Annie's Nails & Spa — Local services in Bayonne

I don’t usually like leaving negative reviews, but my experience at Annie’s Nail Salon this evening left me feeling very uncomfortable and upset. I’ve been coming to Annie’s once a month or so, and sometimes more frequently to fix broken nails over the last few months. I’ll admit, I can be a bit of a klutz—I’ve broken nails by getting them caught in car doors or even in the chain bolt slot of a door. Annie’s has always been a convenient option for me since it’s close to my house.

Today, I came in to fix a broken nail and was assigned a technician who was struggling to apply the acrylic. She had to apply the acrylic two or three times in between drying it under the UV light before achieving the correct consistency and thickness. When she began shaping the nail, I noticed her technique was lacking, so I decided to speak up before she got too far. Speaking up during a service is not something I’m usually comfortable with, but I wanted to leave happy with my experience.

I was then moved to Annie’s chair, and while she fixed my nail, she informed me that she and her staff do not like fixing nails that weren’t originally done at her salon. She told me that, going forward, I shouldn’t return for that purpose and that if I do come back, it would need to be for a full set. This was incredibly disheartening. Part of what makes a nail salon appealing is the ability to fix broken nails when needed, and I’m not sure when that became an issue.

To add to this, the cost to fix a single nail is $10 (or more if a design is involved). When fixing two nails, it’s at least $30 plus a tip, so it’s not as if the service isn’t worth the payout. I choose to come here because of the convenience, not because I’m trying to avoid paying for the work. It’s also worth mentioning that every time I come in, they pressure me to get my nails done there instead of with my regular nail tech, which I always politely decline. I have a good rapport with my current tech and enjoy their work, so I find the pushiness unprofessional.

What was most upsetting, though, was when I was checking out. I had intended to tip Annie since she fixed my nail, but she insisted I tip the original tech for her effort. When I declined, she doubled down. While I believe in tipping for a service, I don’t believe it’s fair to force a tip when the service was subpar.

Overall, I’m extremely disappointed in my experience, especially since I’ve gone to Annie’s for pedicures and other services in the past. The salon is beautifully decorated and offers a wide range of services, but nothing trumps good customer service. Asking a customer not to return over something as minor as a broken nail is both unprofessional and rude. Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll be returning after...

I came here on June 7th to get my nails done for my birthday. The nail tech I had did an amazing job — my gel manicure lasted two weeks with no issues, so I decided to return.

Unfortunately, my second visit on June 22nd was a completely different experience. I was surprised to be charged \$10 just to remove the old gel, which wasn’t mentioned before. The very next day (June 23rd), my nails began to crack and break. I returned to have them fixed, and while the manager said there would be no charge, the experience from there went downhill.

When I arrived, I explained to the manager the situation regarding my cracked nails. She attempted to tell me that the reason they cracked was because my nails are “thin” and recommended that I get dipping powder instead—which, notably, costs more. However, my nails are not thin; I went 10 months without getting them done and they are in good condition.

I explained to her that the issue was not with the condition of my nails, but rather that they were not properly cured during the service. Instead of acknowledging this possibility, she placed the blame on me as the customer. I was disappointed with the lack of accountability and the push toward a more expensive service rather than addressing the original issue.

I was placed with a different nail tech who clearly rushed through the service. She applied builder gel on top of old gel that wasn’t fully removed, and the final result was lumpy and uneven. I tried to express my concerns to the manager, but she was extremely dismissive. While she offered to help, she also stated she was too busy and told me to come back another day. As I attempted to explain the issue, she mumbled under her breath and said things like, “What do you want me to do?”—which I found unprofessional and disrespectful.

When I told her I didn’t feel appreciated and would not be returning, she simply replied, “Then don’t come back.”

I left feeling disrespected and disappointed. As a paying customer, I expected at least basic professionalism and care. Based on this experience, I would not recommend this salon. The products seem low quality, and customer service is clearly not a priority.

As a business owner myself in the beauty industry YOU NEED...

I had a really disappointing and unprofessional service with Annie today. She was running the store and also doing nails - and because she was multi tasking too much, she kept making mistakes. She did not listen to what I kindly explained I was getting done multiple times, and the end result was not what I wanted. I did a French gel pedicure and was also doing that to my hands with acrylics. However, my fingers and toes are a completely different color because she did not use the same nail polish that the tech used on my feet, and she also used a colored acrylic instead of clear. This wasn’t a design issue where maybe there is some room for error, the error was her using the wrong nail polish and acrylic powder resulting in my hands and feet being a completely different shade.

To top it off, she kept making mistakes with managing the customers and what should have been a 2 hrs trip to the nail salon, turned into 4 hrs. She even tried to give me an acrylic fill instead of a full set so she could hurry the process to take more customers even though my nails were lifting from underneath and I needed a new set.

When I expressed my disappointment in the end result and the service, she started to yell at me, and tried to invalidate me and make excuses for the color being different instead of owning and fixing her mistake. She also blamed me for the fact that I had to wait an extra 2 hrs because of her blunders.

I usually like this nail salon, but this experience may be the reason I don’t go back. Not only did I not get the service I payed for, but her demeanor was extremely unprofessional and...