Aroma Nail Foot Spa — Attraction in Town of Brookhaven

I have been going to this nail salon for months now and I guess today the owner, Cindy, was having a bad today and decided that she did not want to wait or provide customer service to her Black customers.

Specifically, when I walked into the salon it was busy, so I understood that I would need to be patient and wait for my turn, which I did not have a problem with. When it was my turn to sit for my pedicure, the nice woman who was working on my feet was asking for a help interpreting what I was explaining and asked me to get the owner, Cindy’s, attention so she could explain it to her in her language. When I tried to get her attention, she put her finger in my face and yelled at me and said “wait, you have to wait” and repeated it twice. She then refused to answer any question or explain the design, which is what I originally was trying to get her attention to do. I ended up telling the pedicure lady that I no longer wanted a design anymore, and she just put stickers on my feet.

It was so blatant and so incredibly mean that two, of what looked liked like white middle school aged girl spoke up and said the way she is treating me seemed racist, and they told their mother who then intervened. The moms started saying things to Cindy, the owner, letting her know that they were taking note of the discriminatory behavior.

Two other adult customers also stepped in and said that she was purposely being discriminatory to me and I am just a kid. I was supposed to get a nail design on my fingers and I ended up just asking for my nails to be painted one solid color with a top coat, so that I could get out of there as soon as possible. I tipped my pedicure lady $10.00, because she was nice and I tipped my manicure lady $20.00, because she said she was so sorry for what I felt and what I went through and she was actually nice.

My only regret is that I paid the owner for the service, even though I truly think I shouldn’t have paid her for how she treated me, but I did not want to set a bad example for the two middle school girls who spoke up for me. I appreciated seeing that our younger generation will choose not to be a bystander to racism and discrimination, and will chose to be an ally. Also, shout out to their parents for raising such well spoken young woman. However, I will not be returning to this business and I strongly encourage people to think twice about getting their nails done in an establishment that has no problem being blatantly racist and discriminatory to any customer. When an owner shows you that this is how they operate, there is nothing that will keep them from finding a reason to discriminate against you or your friend or family, whether it be because of color, race, creed, sexual orientation, or any other reason that owner arbitrarily chooses to perpetrate their choice of discrimination.

DO...

If you wanna know what happened to a loyal customer of this salon that caused them to stop going, keep reading.

I've been coming here a while to get regular manicures along with a french pedicure, but stopped the manicures because they were too aggressive with my nails. A callus spa pedicure costs $35 and they charge $5 extra for french, so $40 total. Aside from the constant up-selling, my pedicure experiences were usually good.

Tipping was always a process since I didn't always have time to get cash. On the days when I didn't have cash, I would tip on my card but they charge an additional $2 fee. On my last visit today, I was told I could no longer tip on the card and would have to use the ATM they have in the salon to take out cash. I've had my card info stolen before and since then I'm very careful about where I use it, so I kindly told them I didn't want to use the ATM and to just charge me $50 instead of $40. The owner then came over and was a bit pushy about me withdrawing cash from the ATM, refusing to charge me the extra $10 but not explaining why. I eventually told them to just charge the $40 and I would get the cash, but still not wanting to use that ATM I decided to go to the Aldi next door & get cash back for the tip after my nails dried.

What happened next was definitely a lesson in how not to treat your loyal customers. As I was walking out the door, one of the women doing someone's nails starts yelling at me very loudly with a horrible tone, but I couldn't make out what she was saying. I go over to her, and figured out she's angrily demanding a tip - even though she didn't touch my nails. I explained that I was headed to the store to get cash, to which she responded that I should use the ATM. I declined to do so again for the third time and walked out. I kept a calm and polite demeanor, but I was very upset and embarrassed to be disrespected like that in front of the other customers. I kept my word and brought back the $10 tip, but I knew as soon as I walked out it was the last time I would step foot in there.

Granted, maybe if I explained that I would be back with the tip it may have played out differently, but last I checked at tip is supposed to be a voluntary expression of gratitude for excellent service, not a required additional charged that gets you yelled at if you don't give it. Or be pressured to use an ATM if you don't have cash. They'd have been better off just letting me leave, I'd have come back next time understanding the new policy. Completely...

My powder nails stay for 3 weeks! Great for powder dip nails and manicures. I've had better pedicures for less $ at other places though. The polish on my toenails were terrible both times I had it done. They barley spent any time on my feet and toenails. And the message was very short with no pressure. I didn't pay upcharge for extras on my pedicure, but the regular one should at least include a good cleaning and scrubbing of the nail and callous to some degree. At the very least, the file and polish should be smooth for 25.00 + tip! I ended up doing them again myself later. But definitely go for your nails! They are better than most around and last without lifting or chipping, even after i have done yard work! They use quality products and do not skimp. The place is very clean!

Update 2021: They take covid precautions seriously. I've seen them scrub the place down at closing like it was a medical facility! My daughter and I have been coming here since before Covid. We tried a couple of others for comparison and to save a few dollars, but we always come back to Aroma. It has gotten busier and we have recommended several friends who now also go here. So sometimes it is overbooked. Cindy runs the shop pretty well and tries to accommodate everyone. They seem to have a turnover of nail people, but most are good and always training to improve. This is one of the cleanest and better quality salons in the area. If you are not satisfied with something, just speak up, but do it with respect and kindness, and they are willing to make it better. These men and women work hard with little or no breaks! Also, One of the few salons that doesn't nickel and dime you or charge extra...