ONE L PROFESSIONAL — Local services in New York

So I’ve been going to this location for about 8 months and have been loyal to one artist and it started off great and I was loving the service but over time I’ve noticed a decline and today was my last straw. So a couple things, recently i’ve been texted by I’m assuming their booking management every-time I book an appointment online for the purpose of changing the time I selected online to either earlier or later which is bothersome to me. Second the salons are located inside apartment buildings and are sometimes not easy to find so I walked up and down the same block until I could find it (this was not my usual location but I needed a nail repair) and one time I was late which I informed the booking team and they said no problem but when I arrived they said they couldn’t take me anymore and I had to reschedule (I live I queens, NY so this was aggravating). Third, pricing is outrageous but it lasted (at first but the quality had since declined) so I didn’t mind paying. The last appointment that I made for 12pm that was then switched to 11am I didn’t book with my normal artist, because an expert artist is more expensive and I was understandably trying to save some money this time around and several of my nails had broken since my last appointment 5 weeks ago + repair a week later and they wanted to charge me 10 dollars per nail to repair which has never been the case before today with my normal artist so in this case it would’ve ended up costing $300 plus tip for a nail correction and pedicure which if that was the case I would’ve just stuck to my usual artist, so I ended up leaving the appointment. The receptionist said it could be the artist choice to not charge to repair a nail which is a terrible business practice if it’s not standardized across the board because then we run into issues like I did today where all of a sudden I’m being charged for something that wasn’t a problem before. Last, I am a black person going into this seemingly upper class nail salon and I’ve noticed the small differences in reception by the different receptionist compared to other clients. Some receptionist being the forward facing person of a business were not welcoming, or not welcoming to me at least but that is not across the board for the ones that I’ve encountered here. As a black person in non-black spaces you learn to pick up of the different treatment and micro aggressions and it was definitely present in some of my appointments. Something as small as offering another customer a beverage immediately and not me. Any way, my manicures initially lasted 6 weeks without breaking but recently I’ve been having issues with multiple nails breaking within 2 weeks time and I’m not paying these prices for something that’s not going to last anymore also for the type of treatment I receive.

This is a part 2 to my original review because I don’t feel validated with the company’s response. They wanted good reviews from me and because they were “accommodating”to “my needs”. I don’t recall having special needs that needed to be accommodated so that utter nonsense. You can say all customers are treated the same BUT IM SAYING that was not my experience so trying to discredit my feelings on the matter further reinforces my original review. So take some accountability and stop making up this false narrative that I specifically needed accommodations. This response...

I started getting Russian manicures at One L with Margo (expert tech) and every manicure is perfection. The entire process is always professional, safe, and efficient. I will always go back to Margo; she is consistently excellent!

This week, I had to move my appointment up from 7/25 to 7/21, and Margo was not available so I willingly made an appointment with a newer tech. She was very sweet and took her time but her drilling technique was excruciatingly painful. Four of my fingernails got burned by her technique (likely too much pressure in one area with the drill). This has never happened to me before (maybe one minor burn once at another place before I found One L). I do not have sensitive or weak nails either, so this is unfortunately due to the technician’s technique. Each time I got a burn, I jumped in pain; yet, she did not adjust her technique until the 4th time. She asked if I had sensitive nails rather than adjusting or apologizing after the first three burns. After the 4th, she switched to manual filing, but still, she was so rough with my nails. Russian manicures are to help preserve the health of the natural nail; this technician’s technique in prepping the nail was very worrisome to me. Her technique lacked precision and came off messy (even with the gel application). At the end, the gel looks good but my nails underneath are still hurting bad 7 hours later. I’m hoping there are no rings of fire on any of my nails. I do love this salon and have great experiences when I see Margo, but customers are putting themselves at risk when going to a newer tech who may not be trained properly. I feel that the new techs should have more training and oversight before taking on actual customers to ensure the safety of the nails they are working on. I still tipped 20% of course, but I’m very disappointed after today’s...

Best nail salon in NJ and NYC. Been here close to a dozen times and it’s a win every time.

Daria from the front desk is always so sweet and efficient. She’s the captain of the ship. Many people have done my nails, Jenya, Helga, Irina, Sabina, Galina.

Today, Sabina hooked up the pedi and Galina SLAYED the mani and glitter design. She rocked it. I’ve gotten this nail design many times. I call it Touched by Midas since it’s like gold is climbing from the finger tips. Today’s picture is the square nails, but I’ve also gotten it with long oval.

The techs have their own flare while also giving the customer what they want. A collaborative creation. Sabina rocked this.

Also I love the ability to do mani pedi at the same time. Time saver and efficient. I feel like I’m being pampered.

It goes without saying that this place is SANITARY which I love. I’m tired of places that reuse dirty tools. But I feel so comfortable coming here. And their actual nail mani work is spectacular. They pay great care to the nail health and even shape. And then the paint?! Come onnnnn girl.

I’ll be back for years (and will likely do my wedding...