At the suggestion of my sister (who has friends who go here for fake nails and love it), my friend and I stopped in the day before my wedding to get our real nails touched up. Prima is huge and has about 20 people working at the same time, so it seemed like chances are that you can walk-in most of the time. The hugeness also made the space seem a little bit empty and lacking character. Basically like you were getting your nails done in a warehouse (though it's clear they've tried to decorate in a way that avoids this comparison). The girls who did our nails were nice (particularly Sarah who did mine). I didn't think that either of our manicures, or my pedicure were worth the $40 each they cost. They were in no way better than the cheapie ones you can get in other nail salons. I think that if we had been getting fake nails, that it might have made more of a difference. read more

I'm sure this spa provides perfectly acceptable services, but my only experience with Prima was in the "customer service" category: I was given a gift certificate to use and decided to use it for my birthday. The gift certificate was for an hour massage, and went I went to Prima to schedule the appt., around noon on Christmas eve day. I asked if instead of getting a massage, I might use the gift card for other services, such as a pedicure. I was told that would be fine, since the cost of the spa pedicure would not exceed the amt of an hour-long massage. The woman behind the counter scheduled my pedicure for the day after Christmas. I left happy to be using my gift certificate, and looking forward to my spa pedicure on Dec. 26th. I went home to prepare for Christmas Eve with my family and other relatives visiting. Late in the afternoon on Christmas Eve day, I received phone call from a woman who identified herself as so-and-so from Prima Spa. She informed me that I could not use my gift card at all, and that the woman behind the counter should have never allowed me to make the appt that I did. She went on to explain the reasoning for this: because she had "fired" the employee whose name was on my gift certificate and that this employee would have needed to be "the one" to render my services. She also went on and on to describe some scenario in which the person from whom I was presented with the gift certificate had obtained the gift certificate for me by way of "bartering" services, etc etc. I am sure that all of this was some kind of understandable business mess on their end... but on MY end, I was just a potential customer, who had been given a GIFT to use and was now being told I was not welcome to use my gift certificate because of some kind of "snafu" with their employees and some kind of unorthodox business/bartering practices with the woman who had given me my gift certificate! My head was reeling from too much information! To add insult to injury the lady on the phone was rude, interrupted me when I tried to speak, and when I was finally able to inquire as to why another technician couldn't do my pedicure, she HUNG UP on me! Seriously! All this on Christmas Eve, and now, NO gift certificate for me to use for my birthday! I will add that she called to apologize that day after Christmas ( a msg left on my phone), and even tried to coax me back in, but by then I was completely disgusted. This was so amateur... par for the course, for a town like Redding. If she had just acquiesced, and graciously allowed the redemption of my gift certificate, despite whatever "loss" she may have incurred, I might very well have had a happy birthday, a great pedicure, and she might have a loyal returning customer. Instead I am steering clear of this poorly run business. read more

Well, as a spa owner myself I will first ask who calls on Christmas Eve to book an appt. for the same day. Not only one of the busiest days for a spa or salon, stylists, nail techs and therapists in our industry have families as well. Looking into your complaint, I found you had called over and over until the only 19 year old stylist (not receptionist) finally answered your call thinking it must be an emergency due to the repetitive calls made to the shop. She said she simply stated she did not think it would be a problem since you had a gift card in your possession. She only learned later you did not disclose it was not a gift card but a free certificate to a specific therapist. Also to be clear they stated no actual money was exchanged as this was a gift from the photographer at the time to thank you for being a teacher. (I don't know about you but most teachers are lucky to get a trinket from the dollar store or a handmade card from students). Most people know that cosmos and therapists are self employed so a deal made with one operator would not be valid with another (as stated on certificates and on Prima's front counter). I was also told you were apologized to several times. As stated I have been in this industry for 20 years and personally knew the owner who tried several times to explain this elementary system to you with no conclusion. It is mortifying to think you would hang up on them, call them names, use profanity to describe these hard working young ladies and men in a teachers lounge at your school.You literally refused to wait until the operator listed was back from Disney Land to personally assist you! You wouldn't even accept an apology in the spirit of Christmas! I read the letter you mailed to them. I could not believe came from the mouth of a teacher forming our children's minds. It was rude, full of hurt and didn't strike me as somebody worthy of a $75.00 gift from a photographer who had to trade her time and efforts to thank her child's teacher just for doing the job she is already compensated to do. I wish you luck and hope that you may learn a bit more about the service industry in knowing it can be difficult They do the best they can to please customers such as yourself! Thank goodness I was not the one you had this altercation with! PS We should all try to keep local shops in business, even if "you" have a job that is not affected by the economy!.....(No jobs, no families, no children in our districts, no teachers!) THINK ABOUT IT! read more