I've been going there a long time. Never a bad experience. Finally I found Kim. She is absolutely meticulous! She is also a talented artist. I bring her pictures and she makes the designs look better than the photos, even if they were photos of decals. She is kind and calming. Check out my current manicure. read more

Essence Spa and Nails - Desert scape nails with glued on gold decals for flare by Kim. Only $80 with builder gel. Gave her a $40 tip for her mastery. - Nail Salons Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

Went to get a full set done the day before New Year's Eve. The lady doing my nails wasn't paying attention when cutting my real nails shorter and ended up cutting my skin on my pinky. Bled the entire time she was doing my nails. She used the nail glue to stop the bleeding but walked out of there with a bloody finger and guidance to pick off the glue. After picking off the glue, it started bleeding again. Still stings two days later. And the worst part is - she gave me 5 dollars off my service. Thanks a lot read more

See all

Horrible , been here 3 times , just to give them the benefit of the doubt, and everytime I have left looking like 2 different people one eyebrow here the other there somewhere. They need someone different at the waxing station. read more

My daughter and I got our nails done and the service was excellent! The technicians were friendly, accommodating and thoughtful (not rough like many salons). We will definitely go again! read more

Great service! Amazing pedicure. Appt was on time. Also, great pedicure chairs for my daughters.

I just had the most amazing experience at Essence. I had no trouble making an appointment for a pedicure today when I called yesterday. His was my technician and he was gentle, and efficient. It was truly a spa pedicure, and my feet feel wonderful! I definitely recommend this young man. read more

I love the pedicure I just got!!! Katie did a great job and I really enjoyed the experience. My nails have never looked so good! The gel nails on my hands look smoking too! (My only issue was the nail artist went a little rogue and gave me a design on the ring fingers, and I hate flowers) but it was a nice gesture. Update: I've continued going once a month since my last review- unfortunately they have not kept up with customer care. The last two times I've gone- the ladies have either cut my toenails too short (causing bleeding from under the nail), or during the gel polish removal- used the drill thing on skin which burns!). After the first unhappy time, I gave it a month and a last shot- and I'm still not happy. Pedicures should be relaxing- not causing worry of bleeding. read more

Essence Spa and Nails - Nail Salons Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

My stepmom got her toes and nails painted and designed and the dude was still filing my acrylic nails I was there for 3 hours for nails with no designs or anything special. I've never had a nail break before. I had 4 nails break before I took them all off myself. They all broke while doing something stupid like itching my leg. They broke because they were uneven, chunky at the top and bottom but thin in the middle. I recommend going here for regular nails. My stepmoms looked good. read more

Wonderful salon with friendly staff. The mani/pedis are excellent and the salon is nice, clean and relaxing environment.

If i could give this place a zero star rating i would. I came back for them to fix my already messed up acrylic set. She has filed down my real nail and there is nothing but skin left. Not only this but the new set was nothing like the picture. It has been TWO days since they were "fixed" and they have all popped off doing basic things like scarring my leg. This is horrible. The girl who did my nails were Kimmie. I do not recommend going here. Save your nails and go to a different nail salon. read more

This place used to be great. Good customer service and really clean.(I've been using them for about 5 years) But now that the boss lady is never there, It isn't great anymore. They rush through everything. I'll post a picture of my last mani, taken before I even left the Salon and you can be the judge. One of the things I notice lately is that they use rubber gloves....seems like a good idea right...well they use the same pair of gloves...all day... so the only thing sanitary about that is....well nothing....they don't wash them between clients. If you are there watch the people next to you. They just grab the same pair of gloves they just took off from their last client and put them on for the new one. Many times it has polish still on the gloves from the previous clients. This last time I went, before my fingers were even painted, the tech came over with the calculator to add my total and asked for payment...And then gave me the slip to add tip and sign. I thought it was helpful because my nails would be wet afterwards, but realized when I had to leave the tip that it would have been easier afterwards since I wasn't sure if they were going to do a good job. As soon as I filled in the tip amount, she snapped at me "you don't have cash!".....ummm no, I don't carry cash....She wasn't happy. She spent a lot of the time talking to another lady in the salon instead of focusing. Took too long. read more

Essence Spa and Nails - Just finished. Still in salon - Nail Salons Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

THIS PLACE SUCKS!!! If I could give a negative ten stars for the worst pedicure ever this place would definitely get a negative ten Stars! My daughter and I had pedicures there today and my daughters looked so bad they had to redo hers three times and we still had to repaint her toes when we got home because they look like crap! "DO NOT GO TO THIS SALON" Not only can they not even paint nails they are very unprofessional and rude worst place ever! I can't even imagine how bad they would be at gel or acrylic nails! read more

Essence was one of the first nail salons I tried when I first moved to ABQ, and I've been back a handful of times over the years. I have never been explicitly disappointed by the services here, but I never felt like even the polish job was worth the money. I tried gels here and when I told my tech that they lift easily on the corners she absolutely tore up my nails with the dremel tool. I remember feeling the heat of the tool on my nailbeds and it almost felt like she was cutting into them. They did end up staying on but when I returned for another gel set, I asked them if they were able to do a sheer 'jelly' type gel. I wasn't sure if this was possible, I just wanted to ask in case and she assured me they could. I did end up getting something like a jelly gel manicure, but it looked like there were chunks of polish suspended in the gel. I don't know if she tried to do something the product wasn't meant to do or if her polishes were just bad, but they looked strange. On top of everything, I never felt like they honored appointment times. I would make an appointment for 1, show up a bit early and wait for the next random tech to come up to the waiting room and ask who was there first. I signed in as an appointment but I have always had to just wait for the next available tech anyway. This place is fine in a pinch but there are better salons in the city. read more

A shout out to Michael thank you it's been a long time since I left there with my hands feeling pretty and happy

I come here about every three weeks and Emily always does an amazing job. They have a lot of colors to choose from and they also offer a deluxe pedi and mani, of course that's a little more pricey but oh so worth it! It's clean and as long as the quality of service stays the same, I will be a long time returning customer. Unfortunately, I have to update my review for this place. It's been 4 weeks since I was last there and that's because that is how long it took my nails to grow back. I went in to get a deluxe manicure and pedicure which I always do, that day I was in a bit of a hurry so Emily did my toes and another girl did my hands. The girl that worked on my hands cut my nails so short they hurt, when I brought this to her attention she shrugged her shoulders and said "well, I guess they'll grow back." I was very upset and left. Today I called to make an appointment with Emily, I was advised that she no longer works there. I guess there is no reason to return and I will now have to find another place to get my nails done. Shouldn't be too hard since there is literally a nail shop on every corner. read more

I've gone to this location so many times, I cannot believe I have neglected to get a review. This is my regular nail salon. Typically, when I go to get my nails done, I go here. They are good with gel manicures, pedicures, artificial nails, nail art, and solar nails. Once in a while, I will get a chip in one of my nails within the first week, I will go back and they fix it for free. On Saturday after 12pm, this place can become a madhouse, for walk-ins during those times, expect serious delays. read more

TERRIBLE. The person doing my pedicure cut my toes twice. The shop looked unclean. I felt that the tools they used were unclean too. I came home and put alcohol and Neosporin on my cuts. Don't go to this shop. read more

So the first photo is from May and the second two are from yesterday. I was not happy with the result of the first set. I asked my tech if she knew how to do ombré and she said yes. I don't really believe she did know how-wish she would have just said so. I got these nails for my sister's wedding in San Diego and a Disneyland trip with my kids, and there was no way that I was going to keep these nails. I went back and the tech begrudgingly redid them. She wasn't outright rude but clearly wasn't pleased. Anyway, my grandmother said Essence is her new go to and asked me to meet her for nails yesterday. I went with her and this time I had a technician named Theresa. She was great. She answered all my questions and was really sweet. I described the kind of polish I wanted and she knew exactly what to get. I loved my nails. I told her I wanted shorter coffin nails and I have had many techs tell me they can't do coffin nails short but Theresa did it and they look gorgeous! I will definitely be back and asking for Theresa each time. read more

Essence is great! My daughters and I get gel manis and pedis here and have always been happy. One time I went back a couple days after my mani because of chipping. They fixed it no problem, I'm fact Tu stayed late (after closing) to redo my nails and make sure I was satisfied. I appreciate the great customer service and friendliness. read more

On time with my appointment. Only took 20 min for a gel manicure, which would have been great if it was good quality. My nails are very uneven and full of bubbles and chunky. Very rushed read more

Run while you can! I'm knowledgeable about nails. They were super sort crooked and lumpy.

I got a removal and a new set yesterday. The removal went good. But I am not happy with my new set. All of my nails are different shapes and lengths, they are also rough on the edges and have lumps on them. I got black and they look dark blue. I am never one to complain but my nails look really awful and I paid a lot for them so I am very displeased. read more

went in for a polish change and asked for a simple line design and paid $60 dollars for it. not what i asked for and way too overpriced for the quality. read more

The service is friendly, and there are a lot of stations with quite a few women working away. Place is clean and has an upscale feel. Reason for fewer stars is that the cost for extras is higher than what I've experienced elsewhere (deluxe pedi with design turned out to be over $60 with 20% tip). And because there is a children's area, which is great for parents stopping in with kids, but for someone looking to relax, listening to kids and the video systems attached to the kid chairs is a negative. read more

Beware! They will overcharge you! I have gone in both times for a gel polish- not manicure- first time I paid with card. Total was $8 something and I figured I would leave a tip right? So I put $2 tip on receipt making for $10 total now. I checked my bank statement a week later and I was charged $18 from essence spa & nails. Ugh so irritating. Went back today, got another gel polish- she told me my total was $15. Gave her a 20 she gave me 3$ back. Ugh!!!!!! Probably not going back there! read more

If I could give 0 stars I would. The employees were so rude and disrespectful. I asked for acrylic nails and even showed a picture. She did not do what I asked for. When I called her out for it, she got upset and stated giving me attitude. I asked if she could cut them and reshape them. While doing this she filed my skin down and cut me, she didn't do anything to stop the bleeding. She placed my nails crooked and practically did nothing to fix her mistakes. Overall worst experience at a nail salon. Go to Relax spa and nails by Desert Ridge Middle School. read more

Essence Spa and Nails - This is after she "redid" my nails. The bubble gum pink ones are the bass if you couldn't tell. The others are from Relax - Nail Salons Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

See all

I walked for a mani/pedi. An older woman was assigned. She was nice but she did a poor job. The thing i noticed is most of these places in Albuquerque are very dirty. They don't clean utensils or sterilize them. Floors are filthy. The technician got more polish on her hands than on my toes. I did not get a color on my hands and i was still charged full price. Fine. When i went to pay the male owner said I would get a discount if i paid cash. A 10 or 15% discount for cash was posted. The atm is conveniently next to the counter. It charged me a $1 to deduct cash. I paid $28 for Pedicure and $18 for manicure. That's $46. If i receive a 10% discount that would be $41.40 plus tax, tax rate is 5.125 in Albuquerque. My tax would be $2.12. My total should have been $43.52 and he charged me $50!. His math is way different than mine. He rips you off and i did call him but he said my discount was $1.00. Even if I paid full price with no discount i should have paid $49.15. Never again will i go there. read more

I have been to numerous salons around the city for many different reasons, but never EVER for a pedicure. Feet. GROSS. Someone touching my feet...do you wanna get kicked??? However, my girls were going for a pedicure and convinced me to join them in their delight. So I did. We walked in on a weekday afternoon and this place was packed! 30 minute wait for the 3 of us, so we sat on the nice comfy couch and waited. My nerves were slowly increasing ad I remembered that I have not recently shaved my legs as I have worn pants for the past few months. Awesome. I didn't count, but there was close to 15 staff, all working on someone in some salon way. In one corner there were multiple chairs for kids. Nice and decorated with butterflies and such. K got called first and her eyes rolled back when the hot water jetted around her feet. $20 for a kid pedicure and finger nail polish. She was in heaven. Off we go to the adult side to get this started. The hot water was nice, my hairy legs, well, we're hairy. Thank God I was sitting in the corner. Ying was my lady and I quickly apologized for not shaving and told her this was my first time. She laughed and said it was no big deal. She did her pedicure thing. I did my best not to jump out of my seat or kick her in the face. She finished and I survived. $74 for the 3 of us. That included french something or other for my lovely lady and flowers on my toes. I had a great time. I will be back. I will soon love pedicures I'm sure! I can imagine weekends are crazy around here. However they are fully staffed and seem to move people quickly while still taking good care of them. read more

Essence Spa and Nails - Great kid's chairs! - Nail Salons Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

See all

They are always running late even with scheduled appointments. Today Van called me to bump my appointment and when I told her the entire reason for making appointments was due to my busy schedule she hung up in me. read more

Ok. I admit to being new to the manicure realm. My oldie but goodie pedicure place (elsewhere) did not do great (well, long-lasting) gel nails so I decided to come here at a coworkers suggestion. The pedicure tubs are lined with plastic so therefore kept very clean, but I didn't see the same cleanliness with the manicure area. The staff quality overall is good, all friendly, but some are absolutely better than others. Bottom line - the nails DO last an abnormally long amount of time and the color really doesn't fade or chip after 2-3 weeks. read more

Not sure why I decided to give this place a second try. Treated myself and my daughter to manicures and wanted to stay in the area rather than go to our "usual". Huge mistake! We felt rushed, did not get the salt scrub,or arm massage as listed on their menu. Instead, our technicians were more interested in who was coming in the store rather than who was sitting in their chair. We might as well have been on an assembly line. As if that was not insulting enough, they overcharge you. When asked why there was no arm massage or salt scrub their response was because we got gel??? Yet they charged us for that too. I call BS.... Read the reviews and go somewhere else. read more

Worse place ever i wanted a dog paw on my nail and she made it look like something else..(dick&balls) anyway the gel was super thick n clumpy n rushed for what reason idk it was died in there.spend alot of money for a shitty job never again read more

Mediocre foot massage with disappointing results. I came back here because the last time I was here (probably a month or so ago) it was actually really good! I guess I need to make an appt with a person who knows what their doing and not just hope for the best. The manicure was much better. I get gel nails when I go and for the extra $10 for gel it's worth it. However I had to pick three different colors until they finally found one they had in stock so that was frustrating, but I actually really like the color I ended up with so it all worked out. In the end, the pedicure cost $35 and the gel manicure $25. I would definitely recommend these gel nails at that price but may skip the pedicure and go to a different place, you can get much better for cheaper (pedicure ) at other places. Also, I wasn't charged any tax etc because I paid cash. So it was $60 instead of $64.28, I always find that odd. read more

Essence Spa and Nails - Nail Salons Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

This is a good place to make your kids happy. My daughter loves it here and people are so accommodating to here it has been great. She is a sweetheart though so that might be why. I have also come for gel polish pedicures. They are pricey but I flat out tell them what I want and how much I want to pay before they start to we have to argumemts. I have been specific with designs and they have done really well. read more

Essence Spa and Nails - Nail Salons Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

Absolutely terrible! I had a pedicure and the technician cut the side of my foot with the callous file - literally scraped the skin off. My foot was bleeding and she needed to rinse off the callous remover - she put my foot back in the water and proceeded. Over the next few days, the cut got infected and I have been on two different abx for a resistant bacterial cellulitis. This could have totally been prevented had she recognized that the side of my foot did not have callouses. read more

Essence Spa and Nails - 7 days after the cut - still not healed and clearly red around it. - Nail Salons Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

I took my daughter to get her nails done and they totally did what they wanted Not what we showed them. They insisted I get a pedicure while I waited and so I didn't see what they were doing till too late and I knew my daughter didn't like her nails. My daughter didn't want to be rude and said she didn't like them so we left she didn't get so great responses and she was not happy. So I called them the next day to get them fixed and i called at 11:00 am and they said come at 5:30pm we got there and the person told me to go back another 1 hour later that Was it I didn't go back I took her somewhere else so unprofessional and they didn't want to give me my money back and when they did they had the worst most unprofessional attitude. I used to go there along time a go and it wasn't like that at all. Will never go back. read more

Terrible. Overpriced. The worst pedicure and manicure I've ever gotten. The Tech cut my finger so bad it bled for 20 mins. Now I'm worried about infection. My normal salon was closed today, and I gave Essence a try. NEVER AGAIN. read more

They charge your card twice. Then when you prove to them they charged you twice they refuse to give you your money back. Don't wast your time at this hell hole! Unprofessional. You will be reported to the Better Business Bureau!!!!! read more

I love nail salons with deluxe pedicure options. Enjoyed my calming lavender pedicure. The staff were nice and my nail technician did a nice job. They also use disposable plastic liners in their tubs to keep the tubs clean. read more

I've never had the problems others describe. They are always very nice. I walked in early in the year and got Thao as my lady and ever since then i always make an appointment with Thao but Lyly is a great back up. They both speak great English so communication isn't a problem. My appointments are about an hour which I feel is standard. I never feel rushed. I just get a standard gel manicure but my nails always look great and they never peel. Very happy here. read more