QQ Nails & Spa — Attraction in Baltimore

I have been religiously patronizing QQ for years now, as I live in the neighborhood and the convenience couldn't be beat. I'd previously been going to a place in the county that offered a higher end ambience but was more expensive and also became a pain to drive to when juggling other priorities. Although QQ is a tad rough around the edges I'd generally been fine with their work. However, 2 recent poor experiences have really put me off to the point where I no longer want to go there.

First, in April I went in for a dip mani and pedi. I was 8 months pregnant at the time. They have always had an awful selection of dip colors (one sad looking binder) but I had a couple of go-tos. The pedicure was terrible - the guy doing it was new to me at the time of service and it seemed like he had no idea what he was doing. The pedi was maybe an hour even with me refusing the massage because I was so frustrated by the service dragging on. Mind you, it was long because of his aptitude, not because it was particularly thorough or relaxing. When I finally got to the mani, one of my favorites, Judy, took over. At some point there was a very strong cigarette smell coming into the salon from the back. I suspect it was the owner. I am not exaggerating when I say it felt like someone was inside the salon smoking. It was repulsive, and of course I was sensitive being so pregnant.

I returned to the salon in the county twice after that service, fed up with the poor dip selection and aggravated by the salon's ambience. However, I did go to QQ again recently as it was shortly after having my baby and I was not allowed to drive. I requested Judy who is a favorite of mine and in other reviews and I have to say, I was even more disappointed than the April visit. I felt like the service was overly rushed (less than an hour for a dip mani and regular pedi) and as a result, corners were cut. She did not clean behind the nails despite there being visible gunk. She did not even help by bringing my shoes to the front, and I had to go back to the pedi station after my service and retrieve them. She did not hand them to me after I asked: "are these mine?" (hint hint). I was made to bend down to the floor and pick them up myself even though I had recently had a c-section and bending down the floor is one of the most discouraged things you can do. My postpartum hormones brought me to the verge of tears. It's not like she would know what my condition was without me telling her, but helping the client with their belongings should be a given for salon customer service. When I got change to give her a cash tip, the 20% I was planning on giving despite the middling experience was dictated to me in a presumptive way. Everything severely rubbed me the wrong way.

A nail chipped just a couple days later when I hit it hard against a counter, and while they fixed it at no charge, you'd think a dip manicure would have withstood the impact. Within a week, more nails started chipping. Typically dip manis last 3 weeks but I made it only 10 days and 3 nails are chipped. Even more annoying than the poor aesthetics is the exposure of the rough nail plate which feels like it is constantly snagging and scratching at every diaper and clothing change. I attribute this to either rushed work, poor quality products, or a combination of the two.

TL;DR - they need to treat their customers with more care and improve the thoroughness of their services while still performing them in a time...

If you’re not white you won’t be treated right here !!!!

I truly would give them a zero star If I could, The service is horrible, the professionalism is horrible, I recently went to QQ nails to get my normal pedicure And fill in overlay …. Prior to me coming in I had called twice to make sure that Coco was there twice an Owner answered the phone And told me that she was there never once stated that she was on vacation . I came in to receive my service just to find out that she was not there, but being that I already came I ended up just sticking with it and getting my pedicure and manicure . They had someone that didn’t even know how to file nails working on my Feet , The owner had to come over several times to explain to him how to do something. Afterwards, I went to get my nails done. One of the owners started on my nails And then the other owner proceeded to do the filing and polish My problem started when I stated Hey, I gave you guys a call why didn’t no one say that Coco isn’t here I would’ve just rescheduled The owner begin to get upset because I was stating what she told me on the phone That Coco was there. She then gets upset and tells me that I can pay for my pedicure, but that she will not be doing my nails . Leaving me with just acrylic no shaping no polish. Nothing mind you. I’ve been inside of the shop since 430. It’s now going on 7 o’clock. Everyone person that was white came after me got there services before me and was in & out , I was treated very disrespectfully because I’m a black female . The owners are completely unprofessional and disrespectful , I WILL NEVER NEVER GO BACK TO THIS NAIL SALON AGAIN !

And the worst part about it is the owners are messing up clients for their own workers because now coco just...

⚠️ Beware of Forced Tips & Unauthorized Charges! ⚠️

After my service, the staff tried to force me to tip $10 per technician (totaling $20). When I declined and said I could only tip one person, the employee scoffed as if I was wrong when I already spent well over $100 per usual…

To make matters worse, they did not allow me to manually enter my tip or sign the receipt—which is highly suspicious. When I questioned why the customer can’t decide on giving a tip and why it feels so forced, I was dismissed. This feels like a scam, and I want others to be aware.

A tip is supposed to be optional, not mandatory. No business should be forcing or guilt tripping customers into tipping especially when you’ve spent so much already! If you visit this salon, double-check your total before paying and demand an itemized receipt or ask for them to tell you how much each service is beforehand.

I will be reporting this business for their unethical practices. If this has happened to anyone else, I encourage you to file a complaint with the Maryland Attorney General.

The skinny guy in the front is also very rude and dismissive. He completely messed up my nails and kept throwing his hand up at me to shut me up when I was speaking low and asking him if they could be fixed. When I walked in he said you come with no appt. I didn’t know that I needed to make one.

Getting your nails done is supposed to be a relaxing enjoyable experience. Shouldn’t feel rushed, forced and uncomfortable. You also shouldn’t have to second guess whether to come if you don’t have enough to tip…

Would not recommend for that reason only oh and the guy being extremely rude...