Posh Nail Spa — Local services in Durham

UPDATED REVIEW:

After posting the below review, I was almost immediately contacted by the salon's owner, Tom. I was initially a little thrown, as that's not something that's ever happened to me after posting an online review, but Tom was very anxious to hear first hand what had happened at my appointment, and to offer a few immediate ways to make it right.

He had me text him to create a new appointment to come in so he could assess my manicure (he determined from looking at my pictures that the top coat had been applied incorrectly). I came in a few days later and Tom very generously (and gently) redid the topcoat of my nails.

It's also worth mentioning that Tom showed qualities of a great business owner and boss -- at no point did he blame me or blame his employee for my bad experience. He was empathetic, he listened to everything I had to say, and he was quick in wanting to turn me into a repeat customer. And, I can genuinely say he did.

I added a star back to my review exclusively for the great ownership of this salon. Even though I still think my initial tech was too rough in her manicure, I would personally attest that if you have a bad experience, the owner will see to it that you walk away happy and taken care of.

I was very excited to try out Posh, as they have great reviews and a few friends of mine walk out of there with great manicures. I've also been wanting to try out a dip manicure for a while now - being a long time gel polish girl - and there are only a few highly rated places around here that offer dip powder. I booked an appointment with one of the most highly recommended techs on Yelp and Google, and was ultimately disappointed.

I'll start with what I liked. Their color selection is great, and they give you swatches to look at, not a wall of bottles.i loved that. The salon is small, very clean, and very comfy. Dip nails take a while and I was seated quite comfortably. They also automatically bring you a bottle of water, which is a great touch.

But, there was enough I didn't like about it that I won't be going back. To start, I had a 10am appointment, which apparently doesn't mean your tech and spot are ready for you at that time. I sat for 15 minutes before seeing my tech, which isn't a big deal since I wasn't short on time - but I don't get the point of the appointment system if appointments aren't held. Then, during my nail shaping, my tech was surprisingly rough with my nails and the emory board, to the point that I jumped and yanked my hand back a few times in pain. Similarly, during my cuticle clean up, the nippers my tech used seemed to be way too dull. I felt every yank on my skin, and left with several fresh cuts around my cuticles.

The final product for the dip manicure is, for the most part, good - a few nails have scuffs and steaks in them. I'm not sure what part of the process can cause that, if it's from not getting a clean pass with some of the adhesive, or something drying unevenly, or what.

Bummed that the process was painful, bummed that my manicure doesn't look as good as other work I've seen them do, and bummed that I haven't found a new place to call my...

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE: I would’ve preferred to write a raving review about this place, but that wouldn’t be an honest review of my experience here today. Like most nail salons, I’m used to the cold greeting of an equivalent take on “what do you want”. I was asked that by a couple of techs before I was directed to check in where the iPad was. I sat down to wait and apparently one of the techs told me to go back to the nail station when I’m done. Well, it took me a minute to complete the check in because the iPad crashed. And, when the lady tech came back to get me she made a passive aggressive comment that she was sitting back there waiting for me. Let’s fast forward through the uncomfortable vibe and unwelcoming tone to the quality of the SNS process. First expect to soak you’re fingertips in warm acetone, if you’re not used to that and work in healthcare and have really dry hands it’s not comfortable. I was almost impressed by the nail dipping quality until she was almost done and I felt a stickiness right under my nail tip. She attended to it with her sharp thumbnail and dug under my nail with paper towel soaked acetone. She was careless and that was evident when I told her that was very discomforting and later noticed blood under my nail bed from her forcing the acetone underneath. I should’ve checked to look but that same nail also got a smudge from her pressing that hard. I noticed on my way home and evenmoreso when my finger burns when I wash my hands. Which, as a healthcare worker, I do about 15x/day. I’ve never felt so strongly about regretting tipping and getting my nails done at a salon. From start to finish there was barely a redemption moment in quality of work and service. I used to come here a few years ago and always had a great experience with Tom, but this time I had a lady with glasses who acted reluctant to even do my nails the entire time. She had such an indifferent attitude the entire 45-1hr I was there and that could hurt the business from gaining new loyal clients, but I witnessed that with her loyal customers she throws on the fakest perky attitude for about 5 seconds. Take my opinion as you will.

UPDATED REVIEW: The night I wrote this review below Tom - the owner contacted me right away to understand what happened that day and offered a way to provide a solution. It’s rare to encounter an owner who shows this level of care for a customer and their experience. We spent about 10+ min on the phone and just ended up chatting and having a great conversation.

I’ve had 2 services since this experience and I’ve elected to do them with Tom because he provides consistently great quality SNS nails. I schedule with him every two weeks now to keep my nails looking fleeky and he has rebuilt my trust to do so. Check out the last 3 photos of my new and improved nails and...

I was pretty excited to book an appointment at Posh Salon, but things took a disappointing turn. When I called to ask for help in figuring out which service to go for (because their website had a bunch of options I wasn't familiar with), the person on the phone was kinda rude. They basically told me to figure it out myself online before calling them, which felt pretty unwelcoming.

Anyway, after spending time navigating their website and finally booking an appointment, I got hit with a rejection. They just said, "book another appointment," without explaining what went wrong. I mean, seriously? I thought booking a simple nail spa appointment wouldn't be this complicated.

The whole thing took way longer than it should have and ended with me not being able to secure a spot. It's a shame because I was looking forward to trying their services, but the poor management and unfriendly customer service made me think twice.

I believe how a business treats its customers matters a lot, and this experience just didn't sit right with me. I'm definitely taking my business elsewhere, hoping for a more welcoming and helpful experience.

If you're thinking about giving Posh salon a shot, just be aware that the booking process might not be as smooth as you'd...