I know this place has the reputation of being the worst nail salon in town, but I had a couple of good experiences there when LV Nails was too busy to get me in. But after this past week I'll never go back.
I always get gel nails, and they usually last 7-8 weeks, before the gel starts lifting and chipping. I went in last Saturday to get my gel redone. I was told to pick out a color and I sat down, found my color, and started reading. I notice people leaving but I hadn't been called yet. After almost an hour of sitting there I notice it's quiet and look up from what I'm reading. There's no customers left and all of the workers are sitting in chairs playing on their phones.
I should have walked out then. I wish I had. I spoke up and said I was still waiting. They look surprised and I'm rushed to a chair to begin the soak off. (They knew I had gel when I walked in, and I should have been set down to start soaking then). To hurry me out the woman kept buffing my nails while I was soaking, over and over and over... Then she scraped them with a cuticle remover. I watched her use a cuticle trimmer to clip off the remaining gel as well as rough layers of my shredded nail.
Then she did my nails. They were pretty, but my nails ached from all the buffing and scraping. The next morning I noticed they hurt when I scratched my head, or if I touched anything. Monday my left thumb nail bent and broke into the quick and my left pinkie nail completely bent, but didn't break, just cracked the gel. Tuesday my right middle nail bent back when I picked up a sweater, cracking the gel. Wednesday my right pointer nail broke opening my toothpaste.
Thursday I decided I needed to go back, to get them strengthened, before all of my nails broke off completely. I couldn't even use my hands, and everything I touched hurt.
I went in and explained what happened, that I got a gel manicure 5 days prior and half of my nails are chipped, and all of them are bending. I asked to have something applied over the top, to make them stronger. The lady tells me I "need to have them dipped" and tells me to sit down at a table. A man walks up and asks me what we're doing, I told him I didn't exactly know, to ask the lady who told me to sit there. They talk and she then tells me to sit somewhere else.
They immediately set down a bowl for me to start soaking. I've never had my nails dipped before, so I didn't know the process. I asked the lady working on the woman sitting beside me if I'm supposed to put my hands in the bowl, I just want these fixed. She ignored me. I ask someone else who walks by me, telling her I don't want to remove my manicure, but she also ignores me.
Then someone comes and sits down and starts buffing my nails. I realize they're removing my $50 gel from 5 days ago. My nails are shredded and as thin as paper. They hurt. The buffing and filing hurt. My natural nails are completely destroyed.
I receive a dip manicure. The lady who did my manicure, Stephanie, was nice. She tried to be gentle since my nails were so damaged. While she was working on them the woman who first ignored me starting asking about my Expedition parked out front, commenting about how big it was and asking how much it cost. At checkout Stephanie reminded the manager that I came in to have my previous manicure fixed, but the manager insisted that I still pay full price for the dip manicure.
I never wanted my manicure taken off and a new one put on, I just wanted my nails to stop bending. No one talked to me about what I wanted or needed or if it was possible or why... No discount offered for doing such a terrible job originally that it needed to be fixed less than a week later. If I knew I needed it taken off and something new entirely I would not have gone back to the same place that ruined my nails, especially after they ignored me for almost an hour that time.
I'm furious that my natural nails were destroyed. I have to keep getting this dip applied...which looks like acrylic...just to protect them for the next 6 months, at least, until they've completely grown out. And the acrylic look isn't my style. I trusted them to know what they were doing. And they didn't even try to make it right after butchering my nails. I would have accepted half off for the dip I never wanted, and never should have needed in the first place. That extra $25, in addition to the damage, cost them a regular customer. They're rude and greedy. And my nails STILL hurt. read more