Nice Nails — Local services in Tucson

I went to Nice Nails to have my nails done as birthday self-treat. I've only ever done them at home for myself. I went around noon on a Monday. There were a couple other people receiving manicures, and another employee was performing odd tasks around the shop. I was greeted and then waited about 15 minutes in the waiting area. A guy came in the back door, and said something to an employee (everyone here speaks Vietnamese so I had no idea what they were saying), but whatever he said made her stop whatever she was doing and come to help me.

While I was waiting, the smells were pretty strong, but when I walked over to the booth, the smells were pretty much gone, so they seemed to have some method of air circulation.

I attempted to explain to the lady what I wanted done, but there was a massive communications barrier. Unfortunately, she cut my nails too short (and they were cut unevenly too). Then, she made me bleed when cutting my cuticles. I only learned later that I should have declined having my cuticles cut due to the possibility of infection. I was also surprised that she did not attempt to clean up my hangnails. Maybe that costs extra?

Since I had never done this before, I did not know how to use the gel lamp. She was not able to tell me what to do because she did not know enough English. She had to call over one of her coworkers to tell me how to activate the unit. This obviously won't be a concern for 99% of people, but it was frustrating for a newbie. I was there to relax.

She used O.P.I. products. First some alcohol, then chip skip, then a base coat, then a top coat (I did not get color).

I noticed that when she was painting my nails, she was having to dip quite often and was using a lot of strokes. When I do this myself, I tend to get air bubbles (usually it's because the polish is thick and running out). But, I figured, hey, these are professionals.. so I kept my mouth shut. Well, sure enough after she was done, there were air bubbles on almost every nail. That was disappointing! I brought up the bubbles, but she didn't seem to care (or she had no idea what I was saying). But my nails were super smooth and shiny, so that was great. She asked how I liked my nails. I wanted to say that I wanted her to redo them because of the bubbles everywhere, but I knew I didn't have time for that (this was during a lunch break).

She then massaged my hands and forearms with lotion. This was finally nice and relaxing, and probably the best part of the experience, funnily enough. However, I discovered after I left that the lotion had a noticeable smell. Ah well..

When it was time to pay, another employee ran my card. She did not ask me credit or debit, and stuck the pad at me and told me "enter your pin". I was about to tell her I wanted credit, but I didn't feel like arguing so I just did it.

I wasn't going to write a review, but it has been barely more than a week and the polish is already peeling off. I suspect it is because the polish was old and applied incorrectly.. same cause as the air bubbles.

So my $30 job lasted a week. I know I should have spoken up more, but still. So now my plan is to buy the LED gel lamp and do it myself. I bet I can do better than this lady, and the equipment will pay for itself after...

I was not too sure about coming here negative Yelp & Google reviews were poor but I took a chance to judge for myself.

Made a visit on Friday evening for a pedicure. The establishment was clean & there was parking right in front. It was not busy and staff greeted me as well as immediately accommodated my request. There appear to be enough nail stations and Pedicure Chairs to accommodate about 10 people each. Their cleaning products were stored in the back separated from everything else. The aroma of Vietnamese food met your nose the moment you walked in, the break room must have been tucked away in the back as you did not hear or see anyone eating as you often do in most nail salons. It was nicely tiled and the cabinets were beautiful oak wood. Next to my chair there was an oak cabinet with a variety of scrubs.

I hadn't had a pedicure since October 24th and my heels were bad...cracked & painful. The lady that took care of me had some difficulty understanding me as her English was very limited but after pointing to my heels she got the point.

The pedicure was pretty basic: hot soak, callous & dry skin removal, cuticle and toe nail clean up, massage with oil & lotion and polish. I did note they had an array of scrubs in a shelf but didn't know how to get those. I think a menu of services or pedicure options available would definitely be helpful. People love options! Because I did not know how to get the scrubs I docked one star.

I also have to give a special shout out to the customer service. Upon my arrival there was a lady sitting in the pedicure chair next to mine. Preparing my review, I noted that she had some physical disabilities the lady that took care of her was amazing. They obviously had built a rapport as the lady working on her asked about her family, her niece, her kids, and most importantly her health. It was a true genuine conversation that I was glad to have the opportunity to eavesdrop lol. The entire staff, went above and beyond their required or expected customer service duties by assisting this individual out of the chair comma into an upright position so that she could walk with her walker out of the establishment. For that, they are earned that...

I was pleasantly surprised when I called and they said they could get me in with Kim (who I'd been referred to) right now! It was the lunch hour. When I walked in I was quickly greeted by several employees- all friendly, pleasant with smiles! I have a Service Dog that accompanies me - despite the fact the he is hypo-allergenic, well behaved and Federal ADA Law allows me to bring him into almost any establishment - other nail places have frowned upon him, or had an obvious disapproving look when they see him. They welcomed him with open arms. The atmosphere was nice - no blaring TVs - some relaxing background music. The decor was nice and very clean. Kim did a wonderful job on my feet! They were in an unusually bad condition; neglected because I've been moving. She took her time and got them totally smooth. She focused all her attention on me, and was nice to visit with. I was a bit indicisive on which shade of red. She tried each shade on my toes and even suggested 2 more! Glad she did, I picked one of those. My toes look beautiful! And I'm SUPER PICKY...I have OCD. All the clients in there were happy, friendly - and seemed to be very happy with their nail tech and the service they were receiving. I'm definitely looking forward to my next...