Cremé Lux Nail Spa — Local services in Pikesville

So I’ve been debating on if I wanted to publish this review & decided to because it could help others. I saw someone I follow on IG post this place so I wanted to give it a try. The salon is nice inside definitely has that beige and neutral glam aesthetic going on. I was immediately greeted by a welcoming man who had his adorable baby next to him! I was then taken back by the woman who was scheduled to do my service. I am a first time guest and I wanted to try gel-x. I have been going to “TopCoat” downtown for almost 2 years now but the drive from OM Is hectic and I wanted to see if this place would be my new home since it’s closer (10 min drive to Greenspring vs 35+ min to get downtown). I already had a grown out full set with dip powder & I disclosed this when I called to make my appointment days prior. The woman who serviced me immediately began using a drill on the highest setting to take off the clear coat. I had to tell her that I could feel the heat from the drill through my nails which kinda hurt and asked her to reduce the power. Then she cut the tips off right where my natural nail grew under which was fine but then proceeded to take a random acrylic tip from her kit to lift the remaining acrylic off my nail. I had to stop her because that’s not proper removal at all. I asked her to wrap my nails and she said that I could just soak them instead, which I agreed to because I guess they didn’t have foil or cotton rounds on hand. After soaking for a few minutes, she took my hand out the bowl and drilled the remaining stuff off my nails. This is where I got annoyed again because she buffed my nails, cleaned my cuticles cut my natural nails short (as requested) but when I got up to wash my hands and really look at what she did, I noticed ALL OF THE GLUE AND STUFF FROM MY PRIOR APPLICATION WAS NOT OFF. I could literally lift off more base and had to show her that what she was buffing and filing was not my nail. She then had me soak in acetone for a few more minutes before using a drill to get the rest off. Fast forward to the Gel-x application… she did good with this measuring out the right size for the application however, she used too much primer/glue and instead of it being super smooth under the extended tip, it’s clumpy and thick where the extra stuff squeezed/leaked under the tip. It’s only noticeable when I flip my hand over so I am not crazy mad about it. You can literally see the dried in fuzz, little fibers, and nail dust from that day lol. The polish they used is DND which I don’t mind and she gave me 3 coats since I got a light neutral shade. The finished product looks like a 8/10 but the stuff I went through with the removal process and then with everything going on under the nails is a 1/10. I am open to coming back if I can get serviced by someone else who actually knows what they’re doing. I paid $85 for my service ($75 for gel-x & $10 for old...

When this place first opened, I was thrilled. It promised a lot and looked like it was set to deliver. The setting is beautiful, customer service was on point, selection of services and colors were out of this world, and I loved that I could book online, pick date and time, and even the tech. It has been close to a year now and how things have changed. What was “lux” before, is now looking dingy. Cleanliness is becoming sus. I haven’t seen anything sterilized, public nail files, etc. Each tech has their own machine and way of doing things. There’s no standard. If you look at their Instagram, it looks like only one tech is featured, and they’re part owner of the salon. I got lucky and I found a great nail artist. She quit. Got assigned to another one (you don’t know they’re gone until you book the apt or show up and are told you’re with someone else that day). She quit. Got assigned to another one…You get the picture. The turnover is ridiculous and with new people, the quality of work seems to be going downhill. Last time I was with Annie, and it was a disappointment. For a “Lux” salon, the service was beyond subpart. She spent half her time on the phone, and then watching videos ON her phone. One of the other techs kept coming over to bug her, because he seemed very bored. All I wanted was a liquid gel fill and color. There was absolutely no cuticle care (if I didn’t push them back myself it wasn’t going to happen). I asked that the gel be taken up to the cuticle so that my nails don’t look 1 week grown out with a fresh set, and it didn’t happen. Instead, some of the gel and then the color flooded the area and I ended up with weird splotches and ragged edges. My nails already had a good shape, but she didn’t hear what I said, and shaped them into weird ovals with asymmetrical edges. Each nail ended up being a different length. The application of both the color and the gel were so THICK. Even when I did acrylics, they were never that thick. The shapes were weird, some were flat, some had an awkward apex that was towards the end of the nail rather than the middle. No gloves, she kept using her sharp AF nail to "clean" up the edges and yet I still ended up with nail polish on my hands. And I mean middle of my wrist, back of my hand, etc. I don't even know how! Everything on the table was covered in powder and dust, just…gross. Not sure where the “Lux” part comes in TBH. I still paid the full priced, tipped well, and then went home and redid the whole thing. The owner mans the front desk and he just looks like he’s over the whole nail salon experiment. I’m still willing to give it one more shot simply because of the previously excellent...

I’m the type of person who values the experience just as much as the product or service. Unfortunately, my visit here left me unimpressed.

When I sat down for my pedicure, the water was filled all the way to the top and then the bath bomb was dropped in. Because the tub was already at the brim, the bath bomb fizzed over and felt messy rather than relaxing. It set the tone for the service, which ended up feeling rushed. Although I paid for the pedicure with hot stones, what I received were flat, fake stones instead of natural smooth ones. My feet were left with areas that still needed attention, and even after pointing it out, the service didn’t feel thorough.

On top of that, the environment itself didn’t feel professional. While I was sitting there, a gentleman was moving chairs from the front to the back and tightening them right in the middle of business hours while clients were present. It completely disrupted the atmosphere and added to the feeling that the focus wasn’t on creating a relaxing, clean experience for clients.

When it was time for my Gel-X nails, I was asked to wash my hands, but the bathroom had a strong urine odor. Coming back, I noticed the workstation wasn’t clean. The nail technician next to mine finished with her client and immediately went on her phone instead of wiping her station down. You could clearly see multiple people had sat there without it being cleaned. That is unacceptable. Each station should be sanitized after every client—not only for appearance but for health and safety. It made me question what they actually disinfect.

To make matters worse, only a few days after getting a full set, my nails already began to feel loose, as if not enough adhesive was used. I didn’t request designs since I was preparing for a wedding and only got a simple paint job, but even so, a full set should last longer than a few days.

I really wanted to like this place and support the technicians. I don’t mind paying higher prices if the service and experience match, but I do mind paying any price when the environment is unclean, the service is rushed, and the results don’t last. The lack of care and sanitation gave me the impression that an infection could easily happen.

I truly hope the owner sees this and makes improvements so clients can have a clean, thoughtful, and enjoyable experience. Unfortunately, for me, this visit was...