stream of waxing appointments at the salon while I was there for my nails, they do a good job with waxing too. read more

Amazing service for my gel manicure! Both staff were wearing masks and there was temperature and hand sanitizer station as well as a form to leave contact tracing info! My manicurist spent extra time fixing any small imperfections to make sure my nails were stunning! Thank you! read more

I needed to get my gel nails filled as they were growing out and this was near work where I could drop by. Staff - extremely friendly, engaging occasional conversation. Downside, they speak to each other loudly across the room in their native tongue, so if you are looking for a place to relax - this is not the place. Ambiance - I think average nail / wax salon you find in every neighborhood. It is definitely not the spa -like relaxing atmosphere, but if you're here just for nails - it's fine. The bus line frequently buzzes through as well as car and foot traffic near Kezar. Cleanliness - I do not see them sanitizing their equipment - I hope they do so in the back - no fresh pack was opened in front of me. They looked decent - but I think the whole thing is out of sight out of mind...hoping that they really do practice proper salon hygiene. Manicure/Pedicure - okay...had better. They have light hands. I mean, they REALLY have light hands. I didn't really feel them scrub with the pumice stone and didn't really feel much smoother after the pedi. The massage was pretty non-existant - like they were just feathering the lotion and feeling my legs up and down. The Manicure was okay - but one thing I noticed is that they put the gel on thinner than most places...i expected my nails to be strong and hard - after 2 undercoats, 2 color coats, 2 top coats - my nails were still bendy - so either they are watering it down - or they are just not putting it on thick enough. They also dont' know how to shape evenly the toes or fingers - my nails are noticeably crooked and not even. Lastly, they do not do a good paint job. The polish doesn't reach the base of my nails ...so i pretty much looked the same as when I came there for a fill - like my nails had grown out. Location is convenient, but not worth the $54 + tip I paid ($5 for remove gel, $35 for gel, $19 for pedicure, $5 for design on toes. I have to say - they did a good job on the free hand design on my toes. read more

I came here to get my eyebrows done. It was a quick in and out, so efficient that I was able to catch my bus that I thought I'd miss lol. The lady (sorry, don't know her name) who waxed my eyebrows was nice and did a good job, and luckily no burning! That's sometimes a concern of mine when I get waxing instead of threading done. When I came in, I was a bit unsure where to go or who to talk to since I only saw one pedicurist and the payment desk was empty. The pedicurist was the one who asked me what services I wanted, but I had some trouble hearing her since her attention was still mainly focused on her task at hand. That being said, overall I liked this place and I would go back again if I'm in the area. $12, not too bad. Maybe next time I'll get my nails done too :) read more

Great service, affordable prices, nice staff. Not high end so check your judgments and expectations (as a general rule for life, yelpers!), but clean and no less quirky than other salons. Run by long-standing staff of friends. Love the organic selections. read more

Less than an hour after getting gel nails, one of the nails came off completely and others started chipping. Poor quality gel nails. Also, tip is only accepted in cash and cannot be added to the total bill. read more

Cole Valley Salon - Nail Salons Near Me - San Francisco, California

This place is nice and they are so so so sweet, but the manicure I got was terrible. I went here because I had an event to go to and needed my nails done on president's day (my normal place was closed). First the lady filed my nails super! short, so short they hurt and there was a cut under one. It has been a few days and my cuticles are peeling and a couple of nails have split lengthwise. Very painful and very disappointing. read more

Avieyonne Flieux needed to get rid of her 5 o'clock shadow so she got a facial wax here. $20 to get rid of sideburns, beard, and mustache. $25 if eyebrows are included. Pretty standard, and she was out of there in 20 minutes. ( | ) read more

5 STARS ALL THE WAY! So this was my very first Brazilian wax, and I was texting my friend the ENTIRE time shit was going down. Here's a small transcript, and forgive my crazy spelling mistakes. You can read the ENTIRE thing here: http://nighttimefriends.blogspot.com/2010/10/getting-your-vagina-waxed-by-small.html Me: I am nude with an old vietnamese lady. Friend: hahahahaha perfect Me: Oh my god. Friend: have her pour you a shot of whiskey now Me: Dude she's going nuts. Friend: "live blogging the wax job!" quicker is better get it over with 10:50 AM hey, I got a 30% off friends and family discount for Levis (WTF?????? Way to change the subject) Me: Dude its like almost done. Friend: *Levis YAY! Me: Dude sjhes all up in my crevices?!!!! 10:52 AM Butt creack!!!! Dude this is queef worthy! Ih ym god. She's sayong how strong I am. 10:53 AM Friend: haha 10:54 AM this is the best thing ever I am so glad to be privy to this Me: This is insane. 10:58 AM Oh my god. She's waxing my butt. 11:01 AM I'm done!!!! How long did that last? 11:03 AM Friend: like 10 minutes max read more

If I could give this place zero stars I would. I came to this place to get a gel manicure and a pedicure .The woman(I don't know her name) who did my gel manicure tried to use the same nail clipper set that she already used on the woman who was sitting chair next to mine. Luckily , I spotted on time and asked her to use a new set. So good luck with that! She cut my nails completely unevenly and made my cuticle bleed. She poorly shaped my nails made them look horrible. Worst experience ever. My pedicure was decent. read more

Cole Valley Salon - Worst gel manicure ever. - Nail Salons Near Me - San Francisco, California

It was my first time I've been to this nail salon but this place is worth it. The price is decent and I paid $43 including tips for a mani/pedi and my eyebrows waxed. The staffs were friendly and welcoming. The place is clean (that's a must for me!) The techs did a nice job with my French mani/pedi. My nails still look good 2 weeks later. The techs spent a good amount of time working on my thick cuticle. The massage was good. They put in the effort to massage my hands and feet and it didn't feel like they were just only getting the job done. I'm happy with my eyebrow job. Overall, definitely a must return! However, I would make an appointment before coming especially on the weekend because there was a crowd on the weekend I went. read more

I am so disappointed and I hate to only give this place 2 stars. I have watched this salon deteriorate for the last year and a half. My last visit was this past Sunday to get a much needed pedicure. I walked in with my roommate to the usual friendly smiles and made my way to the back of the salon to pick out my color. I was immediately bowled over by the smell of rotting fish and vomit. I don't even want think about what kind of horrible event occurred in the back of the store to produce such a foul smell - I'll be growing back my nose cilia for weeks. Roommate and I sucked it up and stayed because the smell was noticeably better near the door at the front of the salon. We were seated quickly, thank goodness (I can only breathe in and out of my mouth for so long). Little did I know what I was in for... The lady that gave me my pedicure was so rough and absent. She kept looking away as she was violently tearing away my cuticles. I have sensitive feet, I will give her that, but my roommate complained of the same thing with her lady. What's the deal? Are they just getting so sick of feet that they don't really care anymore? yowza...I couldn't wait for her to be done. i was scared. One more gripe...the equipment is extremely dated. For the salon to charge $19/pedi, I would expect better. The massaging chairs are nice, but the rest of the salon is in dire need of a makeover. I give her credit for digging the dirt out from underneath my toenails and making them look pretty. Nice final product but not sure I'll travel down this path again. total bummer because the salon is so close to my house. read more

Probably one of the worst pedicures I've received. I walked in and they told me I could start right away, which actually meant in 10 minutes. They didn't even have me soak as I waited the 10 min for someone to be ready. As I sat there, other customers walked in and I watched as the employees told them all "15 min". Once my pedicure started, I could see the woman was rushing through. (Because now, she had other customers waiting). She barely cleaned my feet, which needed some more attention since it had been a while since my last pedi. She didn't care. The massage was mediocre at best. No care or thought put into it, she never even touched my heel. Very disappointing. I won't be coming back. read more

Great nail salon! Clean and reliable and nice people. Open earlier than others too. My new favorite spot in Cole Valley.

Diana amazing! She's sweet and does the best wax job. I love coming here for all my maintenance. They do a fantastic job on my pedicure and actually remove callus. Price is good and ppl are nice. Did I mention their massage chairs is strong and really work! read more

Cole Valley Salon - Nail Salons Near Me - San Francisco, California

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I walked in on a whim and the place had 0 customers. Nancy took me for a manicure and it is literally the best mani I have ever had. Maybe because they were slow but she took her time. She would stop and go back to make sure my nails were even if she spotted something. Same with my cuticles. The polish job is amazeballs. I thought, this can't be as amazing as I think it looks but, yeah, days later and I am still loving it. read more

You can't beat this place for value and quick service. I used to work close by and would routinely walk in without and appointment for waxing. They always could get me in within 10-15 min and did a good job on my legs/ underarms/ bikini. This is not a do-you-want-hot-tea-while-you-wait cushioned lounge area fancy-shmancy type of place. If you want in, rip it off, and out under half an hour without breaking your wallet, look no further. read more

My sister called me to google a place for a "quick bikini wax in cole valley." She had a lunch break to waste and wanted to "relax," yes, RELAX. Anyways, i googled "cole valley bikini wax" and found this, sent her there (it was only a block from where she was) and she was a satisfied customer, but take note - Bikini wax = Brazilian Wax. =) My sister sent me a text message after saying "Holy Crap! That may be the smallest bikini wax i've ever gotten... Hot Damn! And I used to live in Brazil! These women don't joke around!" hahhaha.... SO, if you ask for a BRAZILIAN = next to nothing.... =) .... i felt the need to update this and say that my sister has since made this her "regular spot." She says the women are nice, funny and they mean business... oh and it's oober afordable!! read more

I've been coming here for waxing services for over two years now. Their face waxing special is $20 for lip, chin, and eyebrows. Tell them what you're going for with your eyebrows, and they will come through. I am glad to have such an awesome place in my community. **Cash only tip** read more

Please, just head over to Haight Street Nails or Relax Nails. However, you came here for a review so... I came in Superbowl Sunday at 1:30 and told the ladies I wanted gel nails and a pedicure and asked if they could complete both in 45 min. They said it was possible. What they didn't say is that they would be cutting corners literally! The attendant working on my hands didn't understand I wanted my nails cut not just filed and then when I cut one to demonstrate the length I wanted, she did not take enough off. I kept saying my nails grow fast, but she was set in doing what she wanted. To her credit, she did do a great job filing. Both attendants skipped the massage and the attendant doing my feet barely touched them with the pumice stone. When I was up paying, I then noticed that 3 fingers had bubbled already. But she had already swiped my card. She said to come back Monday and she could fix it, and when I told her I worked late, she just said, "You come." When I got outside into better light, I noticed she had not painted close enough to the cuticle. So while the color won't chip for two weeks, I look like I have on Lee Press-On nails after only one week. This was my first time getting gel and they are a bit pricier ($28) so I had higher expectations. Not the worse job, but I've had better, in the hood and beyond (shout out to Glen Park Nails!). read more

Awesome manicure. Everything was super clean and thorough . She did a great job with my gel manicure read more

Cole Valley Salon - Nail Salons Near Me - San Francisco, California

The price is cheap and there's almost never a wait. That being said, you pay for what you get. If you value your lady parts, I suggest you either: a) make sure Mary isn't the one doing the waxing. She kept going over the same section multiple times...that's like beheading a guy and not getting the job done the first time around. b) head over to Natural Salon in NoPA for Cindy to give you a painless wax job at a cheaper price. read more

This place is a gem! I came here for a waxing and Dianne did a great job - she was fast, meticulous, and the price can't be beat! Highly recommend. read more

This is such a solid place to get your nails done. The women are very sweet, it's very clean, and the prices are excellent. It's a particularly good place if you're waiting for laundry at Wash Club as it is right next door. It's also very spacious, which is nicer than most salons which can make you feel cramped. The popular place down the street at Cole/Carl on the other hand has turned me away three times now - totally fine, they are busy, but they're pretty rude about it every time. Not apologetic in the slightest. read more

Sweet & Honest After trying half the salons in the Sunset, I was happy to find a Salon that provides great nail services for a great price. I've even brought my little girls here and they are treated so wonderfully it's adorable. I have never had a bad mani-pedi here. When I've been the one to mess up one of my nails, I've come back the next day and they've fixed the offending nail for me. Yes, they do speak to each other in Vietnamese, but they don't bill themselves as a Spa & they don't charge Spa prices. You can go to Nordstrom or Elizabeth Arden or Bliss if you want the relaxing Spa experience. Here at Cole Valley Salon, they specialize in nail (& waxing) services for a good price. $28 for a mani-pedi is a very good price. In 13 years, I've never had a bad manicure or pedicure. My daughters love it too. read more

Great place for mani / pedi AND waxing. Nice place, simple and affordable, and hard working ladies. read more

i was meeting a friend in the haight and got there early. my eyebrows were in need of waxing so I walked into Cole Valley Salon. they were able to take me immediately. the woman who waxed my eybrows was very nice. in fact everything seemed fine until she put the wax on my eyebrows. it was incredibly hot, so hot that my eyes started tearing before she even pulled it off. i know wax can be hot so i didn't say anything. i checked the shape afterward and my eyebrows looked great but the skin around my eyebrows looked painfully red and raw. i left the salon to go meet with my friend and noticed that the skin between my eyes and my eyebrows hurt much more than normal after a waxing. i was able to check them out in a mirror and my skin around my eyebrows was not only red but noticeable swollen. i woke up the next morning with scabbing above my eyebrows. the wax definitely burned me. it is a month later and i have slight scarring from the wax. i've been getting my eyebrows waxed for years and have never had this happen. do not get waxed here. read more

Lisa just gave me the best 15 min back massage I've ever had. Clean,quiet, friendly nail waxing salon. Lovely.

Hands down, the WORST gel manicure I've ever had. Normally, I wouldn't take to Yelp or any social media forum to complain about a service, but this was SO bad and SO painful that I feel it is necessary for both the salon (to improve their services) and the patrons (to avoid until the services are improved) to read this review. Let me count the ways this was the WORST: 1) I was told it would be 5 min, but waited 35 min 2) I was told AFTER she started to remove my previous gel polish they would charge me an additional fee since the polish was not put on at this salon 3) I have 6 infected cuticles 4) She left my hands under the black light dryer for almost 30 min, despite me saying it was burning my skin. 5) The gel was flimsy and broke - normally, gel manicures should be strong, long lasting and sturdy. That is, after all, why you are paying extra, yes? 6) Within 3 days, every single nail broke, ripped off, and are now beyond repair. Net/Net - never go here. Ever. I would love to get my money back, but that would require having to go back here. Not worth it read more

My friend and I came here yesterday after our first choice of nail salons was all booked up (who knew you had to make an appointment to have your nails done on a monday afternoon) Anyway, we searched for nearby places and found Cole Valley Salon and were very happy with our experience. They were friendly, and super affordable, I would go again (although I really only have my nails done about 3 times a year, give or take a few fancy party obligations) read more

This place was not great. The polish that was used on my nails didn't cover and they had to re-do them. They said that color never works- well they should have mentioned that when I picked it! The UV for the gel nails takes 2 min every time, which adds to a lot of time- especially if they need to re-do your nails. 1.5hrs for a gel manicure is insane! Because of the long UV radiation, my nail beds were terribly damaged. The white part of my nail cracked halfwy up the nail. I wouldn't recommend this place. Go to haight street Nails for a better experience and more quality manicure. read more

AWFUL! the 1 star is for the woman who did a great job with my pedicure but the owner (or the woman who wasn't wearing a white coat) was the one who did my acrylic nails and my nails look awful! I've been filing my nails trying to fix the shape for the last 15 minutes!! I've never had such block looking nails before! AND she got the acrylic powder everywhere and my fingers have it all dried up. And to top it all off, I was the ONLY one there yet the woman was rushing the entire time. read more