Came here on a Saturday in a bind to get my nail fixed. Beautiful salon! Wasn't busy so I was assisted immediately. They were super accommodating and tried their hardest to find the best color match for my nails. Vivian did a great job with the shape and length. read more

This nail salon is right in the heart of Hillcrest and has a new boba shop connected. I got a deluxe pedicure with gel and French tips. The woman who serviced me was very nice and friendly. I also got a sweet corn latte and it was so delicious! Unfortunately, 3 gel toes had completely fallen off that night and I had to go back the next day and get them fixed. They have stayed on now and I do like the look of my toes. It was just inconvenient to have 3 toes need to be fixed and take more time out of my day to drive back and get it fixed. But, I would come back so I can order a sweet corn latte and get my toes done. read more

I've gone to this place a pedicure a handful of times. The most part, the customer service is great. But the pedicures do not have standard quality control. I paid $57 for a black gel polish basic manicure and the first day it peeled off. The whole toe nail wasn't even painted on multiple toes and other toes peeled off the next couple days. One toe was messed up when curing and she didn't say anything or re-do. I could've gone back, but I don't think I will be coming back to this salon. Which is a shame since the service and convenience of where it is. I didn't mind the price of the quality was good. I've have other pedicures that were so great I didn't mind the price. This is the second time this has happened. It's really disappointing considering how expensive a basic gel manicure is read more

Hillcrest Nail Lounge - Nail polish was also messed up when curing and she didn't say anything - Nail Salons Near Me - San Diego, California

See all

Ming is the man to see if you need your nails done. Now, I live in Long Beach but I would come to SD once a month to get my nails done and I used to live here so it's no big deal. Street parking only but I had no problem. Salon is nice and staff very friendly. Highly recommend to try. read more

Hillcrest Nail Lounge - Nail Salons Near Me - San Diego, California

I came in without an appointment on a Saturday afternoon and was seated fairly quickly, which I appreciated. I originally had grown-out gel French tips on my toes, so I got a pedicure along with a gel polish removal to remove the existing polish. After the appointment, I noticed that the polish on my pinky toe didn't appear to be fully cured, and some of the previous polish was still visible. The pedicure itself was also a bit uncomfortable, particularly during the cuticle removal. I would recommend taking a close look at your nails before leaving to make sure everything looks the way you expect. The total for the pedicure and gel polish removal was $57 before tip. read more

Hillcrest Nail Lounge - Pedicure - Nail Salons Near Me - San Diego, California

See all

I've been coming here for a while and usually see Vivian, but she was out of town so I booked with Ming this time. He did an amazing job on my acrylics and absolutely nailed what I asked for. I couldn't be happier with how they turned out! The entire staff is always so friendly and welcoming, which makes the experience even better. As a bonus, there's a boba shop connected to the salon, so you can grab a drink or coffee while you're there. Definitely recommend this place! read more

See all

I've actually been to Hillcrest Nail Lounge quite a few times over the years -- probably 10 visits total -- but I was never super committed to it back then because I always felt like my nails just came out... fine. Not bad, but never that I love them moment. Fast forward four or five years, and after taking a long hiatus from getting my nails done (just doing regular manis on my natural nails), I've recently gone back for gel manicures -- and wow, I'm so glad I did. The last two gel manis I've had here have been fabulous, and I've also gotten a pedicure each time. My nails have looked incredible -- perfect shape, perfect French, exactly what I wanted and exactly what I asked for. For someone who's been wearing their nails natural lately, it's hard to get them looking flawless, but they nailed it (pun intended). The only feedback I have from my most recent visit is that she tried something different with the chrome, and in my opinion it wasn't my favorite -- not a big deal, but next time I'll request it the usual way. Pedicures here are also great -- my feet feel smooth and refreshed every time. They're especially good at cleaning up around my big toes where I tend to get almost-ingrowns, and they've never hurt me doing it. I even brought my dad in once (he has super sensitive feet and a lot of issues) and they were gentle and careful with him, which I really appreciated. It's always pretty busy here, but if I call ahead and let them know I'm coming, the longest I've ever waited is maybe 10 minutes. They also offer drinks, which is a nice touch, and they're opening a boba shop inside the salon soon -- how fun is that? Overall, I'm glad I gave Hillcrest Nail Lounge another shot. I feel like I finally have "my" nail spot in the neighborhood. read more

Hillcrest Nail Lounge - French gel manicure - Nail Salons Near Me - San Diego, California

Love love my wedding nails -- Ming was amazing and so fast. I asked for soft French tip with chrome gel x read more

Hillcrest Nail Lounge - Nail Salons Near Me - San Diego, California

See all

It's a clean salon and my nails always LOOK nice when I'm finished, but I have just been SO disappointed by the longevity of my gel manicures. They last me maybe 7 days before they start chipping and peeling. My longest set last me maybe 12 days (and that was only one time). By gel standards this is just really really poor. I've tried to give them the benefit of the doubt by returning multiple times and trying different people, but unfortunately each gel manicure experience has been the same. I don't know if the gel polish is bad quality, if the application is just poor, or maybe a combination of both those things - but I unfortunately will be finding a new salon with better gel retention. read more

Textured mani and made me pay in the middle of service. Did not like outcome or service. read more

Hillcrest Nail Lounge - Nail Salons Near Me - San Diego, California

See all

ANTI BLACK BUISSNESS BEWARE! Use google translate and see for yourself you you want too! NO PLACE FOR THIS IN HILLCREST! Terrible management! terrible service! and rude bad vibes all around. (Four stars for the algorithm) read more

I love it here. Ming is so good at acrylic. His services are always efficient and quality. It's always clean and peaceful inside. read more

Hillcrest Nail Lounge - Nails by Ming - Nail Salons Near Me - San Diego, California

Amazing nail salon. I've had trouble in the past where the manicurist has called in sick too many times to count. I found this place and they're friendly and kind. My nails are the best they've ever looked . Just perfect. So grateful. read more

Hillcrest Nail Lounge - Nail salon is beautiful - Nail Salons Near Me - San Diego, California

Michelle---- you are a gem! I've been here one other time so I'm not a regular but Michelle def changed that for me. While i went for a simple clean French look she was very detailed and made sure it was cleaned up everywhere. Michelle was kind and courteous even recommending free parking a spot over vs having to pay. It's the little things that make me choose a place over the other so i appreciated her. Our conversation was little but like the nails, quality. She made me feel reassured in what she was doing and ---- can i just say i felt like i was right at home when she'd say "thank you baby" sweetest woman, I'll be back. She has a new client in me. Next time maybe I'll get a pedicure too :) read more

Hillcrest Nail Lounge - She took her time doing each of the tips which is what i look for in a nail tech! Attention to quality. Simple but she did it perfectly - Nail Salons Near Me - San Diego, California

One of the best manicures I've ever had! I highly recommend Vivian - she made my nails look very fancy. I liked the calm and quiet vibe of the place. Overall A+! read more

Hillcrest Nail Lounge - Fairy dust acrylic manicure with electric blue toes - perfect ocean summer set. - Nail Salons Near Me - San Diego, California

I asked for the royal pedicure, and it was great! My nail tech, Dao, was so sweet and did and amazing job. It was not rushed at all. It was the best pedicure they offered and it was around $90 with gel before tip. I definitely will be back read more

Hillcrest Nail Lounge - Nail Salons Near Me - San Diego, California

Ohmygosh I am picky and love getting my nails done! Dina did such a wonderful job with my nails! And the nail art! Ahhhh! Friendly staff as well! Also the edm music in the back was a plus! read more

Hillcrest Nail Lounge - Christmas Nails! - Nail Salons Near Me - San Diego, California

Such regret going here. During my pedicure, the technician did not use a sanitary liner for the bowl, pulled at an ingrown toenail (in a way that was painful) , and appeared visibly upset when I declined a more expensive service. I was charged $39 for a service advertised at $32, with no explanation for the difference, and left feeling worse than when I arrived--physically uncomfortable, with uneven nails. A complimentary beverage does not make up for poor treatment or lack of basic sanitation. Do yourself a favor and go someplace else. read more

I have been to this place several times over the last year. They have some great employees and some who just don't seem to care about the quality of their work. The reason for 2 stars is because I've had some pleasant experiences. I've had some great designs that lasted so I kept coming back. This last time I went will be the last time I go. I received the worst pedicure. The employee was very nice but she cut my cuticle on my toe and I I told her it hurt and she said she just needed to cut off a piece of cuticle. I really wish she hadn't had done that! My poor toe was so inflamed, it hurt to walk and I was so nervous I'd get an infection. It took about a week to heal but I will never go back. I don't understand why she kept cutting. Pedicures should be relaxing, not painful :( read more

Hillcrest Nail Lounge - Cut cuticle on toe - Nail Salons Near Me - San Diego, California

Great!!! Clean, friendly,professional!!!! I'll be back for sure!!! Was a walk-in from out of town... Lovely experience... read more

I've given this salon about 5 tries now through out the 4 years (it's close to my house) and I'm just never happy with my experience. I always like to think maybe I didn't get the right person but that's just not the case. 1. They change the prices EVERY time I'm in there. I call before and ask and then it's somehow always $10+ more when checking out. It just feels shady. 2. The nails look fine from afar but when you look closer they are just not done well at all.. I went yesterday and a black fuzz is clearly caught through out the polish and instead of the tech fixing it, he told me it was in my nail? It is not in my nail... The shape of my nails are all different and have bubbles under most of them! 3. I think if you're spending $65 on a service your nails should be done well... I don't know it's a little upsetting read more

Hillcrest Nail Lounge - bad nails - Nail Salons Near Me - San Diego, California

Amazing service and super talented! I was looking everywhere for a nail salon that would not hurt my natural nail and would get the design that I wanted for Pride weekend. I was so nervous walking in on a Thursday morning but they sat me down almost immediately and the results as you can see are stunning! Will definitely be coming back here read more

Hillcrest Nail Lounge - Nails - Nail Salons Near Me - San Diego, California

Nice nail shop in Hillcrest district. We walked in after a long day at the SD zoo. We had to travel back to LA and wanted to wait out traffic so we decided to get two mani - pedis. We walked in without appointments and they accommodated us with a 30 min wait. It was busy but we just wanted regular mani-pedis. They staff was really nice and offered a beverage. They take cards for services but cash only for tips. They do have an atm on the premises but when we went it was not working. Luckily, i stopped by a bank while we waited for our services. read more

Walked in on a Sunday afternoon, they were pretty busy but they still sat me down for my gel pedicure almost immediately! Nina took great care of me, she was super gentle removing old gel on my toes, which was big for me as previous salons have drilled too much doing this before. I loved the fact that she drilled the top layer off and soaked the rest with acetone. Nina was very detailed and gentle as well when cleaning my cuticles and trimming my nails. Finally, the massage she provided was exceptional, my 9 month pregnant feet felt so relieved after. I got in my car and started raving about the whole experience to my partner! I got the Gel Pedicure for $55 (since I paid cash) and it was 100% worth it for me. I was there for about an hour and 15-30 min. Will definitely be coming back and requesting Nina read more

Hillcrest Nail Lounge - Pedicure - Nail Salons Near Me - San Diego, California

Michelle (#2) was fabulous! I'm very picky about my nail length and shape, and she nailed it (pun intended)! read more

Hillcrest Nail Lounge - Nails - Nail Salons Near Me - San Diego, California

See all

Michelle 2 provided excellent service, she was on time, she's very pleasant and she gave me an acrylic fill with gel on top that was the best I've had anywhere. read more

Michelle 2 gave me the most beautiful gel x set, I told her I wanted it to be very natural and a length not too long and she did amazing they are even more beautiful in person !I left with a new favorite color and will definitely be back to get more sets from her :) read more

Hillcrest Nail Lounge - Nail Salons Near Me - San Diego, California

When I tell you this was the BEST FRENCH TIP PEDICURE I HAVE EVER RECEIVED. I think my nail techs name was Tammi or Tammy, but she asked how I liked my French tip, ( straight across, little or small) and this might seem small but whether you believe it or not, no nail tech has ever asked me that they just do it. And this gave me the opportunity to tell her that I like mine with a deep smile and I've never been happier with how my pedicure looks. I also received it a couple days ago and I've stubbed my toes numerous times and it has not chipped. I just recently moved to Northpark and this will easily be my go to Spot! I also called same-day to get an appointment! I attached a photo :) thanks Tammi! read more

Hillcrest Nail Lounge - French tip with deep smile - Nail Salons Near Me - San Diego, California

Had a great experience at this nail salon! Mai was so sweet, offered me Vietnamese coffee, and showed amazing attention to detail. Highly recommend! read more

Hillcrest Nail Lounge - Gel Manicure by Mai - Nail Salons Near Me - San Diego, California

I am very happy with this nail salon. My last gel polish change was done by May, and this was the best job by far that I've had.

I'm torn leaving a bad review because my nails turned out really cute, but the guy who did them was the absolute rudest person I've ever met in my life! This experience happened about a year ago, and I can't believe I never left a review, because I STILL talk to friends about how mean he was. I went in with my girlfriend to get our nails done for my 30th birthday, and we both asked for a gel manicure. Everything was fine until I showed the guy what design I wanted, to which he proceeded to LAUGH IN MY FACE and then grabbed my phone to run around the salon, showing all the other nail techs while laughing. Like yes, it was a semi-complicated design, but I definitely did not deserve that reaction. I even said multiple times that we could do something else if it was too difficult, but he kept saying that it was fine. So overall my nails turned out nice, but getting laughed in my face and then taunted on my birthday was not exactly how I wanted to spend it. Unfortunately, I won't ever be coming back here. read more

Hillcrest Nail Lounge - Nail Salons Near Me - San Diego, California

There are so many nail salons in San Diego and specifically Hillcrest but if you want a good experience, then this is a great spot. They have so many seats so if you are large group, this is a good spot to go to. It's a little more expensive then others but for me the experience is just as important as the work done. They achieved good results on both. read more

See all

My favorite go to nail salon. They take reservations and also accept walk ins. Very large space and have so many workers it is great to not have to wait long. They do amazing work with acrylics and design. I have showed them ideas from instagram and they replicate it exact every time. They also do waxing and put on a great oil afterwards to help with healing and redness reduction. read more

Hillcrest Nail Lounge - Pedicure with callous scrub - Nail Salons Near Me - San Diego, California

See all

Great friendly service Michelle and Lanny did my full set and pedicure. The ladies took their time and even though I ran a bit late they made sure the services were done properly and didn't make me feel rushed. read more

Hillcrest Nail Lounge - Nails simple but perfectly done - Nail Salons Near Me - San Diego, California

Came in early on a Friday morning as a walk-in. Not too busy and a nice, big space. Typical oversized massage chairs, friendly gals. Got the European Mani-Pedi combo that came out to about $65 per person. Pretty standard, nothing to write home about. No beverages offered, some chips up front to grab. Pedicure was good but manicure was not. Literally just cut across once and kind of haphazardly filed down. Currently cutting my nails now to correct the mani. Wouldn't recommend and wouldn't return. With tons of options in Hillcrest, you'd think more effort would go into it the mani. Probs go back to Beauty Lounge. read more

Michelle (2) was awesome! She was super nice and had such positive energy. She did an amazing job on my nails as well!!! read more

Hillcrest Nail Lounge - Nails - Nail Salons Near Me - San Diego, California

Let me start off by saying I have been coming to Hillcrest Nail Lounge since they closed down their other Hillcrest location (around 3 years now). This place is OK if you get the right person (they have some great people and some awful people). The last manicure I got about a month ago was with some random person because the girl I go to wasn't working. She barely spoke any English and I told her to be super cautious with cutting my cuticles-of course she ends up ripping a big piece of skin off my nail and I start bleeding and she continues on like nothing happened. I told her to stop and then she has the bright idea to just pour a bunch of alcohol over it which felt really great. Fast forward to today the girl I go to is working. I called at 1pm saying I needed to get in with her and they told me to come at 2pm. I was super clear that I didn't have a lot of time and that I couldn't be made to wait if I came in at 2 since I needed to be done at 3pm and somewhere by 3:30. Well of course you know how this ends; I walk in exactly at 2pm and the girl my appointment is with is clearly in the middle of a service and not anywhere near ready for me. Wha they always do is getting you seated with your feet soaking thinking that once they do that you won't leave. Well at 2:15 the girl my appointment with was clearly not done so I asked them for a towel and I left. No apologies. The owner doesn't care as she is always busy doing someone's nails not running the business even though she could clearly see there was an issue. Anyways I have decided I am legitimately never going back here ever, it was pretty crazy anyways because as a dude my manicure and pedicure comes out to like $101 by the time they get done adding all the extra fees and the credit card fee and then of course they only let you tip in cash but you can use their atm in the back for another fee. Oh and not sure what's going on but half the shop is covered up with garbage bags and they are only operating 50% of the store now so I'm guessing things aren't going great for them-I wonder why. Anyways off to search yelp reviews to find a new place. read more

So the workers here are super sweet, the salon is beautiful, roomy and comfortable, but I didn't get the style I asked for. I asked my nail tech for a glazed nail sort of look and she ended up giving me nails that look more chrome. Instead of a smooth looking finish like in the reference photo I provided, my nails have glitter that's a bit chunky. The nail tech was kind and I could tell she worked hard. My nails don't look bad or anything, it's just not what I requested. I think anyone who likes chrome nails would be happy with the results I got, though! read more

Hillcrest Nail Lounge - What I asked for vs what I got - Nail Salons Near Me - San Diego, California

See all

If i could give 0 stars i would the only thing that i appreciated that deserves 1 star is the fact that they took me as a walk in. I had Michelle #2 as my manicurist. long story short she kept getting up out of her seat to do i dont know what and in one of those times comes back with the card reader and tells me to pay for my nails ($65 later) she was not even done with the service yet. Anyways does my nails before she starts filling with new acrylic she puts GLUE in between my old set and my nail before patting new acrylic on top. i got them done on the 8th of feb now its the 14th i noticed green under my nail only to reveal when i took it off that my nail now has fungus. if you're looking for a place last minute i dont reccomend her. read more

Hillcrest Nail Lounge - i could see green through my nail and i took it off to reveal its on my actual nail - Nail Salons Near Me - San Diego, California

Highly recommend this nail salon. They have great customer service. Michelle 2 did my nails and she is the best. She is a perfectionist! read more

Hillcrest Nail Lounge - Nail Salons Near Me - San Diego, California