Creative Nails — Local services in Honolulu

Worst Experience Ever

This place is fast, dirty, and unprofessional, with no regard for customer service or hygiene. I would never return and would warn others to stay far away.

This was by far the worst experience I’ve ever had at a salon. The place is extremely high-traffic, and there is absolutely no attention to cleanliness or professionalism. They don’t seem to care about building trust with locals—it’s all about being fast and careless.

When I arrived, I had to wait about 15 minutes before being seated. The station I was assigned looked dirty, with what appeared to be sand or dirt in the foot bath. When I raised my concern, the staff assured me it had been cleaned, but I later saw them “cleaning” it by simply wiping it quickly—there was no proper disinfection. The tools were equally gross, with nail polish and dust residue everywhere, and the nail color books were scattered across the table.

The way they advertise their services is very misleading and confusing. I was offered 3 options: basic, spa, and gel pedicures. I specifically asked for a gel nail-polish and pedicure with no extra massages or wax treatments—because I didn’t have the time, especially after waiting so long. Instead, what I received barely qualified as a pedicure. They painted my nails and lightly rubbed the surface of my feet, but they didn’t actually remove the dead skin, which was the main reason I came in. I also payed total $126 for that and manicure and my feet are exactly the same except that my toe is now all red and infected.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, after leaving the salon, my toe started hurting, and by the end of the day, it became worse. I’m now genuinely worried that I’ve developed an infection.

When I tried to communicate my concerns to the owner via email, their response was incredibly rude and dismissive. Instead of addressing the issue or offering a solution, they sent me a sheet listing five different types of pedicures—none of which were explained or offered to me during my visit—and lectured me in a defensive and condescending manner.

This place is fast, dirty, and unprofessional, with no regard for customer service or hygiene. I would never return and would warn others to...

I’ve been here about 7-8 times in the past year and have okay experiences. But after today, I will not be going back. I wanted a pedicure and gel manicure. Though they did get me in quickly, There were some issues. They did both at the same time- which if I were in a rush, it would have been appreciated- however, I was looking to relax a little on my morning off and the way I had to stay twisted the chair while keeping my feet forward for an hour was borderline painful. The technician giving me a pedicure rushed, cut me (I was actually bleeding) and I walked out with my feet in no better condition than when I had come in. I brought in a picture of what I wanted for my manicure, and multiple times had to pull up the picture again because the technician kept going another direction. I didn’t end up with what I wanted but was so frustrated and in pain from having to sit in an uncomfortable, twisted position that I gave up trying to explain and just said “whatever”. Between buffing and filing my nails I wasn’t given the option to wash my hands (even when I requested to!) so she started painting over unclean nails leaving them unsmooth and graining looking. There’s dried gel polish stuck all over my fingers which I will unfortunately be attempting to pick off for the rest of the day. At the end I paid for the services and still tipped the technicians, as this is their livelihood. However I was extremely disappointed in services- I left with a bleeding foot, a sore shoulder and neck, and a poorly done manicure and pedicure. I was near tears. I will not be returning and hope this post makes them pause and take a little more time with their customers...

I live in Waikiki and when I had a horrible experience at my regular nail salon, I needed to find a new place within walking distance…long story short, I have a NEW regular salon! I went to Creative Nails for a gel manicure and a pedicure. The first thing I appreciated was that their website had a services price list, so there were no surprises at checkout. And compared to other Waikiki salon prices, these were so reasonable. I also appreciated how their regular pedicure included so many services that most salons up-charge for. I thought nothing of going for the deluxe pedicure at $35. What a deal! My technician was completely focused and detail-oriented. She took her time and it shows. Excellent job! Same with my manicure. I really felt like I was the only customer in the place! I usually have to refile my nails after a manicure because they are never smooth. But yesterday, I didn’t have to retouch at all. My technician even took extra care to work around a small cut I have on the corner of one of my fingers. Excellent! My entire service (gel manicure and deluxe pedicure) was $73, which was nearly HALF of what I paid at my regular salon and the experience was 100% better. Note that they give you a cash discount, so go prepared if you...