320 Central Nails — Local services in Saint Petersburg

i went to paint for the first time for a full gel set, and although the shop was aesthetic, i was so disappointed. i got there at 6:48pm, and initially needed a my nails and feet done, but i was told i’d only have time for one or the other, because they take their last appointments at 7:15— disappointing, but i understand.

when it came to my nails, i was initially going to get a solid color to be safe, but the receptionist told me that my tech is really good at designs, and that i’d have plenty of time for my nails. so i picked a design— 8 of my fingers with a simple french, and 2 fingers with a 3d flower (inspo pictured). i asked the tech multiple times if it was something she was comfortable with— and it’s completely okay if not, because i could just get a solid color, no problem. she insisted that she could do it, she was confident. and although she was really sweet, she was obviously inexperienced.

i was told to pay before the service was completed, so that the receptionist could leave before close— having no clue what my finished nails looked like. i complied without complaint, because i understood that i came later than they would’ve preferred, but i was so unhappy with the finished product. my simple french was so lopsided, there was no base color, and my simple flower looked like a lopsided starfish— and it was $109, without the tip included, for just my nails. i was so upset, i paid so much money for a service i wasn’t happy with, when i specifically asked if the design was something they were comfortable with. if leaving on time was a concern, i would’ve opted for the simple solid coat, like i initially planned— i have no problem being serviced by people who are learning, but i do wish there was more transparency, and that the service was priced accordingly. i wish i would’ve stood up for myself and said that i would pay after the service was completed, because at least then, i would’ve made sure i was happy with my nails before leaving. i’ll be out of the country for 9 days, so i don’t have the time or the chance to get it rectified.

Editing to add that within 12 hours, without even a full day passing or making it to my trip, a nail popped off....

So last weekend I came to this salon for the very first time to try them out. And honestly my overall experience I really wasn't that impressed. I'm not here to bash any businesses because I believe there is always room for improvements. The salon looked real nice and clean and the staff there were very sweet. However I think some of the techs there really needs more training to work on managing their timing when doing certain services. My appt was at 3PM I came in there and requested a very simple gel polish change (not a full manicure) and had some very easy simple halloween designs painted on all 10 fingers. Now for that kind of service it should really NOT take more than an hour to do, and I was kind of hoping and expecting that I'd be done in an hr because I had another appt I needed to be at by 5pm.. Because the way I want my nails done I have been to many other nail salons before where they were super fast and I would always be done at a very good time. The technician that took care of me took nearly an HOUR just to have my nails filed down and wrapped!! an hour?!! And that was just the first step. When usually it takes less than five minutes to have all 10 fingers wrapped and soaked. Then when it came time to start removing the gel she clipped and filed my nails so slow I noticed I was running out of time because it was now 4:15 and we haven't gotten to the painting part yet. And when we finally got to the painting I noticed how even slower she was doing it too, so if she was slow at painting then I know for sure she would be just as slow for the designs. It was now 4:40pm and I was already getting impatient and irritated I kindly told the technician to just leave everything else plain cuz I was running late for my next appt, so I ended up leaving with only 4 nails designed instead of 10. (oh yes, and only 2 days later the shine from the gel was already dulled out. -_- ) Very...

Ok, I'm going to keep this sound as nicely as possible, but I'm sorry, this place has inexperienced nail techs!! I tried giving this place two tries and both times I was very disappointed. I recently just moved to downtown st pete a month ago and I was very happy that there was a nail salon literally around the corner from where I live! Not only did the place looked super cute but the staff there was very sweet and accomodating! The first time I came I just needed a gel manicure and it took almost 3 hrs!! It took her awhile to soak off my old gel that I previous had on, and it looked like she was afraid to cut my cuticles so she barely trimmed any of them off, and her painting was very uneven, some even leaked on to the skin and she couldn't fix it cause the gel had already been cured, and then she barely massaged me at the end. She just literally dabbed a little lotion on both my hands and just spread it around... and for what they charged me when I was finished I did not think I got my money's worth. And then just 3 days later 2 of my fingers chipped. I'm not the type to complain so I just let it go but wanted to give this place another try because I believe in 2nd chances. The second time I went back I got a different girl and this time instead of the full manicure (because of my experience the first time) I just wanted a simple gel polish change and this time I wanted french instead of a solid color (which I thought would be easier for them to do)... it took 1.5 hrs... -_- thats almost 2 hours AND my nails had no gel on prior so there was no need for a gel removal step. This service should've only take no longer than 20 to 25 mins to do. The white tips were uneven and on some of my nails the gel looked kinda lumpy on some of my fingers. I give up, guess I'll just have search for another salon...