I've been going to seen Tina and Donna for over 10 years. They are top notch! When Tina couldn't find a color I wanted, she created one special for me and she remembers the formula every time I come in. My nails and cuticles always look great and They never try to pressure me into services I don't ask for. My gel nails last for weeks and never peel or chip. I moved a bit further away but I still go to Lily's! read more

I love getting acrylics here. They're nice and do a great job. Sometimes takes a while because they are perfectionists, not a bad thing! read more

Lily's Nails - Nail Salons Near Me - Santa Monica, California

These folks are true professionals. They go beyond the basic minimum and their services are highly skilled. They stock an extensive choice of colors, both gel and not. The salon displays a high level of cleanliness. They are kind and gracious. I've seen Donna in this location as long as it's been open; and before that 4 years in another location. OK... I'm old but experience has left me very wise. read more

Went for a mani/pedi last week. Very thorough job. It was the best mani/pedi I've had in a long time.

It's an inexpensive place to get a quick mani/pedi- that's about it. They aren't the best but if you need a quick fix for $28 they fit the bill. I don't like that they are in a hurry- usually have two people on you at once. One person doing your nails while other is doing your feet. They aren't the most gentle either. read more

My first Yelp review: DON'T GO TO Lily's Nails in Santa Monica- it was a terrible experience for me and they are neither professional nor trustworthy. Made me bleed because they were not paying attention and scammed me into a way overpriced Gel manicure I did not want!! Refused to reduce price even though they knew they were wrong. Horrible experience- only hope I can save another! My regrettable experience at Lily's Nails was on Saturday August 10, 2013. When visiting my friend in Santa Monica she offered me a manicure and she was getting a pedicure. I don't often get them at salons, so this was a treat for me. Lily's was her second choice but closer and we were pressed for time, since we had a party to go to. While I was getting my manicure, my technician ( Gina) was pleasant enough, but less interested in speaking with me than her co-worker and during her chatting clipped my left thumb cuticle enough to make it bleed and hurt. I yelled, "Ouch!" to which I got little response except the 2 ladies both looked at me, smiling. Gina temporarily attached the clipped cuticle to the tiny wound to stop the bleeding and the 2 continued to engage in their conversation throughout the manicure ( despite her broken English, I did try to engage Gina in conversation with me- since I sincerely like meeting new people from foreign places, but despite her 20 years in the US, her English was compromised and she preferred to speak Vietnamese with her colleagues). Halfway through the manicure I heard my friend say, "Oh no, I don't want Gel..." Then I asked, "Is that what I'm getting?? I didn't ask for Gel" Gina replied, " It's good, it last longer..." So, I got Gel. Not anytime was I asked if I wanted Gel, nor told the ridiculous price until the end when they charged us a whopping $38 for a Gel manicure I never wanted (regular manicure costs $18 there). They were willing to REMOVE the Gel manicure and redo- but because we had no available time, this was not an option. They refused to reduce the cost, despite their error, or scam. We were told there was no manager to talk to. I was irrate and we argued a bit about it until my friend said, "We'll be submitting this to Yelp" read more

Poor customer service, overpriced, and they close before their listed closing time which is unfair and false advertisement. I give them 2 stars because the place is clean and well organized, they just need a better staff. read more

I had Donna and she was extremely meticulous with my Gel Manicure. It's a little more expensive than i like, but she did a very great job. She also did a long massage at the end. I would come back! read more

Reasonable prices and good service. My technician was very gentle with my nails and checked frequently to make sure I liked the color and design. It's conveniently located so, I'll definitely be back whenever I need a good mani. read more

Lily's Nails - Summer wedding nails! - Nail Salons Near Me - Santa Monica, California

I would not recommend either to my friends, colleagues or anyone I know. I did both pedicure and manicure. Pedicure was ok. Manicure was a disaster. After that my cuticles looked bad, and so did my nails... I had to point out several times during the manicure all the mistakes that had been done. Top of that the person who did my nails had so dirty, unfinished nails and hands, that made the whole experience feel not worth it. read more

Fabulous gel manicure, lasts for 3 weeks! Tip: Make an appointment, because it's not overly staffed and they can be busy

If you want the best gel manicure around, you have to go to Donna and Tina. They are so thorough, and they are experts at choosing colors that match what you're looking for and your skin tone. They are just the best. So nice, they always remember their repeat customers, and the location is convenient, the salon is clean and the environment is welcoming. read more

Was a costumer for a while and sent a couple of friends there. Honestly, only two manicurists are good: Tina and Tracy. I always made appointments and it was fine. Until the day I called Tina to ask her to postpone my appointment - For my surprise, she started screaming on the phone, saying "I will not admit that you change times bla bla bla". I mean, SERIOUS? Are you seriously screaming at your client??? Of course, I said good bye, will never use their services again and told all my friends. For the same price, I found much better salons in Santa Monica with more consistent service: Better seats, cleaner environment and more nail polish colours. Therefore, I am in the end happy that it happened. :) Atmosphere is definitely not a plus at Lily's nails. Many of the girls are unpolite, the place is old and does not look clean. read more

i heart the girls who work here!!! as long as i call in 15 min b4 i arrive, i never have to wait! the service is great, it's always CLEAN AND they have great nail polish colors to choose from! even though parking is on the street, i haven't had a hard time finding close parking. besides, everyone walks in SM! read more

I've been going here for about 15 years, my fault I know, and the rudeness has just gotten worse over the years. This week was the final straw. I walked in Saturday to make an appointment for Sunday (it could have been any time, their choice) I got there and was told they "forgot" they had another appointment. Unhappy but said I would wait and soak, Tina says NO, come back in 1 1/2 hour. Wow, ok so I leave and waste 1 1/2 hour only to return and they have another customer in my time slot, they don't have time for me that day. They will call me, mind you I've been going here every 2-3 weeks for 15 years. I've spent thousands of dollars here, brought my daughters here etc. enough already. Plus last gel manicure didn't last 24 hours without chipping. The prices are steep compared to other places I have checked out. So happy there are more than enough nail salons to choose from in the area. read more

I have been looking for a nail salon that I can call my own since I moved to LA in February. I thought I had found it 1 or 2 other times, but this is it. First of all, they have amazing prices...$8 manicures every day. Second, all of the women that work there are super friendly and most importantly, GOOD. I have been to too many places where they paint my cuticles, cut my cuticles and otherwise do not listen to what I want. These women are fast, friendly and skilled at what they do. What more can you ask for...oh, long lasting manicures you say? Well...to top it all off, my manicures last for over a week at time. No chipping, pealing or any other annoying manicure mishaps. I can stretch my manicures for close to 2 weeks and my pedicures long beyond 2 weeks...but in my ideal world, I'd be on a strict once a week schedule... Tina is my favorite. read more

Free coffee, good service! The girl did a really great Gel Nail polish on my toes that lasts up to 4 weeks, my feet look great! 4/5 though due to fact that it is a little pricey. read more

Nightmare. Completely rude. More importantly,they do not open sterilized equipment in front of you and Have no idea if and how they sterilize. read more

Lena was INCREDIBLE. I have been getting acrylic gel put over my natural nails forever, because I chew them to pieces and they look horrible without it. I always ask the technician to file them round and to make them as thin as possible because I'm not going for a 'fake nail' look... I just can't stand to look at my nubby fingers, so I have the gel put on and then whatever polish on top of that, like you would do a regular manicure. Lena spent so much time tailoring them to my specific requests and did an even better job than I was asking her to do. She was gentle, accommodating, and meticulous. It took about 20 minutes longer than it regularly does at other salons, but my nails look so beautiful and natural. For those of you who are trying out the shelacks nail polish or however you spell it, this is an equally great option because while both ruin your nails (there's not denying it..), the acrylic gel holds the nail polish forever... not just 2 weeks. Anyways, this place was awesome... quaint and hospitable. I was helped right away and it was more than I expected. Thanks Lena and Lily's Nails! read more

This place was great! I had Tina and she rocked! Everyone was so attentive as soon as I walked in. I called before to make an appointment but they seem to take walk-ins pretty quick. The really nice thing was that for once a nail place didn't feel like a crazy house where they herd ya in and out quickly like cattle. They really take their time and do a great job! Usually you can park right across the street at grocery store, so I haven't had a problem with parking. I think this place is TOP NOTCH! :) read more

I only go to Lily's nails! They have such a large selection of the best nail polish colors. Donna is my absolute favorite!

Horrible customer service. They told me the price would be one thing and then changed it at the end. Rude people and they never stick to the times when you make an appointment. I try to support local businesses but this was the final straw. read more

I stumbled in quite by chance a year ago while my mom was at a spa nearby for her birthday facial. I got a relaxing pedicure then. Just yesterday I went in again with my husband for pedicures. They were great with his feet and mine too. Some places don't put 100% into mens' feet, but the woman who did his paid attention to his ingrown nail and did a great job. The woman who did my feet took great care, cleaning up the stray marks with a paintbrush. I thought all the ladies were so sweet and will be back. read more

Sorry, this was the WORST french manicure I've ever gotten. Was excited to find a new Santa Monica spot after reading these reviews & finally decided on Lily's to try out. Big mistake. Or at least don't ask for a french manicure; maybe the regular mani's are better. read more

Nice, clean, well priced, but not good for acrylic nails. They just didn't do the best job possible with the acryllic or gel.

Worst place ever. My cat could do a better job. I left cut and bleeding and raw, and was charged over $60 for one acrylic to be fixed with my pedicure. After I started bleeding the girl continued to go over the area with the dremel tool, even after I asked her to just stop. DO NOT GO HERE read more

I'm updating my review. I've been going to Lily's since 2009. I'm always very happy with my mani/pedi and they have great customer service. The several times I've had to go elsewhere (because I was in a different neighborhood and desperate) I've always regretted not holding out to go to Lily's. read more

Whatever you do DON"T go here. When I went here they were rude and messed up my pedicure. Then before I was leaving I messed the polish up and the girl doing my pedficure huffed and got very annoyed when I asked her to fix it. Please save yourself the pain and money and go to another salon. You can tell the quality is bad by the low prices and fellow yelpers reviews. read more

The experience with this place is not really good so far. It went there to refill my gel nails and it took them 1,5 hour, moreover she had to take two of my nails down and it hurt so bad, I told her it hurts and she ignored me. I paid $52 and after 3 days one my nail broke. I am not going there anymore. read more

Tina and Tracy did a great job with the gel mani pedi. They really took their time -- more than most places I've been. I am very happy and love the Sunday hours! I will definitely be back. read more

Do not go to this place! I decided to try it out for a mani and pedi a couple of days ago. The woman doing the pedi BUTCHERED my cuticles on my toes, and I ended up with an infection. I then told her not to cut the cuticles on my nails. She kept messing up the paint on my nails, and said it was because she hadn't cut my cuticles. Riggght. There are plenty of good nail places in santa monica, don't go to this one! read more

Awful job. I have gone in there before to get my eyebrows waxed and it was fine. I have never had a problem with my skin and waxing before. I went in today and they over charged and pulled off half my face. The lady the had do it looked very nervous and now I understand why. She didn't know what she was doing. I'm in a lot of pain and I'm going back to get my money back. I will try to upload a picture. Do not go there to get waxed. They don't know what they are doing. read more

This was my go to nail salon for the past year since I lived a block away. The staff is friendly and always willing to take you without an appointment. I got a gel manicure and pedicure every three weeks here so I got pretty familiar with this place. There is a great selection of colors both in regular polish and gel. They spend a lot of time with each person and do a pretty good job. My gel manicure usually lasts about 3 weeks which seems better than many of the other salons I have visited. Only downside of the salon, they take a while which is both good and bad, no getting in and out quickly, and sometimes the gel seems a bit out of the lines. All in all, great salon. read more

DONNA is the BEST! I've tried the Main event, I've tried places in the Marina since I moved from Santa Monica, and I can tell you Donna is the best, she's a perfectionist. my nails look awesome ev erytime and LAST...try the gel polish too read more

Super sweet staff and solid nail polish technique that lasts a long time, but did not care for my nail shape or cuticle cutting (ouch!). Convenient location and easy in-out without an appointment, but probably won't rush back. read more

Very friendly and sweet. I always love my pedicures there and the price is right. Go at off times if you want to walk-in. I'm made the mistake of thinking I was going to get in withing the hour on a Friday afternoon. read more

The salon has a convenient location, so I gave it a try for a pedicure. But I was unhappy with the aggressive trimming and cuticle cutting that left my big toe throbbing for several days. The polish also started to chip off only after a few days when I normally have polish last for weeks. read more

Five stars for the manager Jennifer. She contacted me straight away to understand what happened and apologized for what had occurred. I loved that and wish that more people cared as she does about their business. read more

I always enjoy my time there. Everything appears to be sanitized and clean. Everyone is really nice and they remember who you are when you come back in. They care about details and listen to your input. read more

I've been going here for about a year and prefer it to the other options in the neighborhood or on Main Street. Gel manicures are great, by the way, and really do last as much as 3 weeks. Parking is sometimes a pain, so I tend to ride my bike. Tip: Don't make an appt. Just do walk-in. I see so many women come in saying they have an appt, then still waiting as long as if they'd just walked in without one. read more