Retreat Salon — Local services in Redwood City

This place is hit or miss. I went a month ago and Elaine was great - gentle and professional, I would give her four or five stars - and so I came back.

Then today I had Kathy (Thao), who I would give one or two stars, because the experience was genuinely distressing. She could not understand what I was saying. She kept buffing my skin until it hurt despite asking her to stop multiple times and to not buff. She kept creating hang nails and then tugging them off when I asked her to cut the sharp edges off of my nails, and the hang nails made my toes hurt. I tried to show her what I was asking for and would have demonstrated but she was defensive and wouldn’t let me touch any of the tools, and didn’t understand enough to get what I was saying.

Then she only put the scrub on the front part of my legs rather than all the way around, and the massage was less than a minute long, totally half hearted and didn’t even really cover my feet. She kept massaging my bones instead of muscle. Her finger nails were super long and sharp through her gloves which was painful - I told her that but she didn’t understand me and just kept laughing and calling me ticklish.

Usually the door is open but today the salon was hot with poor ventilation on an already very warm day- I asked a couple times if they could turn down the AC and the manager just smiled and ignored me while doing her own nails. The chairs are small to fit in as many people as possible so it was kind of cramped, and none of them are real massage chairs, they just vibrate.

What was supposed to be a relaxing self care treat ended up being stressful, and I’ll have to redo my own nails to cut them properly so they stop hurting. I feel...

I have been coming here for four months and had a great experience each time. Jenny always asks how I want my hairstyle to be like and does an amazing job on it. She's really thoughtful compared to other hairdressers that I'd gone to. I have a fine hair that I seldom found a hairdresser that able to make a good style out of it, but Jenny does a pretty amazing job. She's more like an artist and she loves what she does. She told me a month before that it is time for my hair to get a new style. And she said she'll think carefully about it before the following month. A month later I came back, and she gave me an incredible new look. My first time coming to Retreat Salon is to cut off my old dyed hair. Beside of doing my request, Jenny shared some tips on how to take a good care of my hair. She answered every question in a friendly manner. I keep coming back since that first experience in the salon. She does every service perfectly and keep delivering a great outcome. Every time I come to this salon I feel like having a personalized service because most of the time Jenny remember my hair condition. The place is beautiful, smells nice, and has a comforting ambiance. In short, I'm totally satisfied with Retreat Salon. The fare for each service is less than other salons, but the service is much better. There's a cute little dog in the salon too, I find it relaxing and...

READ THIS REVIEW :) Retreat Salon is the ONLY nail salon I will go to! I fell head over pretty heels for this salon after my first trip here. I've been loyal since. It's the perfect getaway tucked into downtown Redwood City.

Firstly, Jenny is the QUEEN of nail designs. I go monthly for pedicures and she always perfects my pedis with beautiful details and designs. I absolutely love my time spent with her. She's very skilled at what she does and has such a lovely spirit. She's made my toes look so pretty I've developed a foot fan club on social media. Hey, SLAY!

ALL ARE WELCOME HERE. I am openly transgender and visibly non conforming. They treat me with respect and complete acceptance. This salon is very LGBTQ+ friendly! This is so important and not easy to find on the Peninsula.

They offer multiple services like hair, waxing, nails, makeup, etc. and have cruelty free + vegan polishes and product options. The salon is GORGEOUS! Think: comfy luxurious chairs, big screen TVs streaming happy music, chandeliers, a posh waiting room area, fantastic florals, beverages for customers and an overall "YOU WILL BE TAKEN CARE OF HERE" vibe. They also won't rush you during your services.

There's a parking garage very close by or street parking if you're lucky. I recommend calling for an appointment because spots fill up fast. Ask for Jenny, you'll...