White Heaven Nail Spa — Local services in Castro Valley

I never write reviews but I felt this time I had to. I am an overly considerate and understanding person. I am told most times I am “too sweet”. I came to the nail salon at 9:30 am to get a mani full set and a pedicure. The technician who did my full set cut me. I became very frustrated as this is not the first time I am cut at white heaven nail.

The technician proceeded to keep working on the wounded nail. She kept filing the nail hard to the point I had to tell her to stop as it was really painful. She told me “it’s okay” in a whispering voice.. it’s like she did not want people to hear she had just cut me. My fingernail was bleeding and it was extremely painful. I asked for a simple French nail and I was astonished by the results. The design was nothing like the picture I showed or what I described. The lines were crooked, extremely thick and just ugly.

I don’t think the technician had a lot of experience as previous times I’ve been to white nail, a French manicure usually takes an hour. This technician took more than two hours. She even had another technician come and asked why she wasn’t done yet.

When I got done, I went to the front and approached the manager. I am a very nice person so even though she cut me I did not want to make the technician feel bad. I told the manager in a very nice manner what had occurred. She didn’t apologize and said I can only give you 10% off. I had to tell her this is not the first time this happened to me here. I showed her my bloody finger and I told her “look at the shape and the work, it’s bad.. it’s not what I asked for.”She said okay I can only do 20% percent. She demanded I pay, which I did.

My husband was picking me up and when I told him what happened he became very upset. He knew this wasn’t the first time this had happened. He saw my finger and said let’s go inside and talk to them. He spoke to the manager and told her we needed a refund. She said I’m sorry I cannot give you a refund. My husband tried to talk to her for 30 mis and nothing, she said “ I’m sorry the only thing I can do is have her come back tomorrow to redo the nails.”

At this point I did not want to come back as this was not the first time I was cut at white heaven nail. I’ve had many bad experiences with the work, the design and the service. I’ve felt like I gave white heaven nail the benefit of the doubt many times and I did not want to come back.

The manager said: “if I was you I would have not came back after the first time we cut you.” Basically blaming me as the customer for coming back and giving them another opportunity. She did not give us the full refund.

The photos of the wounded nail included are after I got home. I applied a cream on it and the blending...

I’ve visited White Heaven several times and the shining appointments have made me come back despite the few mishaps.

I have had many manis and pedis and the first few times were great! It really depends on who you get which is typical to any nail salon. I’d say if you find the technician that does you right, stick with them. For me, although I make appts online, I never remember who I choose. And it’s often when I do select someone, the manager switches up on me. Not horrible, but this does gamble with my expectations on how my nails will come out.

The reason why I knocked down two stars is the two last visits:

-I had a nail design I was told could be done. In the end, I was switched out technicians THREE times. In the end, no one could do the design I asked and it was not shared with me until I asked. I had 3 people prep my nails and we didn’t even start painting. I became a bit fed up with the switching around and lack of communication that I just asked for a basic single color paint job. -In my latest appointment, my technician cut my finger while cutting my cuticle. I dont know what happened or if she slipped but I continually bled for half of the day. While in the chair, the technician saw my blood streaming but continued on the work. She even insisted on painting with clear coat. Distracted by the pain, I had to pull my hand away to stop the bleeding with a paper towel. I knew I had to cut the appointment short after I saw her use the clear paint brush over my bloody wound and place the brush back into the bottle. I wish there was a protocol in place for when such injuries happen. I didn’t feel protected or reassured by the staff. Photos shared were from 4 days post incident. My finger is still warm, tender, and painful.

Also, the cuticle trimmer was not autoclaved in anyway. Im not sure what the process is for sanitizing trimmers but I didn’t feel secure with the way it was just tossed back in the cart. It’s possible these are the same trimmers that were used on my toes??

Anyway, I addressed this incident with the front manager woman. I was given 10$ off my manicure and an insincere “sorry”.

I know accidents happen, but I would like to ask White Heaven to train staff on how to manage wound management - from first aid to tossing out any tools or supplies that come into contact with BLOOD.

I really enjoyed coming here and if they could make these updates, I’d be...

I visited for a mani-pedi and left feeling rushed and underwhelmed. The salon was loud, chaotic, and far from relaxing, with over-the-top Halloween decorations covering the entire space, which clashed with the expected calm atmosphere.

I booked with technicians named “A” and Liam for my pedicure, but neither was assigned to me, and no explanation was given. My technician (who didn’t introduce herself) seemed bored throughout, barely engaging in conversation and even watching TV during my manicure. I tried to chat, but her brief responses made it clear she wasn’t interested.

The service felt rushed. The pedicure included a “massage” that was just a quick 5-minute glide over my feet—no real kneading or effort. They showed me a timer for the massage, likely to avoid complaints, but it felt pointless. The manicure used full acetone, which irritated my already thin nails, and I was shocked to see a drill almost used on my cuticles. You're kidding me. They used a course grit acrylic nails file on my manicure but not on my pedicure. It hurt my nails from the grinding. I also noticed a technician using a drill on someone’s calluses, which seemed questionable and possibly unsafe.

After my pedicure I was rushed to the manicure station instead of having the two services start and end in the chair like expected. Like requested.

Positives: The salon has an autoclave, and tools were packaged, which is reassuring for hygiene. The chair massage was decent, though not impressive for anyone familiar with massages. No water or tea was offered.

Payment was another issue. After paying by card, I learned tips were cash or Venmo only—no heads-up beforehand. I don’t have Venmo, and I know the system they use as Ive worked at a salon with this before. Payment system allows card tips, so this felt like a missed opportunity. I planned to tip on the receipt, as I always do, but wasn’t given the chance.

The parking lot was a hassle—small, oddly angled, and congested, with a long wait at the light to get out.

Inside, a strong chemical smell added to the discomfort. Overall, the technician was efficient but detached, and the rushed service, lack of communication, and chaotic vibe made this a one-and-done visit for me.

Would be one star except it was only 50 for the service and you can...