I am very unimpressed. I went in for a simple Manicure, and felt like I was on a conveyor belt. I was in and out of that seat in about 12 minutes, so that translates to a dollar a minute because the manicure was $12. No water to even put my hands or nails in, & the quickest lotion job I've ever had, and not a very good manicure either. How could it be in such a short time? I just don't really understand why such a ridiculous rush, with the exception of every pedicure seat being full, there was still some available technicians and many empty manicure seats. Will never return read more

Essence Nails - Very unimpressed! - Nail Salons Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

This is my go to place for nails. Ask for Kim, she is very sweet and does s good job.

Been coming to Nancy for 8 years and I have never been disappointed. I would highly recommend this salon. Cindy

I love the way my nails turned out when I got them here by Tina! They are really friendly there and do a good job. I would definitely recommend this place if you've never been here! read more

This place is great!! Hellen And mimi are amazing at there job. Place to go. I got a pedicure and manicure really got pampered thanks ladies awesome job. read more

I usually take time to write a nice review or compliment a patron when I am offered services because, after all it's a luxury. However, today I feel compelled to write a bad review for a business that has gone above and beyond their way to cross the line of awful customer service to plain, rude and obnoxious. So I went on a bike ride intending to take my bike to the shop however since it was a Monday they were closed. So I decided to get my nails done. So I walked in the essence salon and asked if it was ok for me to park my bike inside and they immediately said no, I was in shock I own a business and never in my life have I ever learned anywhere or any trainings or seminars to say NO to a customer to which I added well, there is a clear sign on the plaza that specifically says no bike riding skate boarding or any other motorcycles allowed so I asked if I could please park my bike on their back room while I got my nails done they said NO again. To my dismay I said ok, no worries I can park it right outside your door, and then they finally insisted I parked right in the middle of a walkway where any of their customers including myself could trip and fall. I said look I work in the field of Insurance this will clearly be an accident waiting to happen and you could get sued, how about I park it outside and they said no no no go ahead and park it here inside. So after much back and forth we agreed I would park it outside and keep an eye on it while my nails got done. Then to my dismay, Hold your breath !!! they denied service after getting out the nail Polished and all. I was to say the least very upset but try to keep my composure so I came here to Yelp to make sure their clients know, what kind of service they offer at Essence Nails. Awful place, bad service and rude people to say the least. Don't waste your time instead go to SPA AlexAuna in the same plaza, with great customer service and yes they accept bikers in case you are like me. SHAME ON YOU ESSENCE NAILS, FOR TURNING AWAY CUSTOMERS WITH BIKES. Please do yourself a favor and stay AWAY FROM THIS BUSINESS OR ELSE YOU CAN SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES. I can only choose one star because I don't have the choice to give them -5 stars. Worst business ever.. read more

This nail place has a couple good people but would not recommend if your getting them for a special event. People have messed my nails up there a few times and it is just not the best. Do not get designs there very bad. read more

I have been going to Nancy for 8 years! She has always done great work! I do the dipping with powder and love it!! read more

Dipping powder by Tina is great! I have been in several times and Tina has consistently done a great job! read more

Essence Nails - Nail Salons Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

Great service and very friendly people! They are very professional and really know what they are doing. I usually ask for Kenny, as I tend to get Dip Powder on my nails. He is great at what he does and is always up for a challenge! read more

Still not sure how I feel about this place. We came in mid morning on a Sunday and they had us go to the pedicure chairs right away, but my friend had her pedicure done while i was just sitting there. Then when it was time for manicures, they separated us so we couldn't even talk while we had our nails done. Price was all right, place was okay. read more

I have been coming to see Nancy for years! She is the Best!! I had to move to Orlando for business. I have tried so many nail salons all over Orlando. There is no one as fantastic as Nancy and Essence Nails. I now drive 2 hours to see her for my nail appointments! So worth it! Love her! She is the Absolute Best! Always consistent! I adore Everyone in the salon! Kim! Thank You Nancy!!! read more

I have been going to this nail salon for 7 months, after numerous visits to other salons in the area. I am a retired RN and very concerned about hygiene and ensuring a clean environment/tools. Kenny is a true professional and takes pride in his work. He gives the best foot massages and I highly recommend this nail technician ! read more

I made an appointment, showed up on time only to find no one available. This is the second time they have done this. If you are a walk in you are more important than a customer that makes an appointment. They told me to wait 30 minutes, I could see it would have been more like 45 minutes. Why make an appointment? I had somewhere to be so couldn't wait. After telling my neighbor she said they have had issues with cleanliness there too so maybe its a blessing in disguise. You can find a better place. read more

I went to visit my friend in Florida for a week and we wanted to get our nails done. Ask for Lily, she is the best! it was really nice to have a full conversation with my nail tech instead of awkward silence. read more

Tia was wonderful. The pedicure was very detail oriented and was much longer than I expected. She was lovely to talk to also and has such a cute daughter (I saw pictures). A pedicure of that quality would have cost me $50 in DC, but was only $25. Will definitely return if I am in the area. read more

I have been going to Essence Nails for almost a year and a half on a weekly basis. I get gel fills, waxing, and pedicures. (Kim gives a wonderful pedicure.) The shop is clean, the operators are very friendly, and whoever does my procedure always does an excellent job. I can't praise this salon highly enough. read more

Lily did my nails today and I couldn't have been happier. She did an amazing job! I can finally say I have found a nail salon I can go back to! Thank you Lily!:) read more

Been here a few times, always quick to be served if I had an appt on not. I think all the girls have done my nails at one time or another. Today I had Tina, the leg massage and scrub were great. Much better than in some if the expensive salons. It was pretty funny when she was doing my nails, the phone kept ringing and people kept coming in. She kept apologizing cause she had to stop and help others. The manicure was great too. Perfect for Valentines day. read more

Best nail place I visited so far. It's clean and everybody very pleasant. I recommend it to all my friends. read more

The BEST gel manicure I have ever gotten...and I've had quite a few. This past weekend I got a terrible gel manicure at a different place. Since I'm going out of town on business, I didn't want to risk another disaster by having that salon fix it. Essence took me as a walk-in (although I'll make an appointment next time to ensure they have time) and were happy to help fix my nails. I didn't catch his name, but the guy who did my nails was fantastic. He paid such close attention to detail, fixing every possible mistake he could have made. He was much gentler than most manicurists and you could tell he truly cared about doing a good job. I couldn't be happier! The place was clean, the staff was friendly, and even the customers were happy to be there. I will be back for sure! Heads up - they only take cash tips. However, there's a Publix next door where you can get cash back. Happy manicuring! read more

Essence Nails - Fabulous job!! My new favorite nail salon - Nail Salons Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

One of the few nail salons that are sanitary! It's often overlooked, and since I'm in cosmetology school, I know state laws & regs and they are very up to date. I love that they have safety regs by the pedicure stations! Shows they're aware. They do use drills on the nail bed when applying acrylics, which is not technically allowed. But every salon I've ever been to has done that. Not specific to this salon, but be aware if you are getting acrylics that the nail will be damaged and will take about 6 months for your new strong nail to grow back after they're taken off. Not worth it for one event! I had them on for years, but when they were taken off, it was a long 6 months off nails splitting and terrible ridges. This salon is more careful than others I've been too, and want you to be happy! :) read more

I specifically asked for long square shape nails and I even showed a picture as an example. However, I did NOT received that. The nails I got were very short and very uneven. They offered to put longer acrylic tips on but they said they charge more for longer tips even though when I called they said all tips are the same price. I am very disappointed in this "salon". If I had the option to give zero stars then I would. read more

Went here for the first time after reading the yelp reviews had been going to my old nail place for about 10 years or more and decided to switch it up. I was very pleased everyone was friendly and funny nice to be around offered me drinks. They took they're time made sure everything was perfect didn't leave any nail polish on the sides of my nails or anything made sure everything was straight and even. Will be going back! My mom and I loved it! read more

I've been a client with Kenny for about 2 1/2 years. He is very professional, takes great care to make sure everything is clean and sterile. He is always perfecting his technique with the dip manicure which really lasts. All of the people are lovely and dedicated to customer service. I highly recommend them and obviously Kenny is my go to guy. read more

I got the 25 dollar pedicure. Many colors to choose from and they got me in right away. They have a massage chair for you to sit in while you're getting the pedicure. The water initially was extremely hot but the girl fixed the temperature. She seemed kind of snappy with me and I asked her a question which I don't know if she understood correctly but didn't really answer it and said something to her 2 friends beside her and laughed about it. Now I'm not completely sure that this is what they were laughing about but from that point on she didn't say a word to me. The pedicure was great along with the massage but I'm going somewhere else next time. Your product can be good but if the service isn't executed properly, then it's not worth the money. read more

I've been getting mani-pedis at this salon for over a year and I absolutely love it! The staff is so friendly and they provide incredible service. I could never go to any other salon, nothing can match Essence! Especially Kenny, he shapes and paints my nails (gel) so well. read more

Very clean and mostly friendly. Pedicure was great! Manicure left something to be desired. My husband and I went together as treat. Our appointments were later in the day and I could tell my manicurist wanted to get out of there. But, again, pedicure was great and prices are reasonable. I will be back! read more

Never disappoints! Been coming to ESSENCE NAILS for 2 years now since I moved to Sarasota and wasn't too pleased with the first nail salon I found so I found ESSENCE simply because it was open that one Sunday two years ago! KENNY and KIM are my technicians who know how to give feet massages and can carefully and THOROUGHLY groom my toes! I love #2 Deluxe Pedi but sometimes I'll go for their Pearl Pedi. read more

I have been coming to see Kenny for over a year. I wont see anyone else. He is extremely good with my manicure and pedicure. He takes his time and makes sure I am happy. His foot massage is out of this world! read more

I agree with previous poster Nancy G - the staff here made me feel like a nuisance rather than a paying customer. I had the $12 manicure, which was, frankly, terrible. The polish application was poor, cuticle removal was messy, and I didn't even get the hand massage that is supposed to be included. The lady doing my mani (I think she was the owner) was clearly rushed, as she kept anxiously looking at the door every time a new customer came in and was obviously just trying to take as many customers as possible. Although the mani was inexpensive, for the service I got, I'd happily pay double elsewhere... or do my own mani at home. read more

Tina has done an amazing job on my nails! When I started going to her my nails were awful. She did a French dip and my nails have grown and look so healthy. I can go about 3 or 4 weeks before I need to go back and get them done again. Tina is the best! read more

This place is absolutely the worst nail salon I have ever been to. the workers are rude and don't know how to do their job properly. I went in to get vitamin E dip and my nails ended up having a rough surface. She re did them a couple of times but they ended up being the same if not worse. I always get a tip on my nails when I get dip and it always looks fantastic, but when I left the place my nails weren't glued to the tip right and the nails looked as if I had gum stuck on my finger nail. When I came in to get a refund the workers were mocking me to another customer and claimed they don't do refunds. I am currently trying to speak to the manager because it is absolutely ridiculous. Do not recommend. read more

Sarasota has a plethora of nail salons and Essence Nails stands out among them. Friendly, expert nail technicians. Kenny does an amazing pedicure. read more

I've been coming to Essence Nails for over 2 years and have never had any problems with them. They always fit me (I'm never able to get my act together and actually schedule appointment) and every nail technician has always done a great job! The prices are very reasonable, there are no issues with cleanliness and they are, obviously, extremely accommodating! read more

BEST PINK AND WHITE in Sarasota!! After years of changing nail salons, I am so Happy I discovered Nancy and Essence Nails!! Everyone at Essence Nails is Great!! Nancy is Amazing and So Talented!! I will never go anywhere else... I Highly Recommend them all, they are like family to me now! Thank you Nancy! read more

Ok so I saw such awesome reviews of this nail salon here on yelp.com so went in with high expectations. I am a woman in my late 30's who came with my mom & toddler for pedicures to celebrate my birthday. I don't get pedicures done often at all so this was a treat. The salon itself is nothing special. No pretty decor, no TVs to watch, no water or beverages offered, etc. Just an average at best nail salon. The pedicure chairs are comfy enough, have built in massagers etc. The staff was...interesting. The lady who did my & my toddlers nails was very nice...but she had to leave to answer the phone/schedule appts literally 5 times throughout my pedicure. Also...she had open sores on her face. Like woozing ones. I am a bit of a germaphobe, but none-the-less it was pretty bad. She did do my toddlers finger nails for free so that was great. My mom & I both did french pedicures & they were $30 each. They didn't offer any special treatments or designs. My mom's nail lady literally did not say one word to her the entire time. I def wouldn't go back here & I definitely question the authenticity of some of these reviews. This is not a 5 star establishment by any means. read more

Friendly family business. Was clean and they were able to accommodate me and my two daughters with an appointment. Quality work and we all enjoyed our pedicures. Price was great too! I definitely would come back when in town again! read more

I made an appointment for two people, they took two walk ins while we were picking out polish. Then I waited 20 minutes, no one helped us or said they would be helping us shortly. We left and went to another salon. Poor customer service, don't make appointments you can't keep. read more

I recently moved to Sarasota from Key West and immediately started my search for a new nail place. I have had the same manicurist for 10 years and I hate to say it but Im very picky about my nails...after reading the reviews here I gave Lily a try. She is wonderful! Polite and kind service, great prices and most of all prefect nails! read more