I've being going to lee's for a while now, not always but pretty often,I must say in their favor that their mani/pedi's last more than other places,they have of course they anooying rude behavior of talking in vietnamese without you understanding what their are saying, and dont get me wrong i was raised trilingual so i know what it is to be multicultural, but i was taught to respect others and specially in a commercial place to speak English. That aside their prices are ok, but the last 2 times the owner or person in charge Sophia was very dismissive and rude with me when i showed up to get my mani /pedi and they also didnt do a good massage, actually problably not at all and when i payed the 25$ they kept the 5 $$ change, please dont get me wrong i know they need their tips, but their is a tough economy right now 5$ tip pleseee, no way, i normally tip a couple of dollars, but the most upseting thing was they didnt gave me my change and then, i will decide what to give them, totally unethical practices. i think i will start looking for another salon. Please ladies ay Nooooo to this kind of business practices!!!! read more

Love the place, its has a relaxing atmosphere. I get all my waxing, pedi's and mani's done there. Good service from Sophia, Holly and Sandy. Had my first full facial from Sophia Tea and would recommend her to anyone. She talked me through every step and answered all my questions of the facial. It was a refreshing wonderful experience. My face feel refresh, firm, had a glow and my brown sun spots where gone. I never thought my brown spots would go away, especially since I teach outside(Physical Eduction teacher). I will go back to get another facial. Sophia thanks for making me feel great! Christina S read more

DISGUSTING, on all levels! Writing as she calls herself doing a good job,cause I want to forget about the horrible experience once I leave.What happened to this place??? Everything I requested she did the opposite. Jacked up the shape,too thick, uneven just a disaster. I thought the late hours were a benefit NOT. I'd suggest you pass right by this place as to not reach a high level of pisstivity like myself. It is not sufficiently staffed with skilled technicians trust me. If you decide to go after passing up these 1 star reviews don't say anything lol we tried to warn you! read more

Saw the sign for a mani/pedi for $25 and went in. When my nails were finally tended, they did a great job and the color lasted longer then they normally do. My main objection was the one and a half hour wait before they even started on me. I'll make an appointment next time and see if my experience is better/shorter. I loved their work but when you tell me come back in an hour and I still end up waiting for forever, not happy. read more

I came here because the nail place I was going to told me to come back tomorrow even though they were not closing until one more hour. I didn't know what to expect. It look like your typical Vietnamese nail salon. However the ladies who work here are very nice. They are polite and try to make conversation. Other nail salons (Tulip) the ladies would just talk to each other in their language and give you weird look. They charge pretty cheap. I got manicure and pedicure. Manicure was gel. My total was $38. I got my eyebrow done but I didn't like it. I felt like it looked round and not arched. However because I didn't like it, they didn't charged me. I think for the price the service is decent. The stars go to the professionalism. I feel like being asian other asian ladies think I'm not gonna tip well so they don't give me good service but at this place I didn't feel that. read more

Lee's Nails - Nail Salons Near Me - Alameda, California

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Long awaited post, two week old nails but they're still beautiful and long! If you want really long nails or your nails done with patience go here! Kathy is the best. Thank you, will be back. read more

Got my nails done for a girls day with a friend. After an hour of basic manis, we noticed that the nail polish didn't cover our entire nails, the skin around of nail bed was hacked and pieces left behind. And nails weren't filed properly. Left jagged. we didn't leave a tip. Won't be back. read more

Made an appointment for my husband and I to have mani/ pedi as Valentine's treat. We show up on time.......... then the" have a seat, we call sister in law". My husband went first..... I then walked out one hour after the scheduled appointment time. Apology from staff member, but the owner. She wouldn't even meet my eye. No apology. So i'll just spend my money elsewhere. Please don't take appointments and then not honor them read more

Always a great set of pink and white acrylics every time. open late . Hot green tea a couple times I went. Affordable but quality work. Only thing I would change is maybe a little music or a tv. Other than that always a happy customer! read more

I can't believe some of the comments I've read about Lee's Nails. I agree that they can get very busy, but that's why I call ahead and make Monday evening appointments. I've been going to Lee's for years and they always treat me like a queen. I believe their best asset is Sophia. She is a great waxer who is very knowledgeable about different waxes (blue, honey and sugar). AND, she never double dips which has mad me leave other salons. read more

I like coming here. The price is good and so is the service. They have a great price for the mani- pedi. This is my 3rd time here and ill be back. read more

Got a gel manicure here and it was excellent. The nail tech was very attentive to detail and very polite.

I had a small window of time today before I needed to pick the kids up from camp, so decided to try for a badly-needed pedicure. My two normal nail salons were busy, so was a third; I was ready to give up when I spotted this place. Miraculously, they were nearly empty and someone was able to do it right away: I think I interrupted her lunch break, for which I felt guilty but she insisted it was fine. I wish I had caught her name, but I was in such a rush I forgot to ask. She was quick but careful and meticulous, and kept checking in to make sure it didn't hurt ( it didn't, and I'm pretty sensitive). I had to skip the massage part because we ran out of time (not her fault), which she obviously felt bad about, and tried to give me a discount. No worries, I'll be sure to allow more time later, and bring my mom who has chronic foot pain and really needs a gentle touch. read more

Came here just to get a pedicure. The foot massage was nice but the nail polish looked a little sloppy. They give you stamp cards to get a free pedicure. However it's only 18$ which is cheap for an alameda nail shop. I will most likely be back. read more

If you know what's good for you DO NOT come to this shop. Worst service I've ever received. Left me several times to work on her "regular" customers. Took 3hrs start to finish for a full set no polish. How crazy is that. Kept saying "sorry" I'm going to go help her. Lady I'm a paying customer.. never again will this Oregon girl come here. Terrible. Stay away read more

everyone is new. I grew out my nails to have them nicely shaped and the lady messed it up. She needed help just putting lotion on my arms. Never coming back read more

Lees nails rocks! Get your nails, facials and waxes done here. Ask for Kathy for nails and Sophia for everything else.

I actually have really good experience with Sophie,especially her sugar waxing. It is very different from the traditional waxing. Sophie is very warm and nice, and she has years of waxing experience. When it comes to waxing, you need someone who have good experience. Sophie is a right person to do it. read more

Kathy is amazing! But, so are the other ladies in there! If you call ahead, they will give you priority over walk-ins but we have walked in several times and have had no problems getting right in. We are regulars and I have to say that there is a bit of a communication barrier with some of the other employees so you have to be clear about what you want. I'm not sure about what the other reviews are about either as I have always been happy with my manicure and pedicure! They are thorough and kind. read more

you know what, I have been going to these ladies for over 20 years, they have given me great TLC, they were sad when I lost my husband and they always give me a great pedi/mani and Sophia great eyebrows. They rock ;) read more

Downgraded my rating. I made an appointment and waited 30 minutes after having to come back twice to give them more time. Instead of an apology, I was told I shouldn't be in so much of a hurry. Like it was my fault they make - but don't keep - appointments. Was very frustrating but still think they do a good job and are clean. Will try again! read more

I'm submitting this review to say that both Sophia and Kathy did an amazing mani-pedi for both my aunt and me. We just dropped in and got the best attention to detail and care. May aunt couldn't walk because she had ingrown toe nail but Sophia took great care to alleviate the pain with gentle cleaning and grooming. My aunt said it felt like she went to heaven coz she could finally walk without pain. Kathy did an amazing job on my pedicure and her other assistant did my manicure which was also very nicely done. Kudo's for the extra TLC and service. Sophia even went out to the road to hold a parking spot while my aunt waited for her car to arrive. Very friendly and capable staff in my honest opinion. read more

Got a pedi and full acrylic set. One star is for the awesome pedi. Very well done. The girl took her time and gave a great massage. I also liked the scrub and wax. Although I had a good experience with my pedi, my acrylic nails were I would say the worst Ive ever gotten!!!!!!!!! This lady spent about an hour and a half trying to file, straighten, and even them out [which they still arent] !! I dont know how but she also got the acrylic power that hardened all over my fingers!!! I mean EVERYWHERE! Under my nails, on the nail bed, on my palms. I dont know what she did but when she got done my nails where all uneven and lumpy! I am soooooo disappointed!!! While she tried to get all the extra acrylic off my fingers it didnt help much and she told me to go home put some lotion on my hands then wash them with warm water. So it looked like my skin was peeling all around my nails on both hands, who wants to leave a salon looking like that???? She did give me 4 free designs [ 2 on my hands and 2 on my toes], but I think that was only because she took soooo long on my nails!! I might go back for a pedi but never for my nails!!! I will now have to spend more money and go get my nails fixed tomorrow. I cant walk around with my nails looking like this! read more

I use to go to San Francisco to get mani/pedi, waxing and facials and paid a lot more for the same quality so I'm happy to have found this place. This review is more for Sophia (she's the one who usually ask for). She does great work! I've gotten mani/pedis, waxing and a facial with her and I've always been happy. You have to make an appointment if you want her (it seems like every regular wants her!). She takes her time and never rushes. She will even offer to go to put more change for you if you are parked at the meter. She also tries to get to know you as a person (not just a customer) and remembers things about you. This place is nothing like the one I use to go to, but for $25 for a mani and a pedi with the same results, I'll tolerate the ladies talking in Vietnamese! Their English is good enough to provide me great service! Like the other reviewers said, you have to have plenty of time and be flexible. I've always gotten great customer service (can't speak for other reviewers) and I've been going there for years. A suggestion for those who do not like to listen to the women talk: Bring Head Phones and listen to music! read more

I don't get my nails done so I can't comment on that aspect. I get waxed here. Sophia waxes everything, I mean Everything. She uses blue wax and if you are a cry baby, like me, she will numb you first. Sophia is really nice and professional and charges almost nothing compared to other places. I always call and get a same-day appointment, one Friday night, Sophia even squeezed me in at 7pm! I seriously recommend getting waxed here. read more

I returned home to remove the poor quality nail polish they used on my nails. The polish was cheap uneven and the application was amateur. The nipping tools were dull. The place was empty and the wait was over 30 minutes, with two people running the place; and I had an appointment. The feeling over-all was unprofessional. While I waited 10 minutes for the woman seated two feet away to ring up my bill, the walk-in customer who'd been sitting around for 15 mins up and left. really bad service. sloooooww and below mediocre. UGH! what a waste of time and money. read more

Kathy is great, I came in at 715 looking for a place to get a pedicure for my nieces first communion not only did she take me but she did a great work. Definitely will be coming back read more

I very rarely go to a salon to get my nails done. I have natural nails and I'm meticulous with how I do them. I prefer to do them myself, so that they are done clean and right. Nothing bugs me more than a uneven paint line near the cuticle and on the sides. It kills me when paint is allowed to glop onto the cuticle. You ladies know what I mean - it sucks under the cuticle in a messy way and as it grows out, it's all rough and ragged. All it takes is a steady hand and care to pay attention to detail. Its not hard. I thought a technician who does this 8 hours every day would have a good system to apply polish correctly. But unfortunately their technique was mediocre. So one day I thought, "Why not splurge?" I always wanted to try the gel manicure. So I got a gel manicure and regular pedicure from Lee's. The women were nice. The whole trip in the shop was very long, start to finish was 3 hours. Prep work was good, my fingers did not require much work, because I take care of those myself. My toes, different story. I came in with long nice natural oval shaped nails. Since I never go to a salon, I wasn't aware that there were different shapes. I assumed that since I had nicely shaped nails, they would just keep them that way. They didn't ask or say anything. Next I saw, the nail tech had shaved off the tips of all my nails, squaring them flat. I wish I had known she was going to do that. I would have declined. I do not like having hard corners on my nails. They catch on too many things. But, I decided it's okay, nails will grow back. I wanted a funky color. I wanted coral nails and teal green french tips. I do funky color combos like this all the time myself. On my own hands! But I was told that it was not possible to do this color combo. If I wanted french tips, I could only choose a clear or light pink base. That's not what I wanted, so instead I just got solid color of coral, with an accent green nail on my ring finger. I picked regular matching polish for my toes. So here was the major fail. The nail application was sloppy, gloppy and just not good. Both on my toes and on my nails. The fingernail tech was standing as she did my fingers, holding my hands in hers as she painted. She did not make straight lines and just pushed all the polish right up and under my cuticles. She should have sat down with a movable table for stability, so she could apply the polish steadily and precisely. Additionally, they only had one UV light, which was positioned on the arm rest on the left side. After the paint application on the left, the hand was put under the light. Then, instead of moving to the right side, I was forced to pull my right hand over my body and up so she could continue to work from the left. After the right was done, I had to stretch my right hand over to the left chair arm to go under the UV light. This contortion was uncomfortable and did not allow me to enjoy my calf massage. Frankly in all aspects, the finger nail tech was just lazy. The toes, from afar look okay, but when you actually look at them you see the toenail tech did not bring the paint to cover the nail fully. She skipped all the edges and again, glopped a bunch of polish all up and under the cuticle. At the end, when the nails were still wet, she needed me off the chair. She tried to carefully replace my flip-flops I wore. The big toe was nicked, removing the polish down to the nail. She did not repair or touch up with any paint. She just left it there, like "oh well, too bad for you." So anyhow I've decided that manicures are just not worth it. It did not save me any time to have it done by someone else. I did not get a feeling of "being pampered". The job was sub-par, my own manicures are far superior. The gel itself was nice, it's been 5 days now and it hasn't chipped. I'm thinking about buying my own polish and UV lamp for at home manicures. Now that it's been 5 days, my nails are growing and the paint that was up under my cuticle is now separating away. It's rough and the edge is ugly. Since it is hardened gel, i can not clean it up. I wanted this manicure to last a few weeks. It will, but I can tell it's already growing out fugly. I've also decided that pedicures are worth it. I just can't get the access to all the nooks and crannies these ladies can, when I'm up in the chair. I would splurge on a pedicure again, but just wouldn't go to Lee's. They just didn't do a good job painting. read more

Made an appointment at 10am for 1130, when I showed up after yoga, they had two people in the spa chair and only two workers-I'm assuming. I walked in, told them I'm here for my 1130, and the lady with the glasses told me "oh.... maybe another 30min." So I told her okay... I'll be back, which I never came back because why would I? If I made an appointment (I'm 7mons pregnant) I should be serviced. Too bad, lost a customer. read more

this place can freaking die. omg, i can't even begin. they totally fucked up my pedicure smearing three of my nails and painting totally off the nail. seriously, i do better myself. AND they blamed it all on me. "you didnt wait long enough to dry" fuck that shit!! damn, forget this place. the also gave my friend some really shitty acrylic nails that got air bubbles the same day And began to chip and crumble so bad she had to take them off he next day. cheap service, cheap product. stay AWAY. read more

1st experience trying this place, Tam the younger one did my pedicure I felt rushed and she was all over the place she massaged one foot and did a poor polish job. Her excuse was they were busy mind you there was one no one in the shop and the women who were still inside were getting excellent service. yeah I'm in my feeling because my pedicure is my time to relax not continue to correct the professional doing it! ********I stand corrected after all of that Vicki came in and saved the day!!!!!I appreciate it she saw my face and saw I wasn't happy she fixed my nails and I LOVED THEM. read more

No, no, no! Worst nail salon on the island ever. They constantly speak/yell in their own language (I think Vietnamese) which is so not relaxing. They had a coupon in the phone book which I brought in that said $5 off a pedicure and manicure. The pedi/mani was priced at $25...So I presented them with the coupon. They preceded to tell me that the $25 already had the $5 off even though it's listed at $25 everywhere?! Umm...I paid them and vowed to never go there again. Worst ever...Also they use those foot shaver things which aren't good for the skin. read more

Kathy is always helpful and provides great service! Too bad my gel nails don't last :-/

Okaaaay, so I was proven wrong...but only as regards (whom, I suppose is) the owner. I do not know her name, but I had the bad luck of having her do my pedicure and gel manicure this last time (last time being both the last time I was there, and also the last time I will visit there again). Despite paying for the upgraded pedicure with the mask, neither my daughter nor I received the upgraded pedicure. When I mentioned something about this, the owner (I will refer to her as "Lee") said that yes, of course, we received the mask (neither of us did). So, next, she painted outside of my toenails, on my skin, and it was terrible. I did not have my glasses on, but discovered this later. She took TWO AND A HALF HOURS cutting and cutting and cutting my cuticles (I have my nails regularly done every two weeks -- I do not have cuticle problems, until now, that is). She ruined my day with my daughter, who got very upset that my services were taking so long. Lee made all of my cuticles BLEED (which has never happened to me EVER), and glopped on the gel polish so that there were hills and valleys. I do not know what she put on as the top coat, but my nails were not shiny, as they are when the gel polish is dried, but I suspect that she was untruthful to me at the very beginning, when I asked for black shiny gel polish, and she said that they were out of it. Rummaging around, I believe she used regular polish and then tried to glop extra top coat gel onto my nails (they are HIDEOUS). I work 70+ hours a week, and have a very hectic schedule -- I have not had time to go anywhere to get them fixed, and I have been mortified this entire last week, so self-conscious of this nasty hack job. After cutting and cutting (it was so weird and awkward, because she kept SHOWING ME the hunks of skin that she was cutting away -- why??), she then "rinsed" my nails in alcohol, which burned badly, and was painful. This was enough of a bad experience for me to write her off -- either she does not know what she is doing, or she is just clueless. She is nice enough, do not get me wrong -- but that $120 every-other-week can be spent somewhere else, where I am actually receiving the professional services that I am paying for. My nails are so ugly and my cuticles still on the mend (some swollen and some skin still sticking up) that I will not post a photo -- yuck. read more

She insisted on putting on my flip flops on before nails were dry. Smudged three of them. No apology. Happy I squeezed in a pedicure into a busy day. In a couple days it will chip because of the shoddy work. read more

I like coming to them i been going to kathy since i was in HS (senior yr) and took some ppl in the shop also and she has always given me good discounts only cus i go to her all the time and bring in ppl. She does take the time to make sure to have the prefect nails she does a great job with Gel polish and thats what i always get. But when i walk in and she is busy and almost i do have to wait bout 5mins or she'll ask the person to go to someone else's station to dry their nails. But when i do make an appt and she tells me to come back at a certain time i get there the time my appt is and she not yet to be done so they have u sit there for bout 20-30 mins . When i get into the pedi chair its another wait and till then they come do ur feet. Its not really a relaxing moment that i hoped for ( i guess it depends on the lady) they are really quick to do a pedi sometime they dont give a lil 5-15 min massage. But if u really want the prefect gel polish kathy is the lady to go too. Every lady there is very nice they offer water coffee or tea and offer to go out and put money for the meter . But they are really bad on their appts . read more

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I like this place. I've been to a few others in town and keep returning to Lee's. Mostly I just love love love Sophie. Sophie does all the waxing, facials etc, and the woman is brilliant and inexpensive compared to high end salon prices. She has always taken such good care of me, and I feel like I'm greeted by a friend when I go in there. The gal's who do my nails do a good job. It's not a high end spa, but I feel for the price I pay they do a wonderful job. And there is very little chit chat among the ladies working there which I appreciate. Not that I'm insecure about them talking about me, but because in other salon's the workers seem so distracted and caught up in their conversations, I usually find that annoying. But not at Lee's, the ladies there are great. Haven't walked away disappointed once. Oh, and I don't drive but I always see one of the ladies running out to feed the meters for their other clients! If you just walk in you might have to wait, but their estimated wait time is usually pretty accurate. read more

This place sucks. Sad to say I've been here 3 times and had my nails done twice, both disappointing experiences. The older woman, who is very nice, cannot paint a nail to save her life. She uses the tiniest strokes with hardly any polish on the brush, wiping it like 5 times on the rim before she starts picking away. You can see brush strokes at the tips of my nails, there's polish on my skin, and the coats are uneven. Plus it takes forever because there's usually only two people working so everything has to be done one after another. This last time, Cathy stood there talking non-stop really loud while the two ladies were working on us. The saving grace here is the price, but I would pay more to go somewhere els. read more

Sophia at Lee's Nails is my go to person for waxing. I have never found anyone better. The wax she uses is amazing. Sometimes she misses spots (she loves to chat, which makes the experience less painful) but is happy to redo them the next day if you catch it. read more

I am hooked! I made an appt. & went to Lee's Nails for a mani/pedi & eyebrow wax. I had heard that they had a full staff and they worked quickly, so I didn't need to make an appt., but--when possible-- I prefer to know when I'm gonna be seen. Two ladies worked on me, Sonja and another lady whose name I have forgotten. The price was reasonable and both ladies did a great job. I was there for 2 hours and the time really flew by. Sonja did my nails and the other lady did my eyebrows. My manicure was nice and the nail polish lasted for a while-- my eyebrow wax was amazing. She really did a wonderful job arching my brows, but the pedicure (drum roll please) was excellent! Sonja scrubbed and soaked my feet so well. My skin felt very soft. Definitely a repeat customer! read more