I've always enjoyed going to this salon because it's in my neighborhood and, until this experience, I had no reason to complain. Unfortunately, this visit was so frustrating that I feel compelled to say something.
A basic $35 pedicure is what I booked. I have a fair amount of dry skin on my feet, and normally a basic pedicure elsewhere takes care of it without a problem. During the pumice step, however, I was given only three scrubs. I asked if she could work on the sides of my feet, and I was told that I would need to upgrade to the $50 pedicure to have any additional dry skin removed. Fine. I agreed to pay the $50 and specifically said that I wanted all of the dry skin addressed.
What followed was excessive and, frankly, uncomfortable. A cheese-grater-style tool was used on my feet, and the service continued well beyond what seemed necessary.
I was on my phone and not paying close attention until I was asked if I was satisfied. I looked down and immediately noticed visible dirt around my cuticles. That was actually one of the reasons I came in--I had been doing yard work and wanted my feet and nails cleaned up.
When I pointed it out, the technician did clean them, but instead of simply cleaning around the cuticles, she continued cutting at my skin and cutting my toenails down. My feet were already at the point where the pedicure should have been finished, yet she continued cutting and working at my skin. Eventually the polish was removed and reapplied.
At that point, the entire experience had become unnecessarily aggressive rather than relaxing.
To make matters worse, while I was sitting there, another employee walked past me twice and gave me what felt like very obvious dirty looks. Whether I was unhappy with the service or not, I was still a paying customer and deserved professional treatment.
I still left a 20% tip because I'm not someone who takes my frustration out on service workers. But tipping does not mean I was satisfied, and I think the salon needs to take this experience seriously.
Attention to detail and customer service matter. If a customer is paying $50 for a pedicure and specifically explains what they want addressed, they should not leave feeling like their feet have been overworked, their skin unnecessarily cut, and their basic concerns dismissed.
I genuinely hope this was an isolated experience, because I used to enjoy coming here. But when someone is spending their hard-earned money on a service that is supposed to be relaxing, they should receive care, professionalism, and attention to detail--not feel like they have to defend their own feet. read more
