THE PAINTBOX STUDIO — Local services in Tampa

Self care day gone terribly wrong due to nasty owner, her prejudices and her minion’s.

Basically I sat down, they told me after I sat down that I have to pay $60 to take off a previous Russian manicure. Nail tech had started my nails, then she cut them short after months of them long…then told me to leave and called the police bc she didn’t want me in her salon bc I asked a question …

I have never dealt with mean adult women and I would not go here unless you want to start your self care day in tears, drama, and police. Everything involving the booking of this self care day felt off from the beginning.

I can’t be bothered to support this mean spirited studio after they told me to leave and called the police because I asked a question regarding a hidden charge they got extremely defensive over. The level of confusion was real. I have never dealt with any treatment like this in any high end, professional salon, EVER. I’ve gone to high end hair and nail salons for most of my life growing up right outside of NYC. Never have I ever been greeted or spoken to so disrespectfully and unkindly within less than 15 minutes of sitting in anyone’s chair.

This was also during the week of the election. When women should have been supporting other women, not pulling them down and making them feel uncomfortable and unwelcome.

This encounter started by the 100 text messages exchanged to book a simple mani + pedi.

I moved to Tampa not too long ago. I found a Russian style salon that I had been going to however I had forgotten to make an appointment weeks in advance, leaving me on the cancellation list.

I had an event this weekend so I decided I’ll give another place a try.

It took much effort to book with them. Back and forth IG convos with hidden under tones that were just strange. I finally called bc I was just tired of the messages back and forth.

I asked if they would be able to fix ONE broken nail. By the time I arrived, I had two. It was told to me that this was a huge problem. As well as that they do not take referrals from other nail studios.

The issue here is with the greedy owner and her very rude minion, who kept rudely calling me “inappropriate” for asking a question about a SIXTY DOLLAR CHARGE SHE NEVER DISCLOSED. Turns out she was the lady behind the IG messages.

Btw the nail tech I had was sweet as could be. Apologizing for the hidden charge and the fact that she cut the length of all my nails.

The owner, her sidekick, the vibe in this place is not a welcoming one! I’ve been in fully Russian staffed salons and I’d rather go there than ever deal with their unprofessionalism and rude nature. It was honestly just uncalled for.

I hope this stops them from doing this to another young girl who just moved to a brand new city. The way they treat new customers is not okay by any means. The owner was so offended I was surprised by a $60 charge to take off the...

TLDR: Your cuticles and nails will look wonderful when you walk out of the door, but will not last.

The cleanliness and attention to detail at this salon is wonderful. I initially went in despite the high prices because I thought the cuticle work was worth it. My nails and cuticles looked great walking out but I wash my hands often and even with applying cuticle oil throughout the day my cuticles returned back to normal after about a week.

I booked again thinking it was just a fluke or maybe it was a maintenance issue. The same thing happened and my polish began chipping within a week. For reference a normal manicure for me lasts 2-3 weeks without chipping.

I also think it is a bit odd that you have to decide the details of your manicure when booking (which usually occurs days if not weeks out). If you book a regular manicure you are limited to certain nude colors and if you want a different color they have to see if they can accommodate you time wise and any changes usually come with additional costs. I went in and asked if it was possible to do a french manicure when I had booked a regular manicure and on top of the $20 fee it was also a very big deal. By the time I left the salon I had spent triple the cost ($300) on a manicure and pedicure that, although very good, was not 3x better and did not last 3x longer than most other salons I've been to.

I think its a nice experience for a special occasion and I'd give 5 stars if I had written this right after walking out, but 1 star for the durability. Price is subjective so I tried to keep that out of the star rating, but personally I don't feel the results or experience support the prices.

I have not booked with a master level artist which seems to be where a lot of the 5 star reviews focus. When I booked in the past they are usually booked out and more expensive but maybe this is where...

I’m sorry to have to write this negative review because I do think this studio provides good service but their inconsistency and inability to keep appointments time after time warrants this. And this may just be with the emerging artist HANNAH, management should step in and handle that.

Earlier this year probably around the end of March/beginning of April. I made an appointment for a Russian Manicure with Hannah for the Wednesday May 22nd. On April 30th the studio contacted me saying there was a “glitch in the system” and Hannah is usually off on Wednesdays asking me to reschedule. Due to work and travel constraints my only availability was for that Wednesday. After a bunch of back and forth Hannah reluctantly agreed to come in on that Wednesday only for her cancel on me literally THE WEEK BEFORE leaving me with no choice but to book with the owner and having to pay almost 3x as much and wasn’t even offered any sort of discount/accomodation for the hassle and inconvenience.

Despite this I gave her another chance because I thought it was a one off incident. I ended up getting another manicure with Hannah and went on to make another appointment for a Mani/Pedi with her on Friday July 19th. I get a call TODAY from the studio saying Hannah has to “suddenly move and she needs next weekend to do that”. I cut the receptionist off and told her to cancel my appointments.

It’s frustrating when you finally find a company that you can appreciate but the technician you book with is flaky, rescheduling they offer is never convenient and you’re left scrambling to find...