Apollo Nails & Spa — Attraction in Seattle

i’ve been coming to this salon for 2 years and have been happy with the service after switching from Polished Boutique. i even recommended to my 2 best friends and would bring them with me. the last time i got a gel manicure i asked my nail tech to remove with an e file rather than acetone. the tech ignored me 3 times after i kindly and patiently explained the request. i could completely understand this may not be common but she was clearly not not thrilled and asked for help. this was the first time i’ve ever made the request and wanted to see if it made a difference (it absolutely did. my nails don’t bend from being softened by the chemicals. they’re arguably stronger than ever. my manicure has lasted for 5 weeks. no chipping or breakage). when i came in for my next appointment i let them know before starting that i wanted to remove the polish with an e file again. the front desk associate began ranting and brought over a bottle of clear polish saying they were “out” and i was unclear as to her point which didn’t seem to align with what i was saying. suddenly there were 4 people in front of me telling me it takes too much time to remove with an e file and they don’t have time. the time they spent arguing would have been equal to the time to remove my manicure. i would have been willing to pay for the extra time but the way i was treated was unnecessary and i felt bullied out of the establishment. it was unprofessional and embarrassing to be treated that way as a loyal customer. not to mention it was obvious they remembered because the tech who did my last manicure was one of the people addressing me. i let them know i would be...

If I could give 0 stars I would... I received a less than satisfactory pedicure (my nails were cut all crooked, they GAVE/caused ME to have an INGROWN TOENAIL, and they rubbed my feet/toes raw to the point where they were painful and oozing in three places on my toes when I left there). On top of this they charged me $44 and I didn't even get them painted!!!!

I'm not sure if I received this treatment because I was a walk-in or because I'm a guy... or some combination thereof... but regardless, this is unacceptable! And I know because I go in for pedicures on a very regular basis and have for the last 8+ years... I usually go to NK Nails & Spa in West Seattle, cause I used to live over there, and they do an amazing job every time, no matter who the technician is!

And if this wasn't enough!!! I wrote them TWO very kind emails about how upset I was about their services and received ZERO in the way of responses of any kind... I was hoping to be reimbursed either fully (ideally) or at least partially, or at the very, very least to be ACKNOWLEDGED!! I mean, WTAF???

I tried with email first, because I HATE writing bad reviews for businesses (in fact I don't think that I have ever even written one before)... I really wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt and give them the chance to make it right before I put them on blast... but I am pissed off now! It is absolutely unacceptable to ignore a paying customer... especially a polite one that treated you all with kindness...

Do the right thing Apollo... or I will continue to leave a new negative review on all the platforms on a regular...

I'm so impressed by Apollo Nails & Spa! I've been loyal (10+ years) to several salons so it's always scary trying a new place.

Pros: Super clean from the seating area to the chairs to the tools they use Punctual! During my first appointment, my appt began at exactly the time I booked it for and it took exactly 45 minutes, as they quoted. This really stood out! I did have to wait a bit the second time, but was happy to do it. The team is full of professionals who very much know what they're doing - Sophia was amazing and incredibly technically precise (see the pic!). Very little small talk - I love this so I don't have to feel rude when I'm listening to a podcast.

Cons: Doing dip on my nails, I wanted to try shellac (since they didn't offer dip here). It was disheartening to have my nails soaking in acetone for over 30 minutes until absolutely everything came off my nails. This really damaged and weakened my nail beds, as they became very sensitive after so much soaking. Process for gel and dip take off is the same so I'm unsure why I wasn't wrapped with cotton/foil. The first time I came in, I had a Gift Certificate to use. Not awesome to learn that you can't tip from that amount. During my second visit, I learned you save 5% if you pay in cash! Having $13 left over from my first visit, I wanted to use that and then pay for the rest of our services in cash. Also couldn't do this. Essentially, anything outside the cash disqualified me from getting 5% off. I would suggest changing this for a better...