Les Mains Nail Bar @ The Works — Attraction in Atlanta

I have been a loyal customer of Les Mains - The Works from it’s opening. I get my nails/toes done every two weeks so I have developed a friend-like relationship with the salon’s management and ownership. Generally, my experience is decent (not great) but consistent. Because of this (and the salon’s close proximity to my work), I have overlooked and/or excused the occasions (many) where the work quality and/or service was subpar.

For example, numerous times I have showed on time for my appointment only to have to wait 10-15 minutes (customers are only afforded a 5 min grace period for arriving late); technicians that routinely check their phone during the massage portion of the pedicure; steep price increases without notice; nails cut shorter than asked; nails not properly filed; gel painted thicker than customary; gel not painted sufficiently close to the perimeter; etc.

Last week, I went in for a mani/pedi. I had two back to back trips planned (I was leaving the next day). When my nails were finished, I immediately noticed the poor quality. I kindly asked to speak to Linda, the owner, to show her the areas that were poorly painted. My primary frustration was knowing that the nails would not last and I only had two days at home in between my travels. Linda acknowledged that the nails were done poorly. She did not offer a discount nor did I ask for one. I never do.

Before I left I decided to schedule an appointment for when I would be home between my trips. As I would only be home for two days, those days were already jampacked. I made my appointment for 4 PM on Sunday and made a note of it in my phone. I was almost positive my nails wouldn’t last more than a week. I was right. Halfway through my first vacation, my nails were already starting to peel.

I got home on Saturday. I was heading back out of town on Monday. Saturday, I called the salon to ask if there was anyway I could move my Sunday appointment to that day. They told me they had no availability. I asked if they could do earlier in the day on Sunday. They told me they had nothing open and I would have to keep my 4 PM timeslot. I told them that was fine. They confirmed I was scheduled for Sunday at 4 PM.

Come Sunday, I called the salon to ask if they could add a callus remover to my scheduled appointment. During the call, I find out there has been a mixup and the salon has me scheduled for 3 PM rather than 4 PM. I let the receptionist know I won’t be able to make the 3PM work; I have a prior appointment and will not be able to get to the salon until 4 PM (as I had originally scheduled and the salon confirmed just the day before). The receptionist was obviously frustrated and told me I had never been scheduled for 4 PM and the error with timing was mine. She told me there was no way they could accommodate me at 4 PM.

To make this already long story/review short, Linda refused to speak with me on the phone. She communicated through the receptionist, that she did not have the time of day to try and accommodate me. It would have taken her 30 seconds to get on the phone, apologize for the mishap, and let me know that she would try to make something work. I didn’t need a guarantee, I just wanted her to be aware and to look out for me if she could. She could’ve offered to call me if there was a cancellation. She could’ve offered for me to come in at 4PM and that she would try to get me in as soon as possible while noting I may have to wait. She could have said something, anything. Rather, she decided to completely ignore/reject/dismiss a long-standing customer who has spent thousands of dollars at her salon. She couldn’t speak to me for 1 minute.

Above all else, I am saddened by the blatant disrespect and disregard. Even when I asked to speak with someone else on their management team, I was told no one was available or would have time at any point during the day to talk to me. I was told I could potentially receive a call back the next day.

I recommend you think twice before making this your home salon; they’ll probably...

Compliance is what they will always require and expect of you, in a whisper quiet environment. This is cultural, this why they cannot retain a customer that has been consistent that is always on time and has been there at least 5 times and have paid at least $1,000 for fill ins and basic pedicures, after they have expressed dissatisfaction, an I’m sorry about that is all they can offer.

I’m older and I have money, I have a quiet mild friendly demeanor. I’m the customer that drives an hour to patronize you, I’m the customer that will tell everyone about you. I’m your lifelong customer. I’m your dream customer.

This is what happened to me today August 8, 2024

My day started out wonderful, I was excited to get my nails done for an upcoming tea party I’m going to on Sunday. I arrive on time I sit into pedi chair as always because I always get my nails done while I’m getting a pedicure. I’m not sure if Zoe has mental issues or not but that was my conclusion after being mistreated by this person for over an hour. While she’s doing my nails both hands, at all times, had to be in an upright military style position with my fingers spread within a certain distance of each other, even the hand that she wasn’t working on had to stay where she placed it, if I moved it at all she would stop and press her finger on the top of my hand so that it (my hand) stayed in whatever position she put it in, sort of like you would do a mannequin hand that you practiced doing nails on. No matter how she contorted my hands it still wasn’t right, at some point both of my hands would be in mid air and I would ask her what she wanted me to do with them, at times I don’t think she even knew. The pedicurist is having me take my feet in and out of the water so the pillow on my lap is being moved around so it can no longer support my elbow so my shoulder has to hold the weight of my arm with all the movement going on. If the hand she wasn’t working on moved out of where she placed it she would stop working for a second as if to let me know I wasn’t in compliance. Again both of my hands had to be in compliance at all times as I look over at the seemingly nice woman next to me getting her nails/pedi done and blissfully reading her kindle. Wow. At some point the pillow was in such disarray and the back of my right shoulder began to become strained and weakened because I couldn’t support my hand in mid-air military style any longer so I stopped and said hey I can’t hold my arm like that because I don’t have any support under my elbow is it ok if I hold my hand like this ( this is me finally speaking up), that’s when the aggressor turns into the victim, because how dare I not take her abuse quietly as she has been taught to do. So she starts acting like she’s about to grab her things and go then starts asking me if it was ok I said well I’m asking you since my hands have to be in these positions. She gets up and goes somewhere then I see her talking to the female owner (who later acts as if she’s unaware of what’s going on when I speak to her) . Anyway Zoe returns I let her know that I no longer want a design. She finishes I walk up to the front to let the female owner know of my horrifying experience and, I even demonstrated to her how Zoe had both of my hands in these extreme military poses the entire time, the only thing the female owner offered me was a simple sorry about your experience. I don’t need money off/back, I have plenty of it and ready to give it to the next non complete compliance nail salon or...

I’ve been a loyal customer of Les Mains Nail Bar at The Works since January 2022. I regularly booked pedicures with Lewis and, for the last year or so, SNS manicures with Jenny. I always tipped at least 20%, arrived on time (if not early) for my bi-weekly 9:30 AM appointments, and was consistently kind and respectful to everyone.

When I do get serviced, I’m quiet and low-maintenance—I put my headphones in and only speak to the techs to say thank you or compliment their work. I don’t communicate directly with them about appointments. That’s always handled through the front desk.

This past Saturday, I had just gotten back from a vacation and called at 10:02 AM to book a manicure with Jenny. I was offered a 1:00 PM slot, which I accepted—even though I know they typically don’t book on the hour. They called me back at 11:59 AM and moved it to 1:30 PM, which I also accepted. I arrived at 1:34 PM but had trouble finding parking. As a pregnant woman, I need extra time to safely park and walk to the door.

At 1:39 PM—just as I was walking in—I received a call from a front desk staffer I’d never seen before. She said Jenny canceled my appointment because she didn’t want to delay her schedule. I explained that I was flexible in shifting my time from 1:00 PM to 1:30 PM and was in the parking lot within the grace period but had trouble finding parking. I was met with condescension. Another woman at the front said, “We don’t schedule appointments on the hour. I don’t know if that’s something you and Jenny arranged.” Again—I don’t speak to techs directly about scheduling. That’s handled by the front.

When the owner offered to place me with another tech, I politely declined and decided to leave and simply reschedule for another day.

On Monday at 5:59 PM, I called back to rebook with Jenny. At 7:36 (6 minutes after they closed), I received a voicemail telling me Jenny no longer wanted to service me due to “ongoing issues,” and that Lewis—someone I’ve always been warm and generous with—had also given negative feedback. These claims are completely false. I don’t interact with the techs beyond greeting them by name, thanking them, and tipping well. There have never been any “issues.” These are outright lies about me, and I’m convinced they may have mistaken me for someone else.

I’ve referred friends here, been nothing but pleasant, and supported this business for over 3 years. To be treated this way, especially while pregnant, is deeply disappointing. They not only lost a loyal client—they disrespected her...