1 /5 NW: This salon was a recommendation so I was looking forward to going but it fell hugely short.
Customer service is non-existent. No smiles. No welcome when you arrive, just straight to it as fast as possible. No niceties whatsoever during the manicure. No interest in helping pick a colour if youāre not sure. My flagging that I have sensitive nails was ignored and the girl proceeded to use the electric file both to remove the top layer of previous gel (no problem there) but also after application of the gel remover, essentially going down to my natural nail, and then looked taken aback when I flinched because it hurt.
There is no soaking before they cut away your dry cuticles (apparently they do a āRussian manicureā). No use of a cuticle pusher to remove dead skin / residue from the nail and around the nail bed, they just paint over it. No hand moisturiser at the end. And no pleasantries when paying.
However, what is worse is that when I got on the tube a few minutes later and looked at my nails, I immediately saw that both thumbs and another finger all had a really noticeable gap between the top of the polish and the cuticle. I messaged the salon straight away and shared photos but was initially ignored until I followed up again, after which there was zero apology for the quite evidently poor finish, simply a statement that they would rectify those three nails.
In the interim few days before I could get back to the salon (due to work travel that I explained when I contacted them), another nail flaked and chipped half off as it clearly hadnāt been sealed over the end. When I raised this also, they replied (again with no apology or acknowledgement that it shouldnāt have happened) that here was nothing they could do in line with their 72-hour policy and āwe feel it may be better for you to continue your future services with another salon that can better meet your expectationsāā¦ I mean, Iām confused - it is a dedicated nail salon and I paid Ā£40 for a simple single colour gel manicure!
After highlighting they had already agreed to correct the other three nails, they did finally agree to rectify the now four, and did finally offer an apology, but they also tried to tell me that the reason for the poor shaping and finish was because the technician ātried to paint around your cuticles in a way that would create a more rounded and aesthetically pleasing line. This was because your two thumb nails are not naturally round, but slightly unevenā. This makes no sense as what she did was create the total opposite, a flat line across the tops of my thumb nails, giving a square look that doesnāt at all match the shape of my cuticle and therefore left a noticeable gap at the top. Over years of having gel manicures, I have never had this happen and have always been very happy with the fully rounded shape achieved across all my nails.
When I subsequently returned to the salon, there was again no welcome, no apology, no conversation at all, and I was extremely disappointed that one of the re-done thumb nails once again had a bigger gap and a more square shape at the top than all my other nails. I mentioned this immediately as the technician showed me the nail, but he literally just looked at me and carried on to the next nailā¦ I couldnāt be bothered to argue as honestly I just wanted to be out of there.
If the salon was cheap, some of the above perhaps wouldnāt matter so much but at Ā£40, I expect not only a good finish but to at least feel like my custom is valued. Itās a shame but after two visits with much the same experience, I will indeed be going to another salon that can better match my (completely reasonable) expectations!
Following salonās response: the nail I have issue with is the ārectifiedā thumb nail in the photos. Other nails are shown only to demonstrate the thumb nail STILL looks more grown out than the others, and is STILL the wrong shape, AFTER having been ācorrectedā. I wasnāt satisfied after the initial appointment for all the reasons outlined and I flagged the poor finish as soon as I saw it five minutes later!
