San Diego Nail Lounge — Local services in San Diego

Man I really struggle with nail salons with their upselling. This place was no different.

I came in for a pedicure and decided last minute to get acrylics as well since I was short on time and wouldn’t be able to visit my trusted nail tech on the other side of town. They kindly accommodated my request and performed the services at the same time even though I was walk in. The technician assigned to my nails asked me whether I want gel - I very firmly said no and asked for acrylics.

I asked for a milky white for both my nails and my toes. The color the technician assigned to my feet showed me a color that’s nearly translucent - I literally couldn’t even tell which nail she had applied it to - and tried to tell me it’s the “same color” as the photo I showed. Refer to my accompanying photos for reference; maybe after 37 coats it’ll be the “same color”?? Like girl be forreal. I asked her for a more “pink” one that also ended up being nearly translucent before I finally rushedly settled for a solid baby pink (I hate it.)

I appreciate the technology - there are bills in the form of a receipt that state your service and the resulting price. I received my bill upon completing the service, expecting $50 for the acrylics and $35 for the pedicure. Much to my surprise, the bill says $70 for the acrylics. I’ll admit, I should have known better when she still pulled out the light for my hands but I honest to god do not know the difference between any of the services and assumed this was just something new to dry the nails faster. When I went to complain at the front desk, their “solutions” were:

[1] “You should have asked in the beginning that you wanted regular acrylics.” I THOUGHT I DID. And additionally - a decent person would ASK before beginning a service that is an increase of 40% in price from the original service !!!

[2] “We can file down the gel and apply the regular polish” (what kind of ‘solution’ is this?!! Waste MORE of everyone’s time?! Insanely inefficient and absolutely absurd)

[3] “We’ll give you 15% off” (they had already offered 10% off at the beginning for being a first time customer)

I will clarify that everyone was really nice otherwise, and quite calm while trying to “resolve” the situation - hence the 2 stars instead of just 1.

This is not a unique experience, unfortunately. I am just really frustrated at the dishonesty of the nail salon...

Update: I recently visited a salon that specializes in builder gel to fix these, and the experience helped me understand the difference in technique and product. It also took them twice as long to remove what I had on because there were several layers of mixed product, and even the tech wasn’t sure exactly what was used on me. Now that I’ve had builder gel applied correctly, I can see why mine had been lifting. For the same price, the new place did extremely detailed prep including cuticle removal and used true builder gel. It’s a totally different feel and application than what I’ve been getting done here. Just sharing in case it’s helpful for anyone specifically looking for that service.

I really hesitated to write this because I’ve had some great experiences here - especially with pedicures. The staff is always kind, and they’ve been accommodating when I’ve needed small fixes. That said, I wanted to share my experience in case anyone is considering builder gel specifically.

Over the last year, I’ve had consistent issues with my builder manicures - lifting well before two weeks, uneven edges, and messy French tips (even with the $10-15 add-on). Despite giving it 4–5 tries additional tries and communicating my issues, I’m really sad and disappointed that the quality hasn’t improved.

Twice I booked appointments with the more detail-focused tech they recommended, but still ended up with someone else when I arrived. At $75–85 before tip, it’s hard to justify continuing when the results don’t last and my natural nails end up exposed and damaged...

I recently took my wife here to celebrate our anniversary and we had a truly wonderful experience. She was getting hands and feet done and I got the "SD Love Yourself" with extra callous treatment.

The atmosphere was so relaxing and clean. Technicians were absolute gems! Not only did they listen carefully to what my wife wanted, but they also offered great advice that made the final result even better than she had imagined. I work a lot on my feet and have a lot of callouses, calluses, calli?? They were able to scrub and treat it so well my feet now feel like baby feet lol.

Highly recommend for anyone looking for top-notch service and luxurious experience. We definitely found our new go-to, and don't forget to ask what's chilled...