Nail Genie — Local services in Union City

Update: I've been a customer at Nail Genie for well over a decade. I've been bringing my daughter here also for the last 5 years consistently. The experience has been hit or miss, in terms of nail design execution and acrylic overlay application for both. You definitely can't rely on taking a picture of a design & expecting the nail technician to replicate it-- hit or miss for sure. Yet, I still tip my go-to technician Ivy generously pretty much every time. But today I'm updating my review because after leaving unhappy with the conversation & execution around my design the first time last week, I came back for the 3rd time to get it fixed, it started peeling. I had asked for the chrome to be 2 layers last week when I first got the design (chrome tip) but was told it wasn't possible & that black polish underneath only could make it darker. I was hesitant but followed my technician's recommendation. Today, I finally had the polish underneath taken off and insisted on 2 layers of chrome & it worked! It's darker, yet finally correct. I also had the nail shape fixed... The problem is that my nail technician charged me $30 for the nail color/design change! That's half of the base charge for a fill. I tipped my technician $20 for my hands the first time even though I was unsatisfied with the design. Charging me this much to fix something that she should've executed the first time how I requested is already unfair, but the price seems egregious & also unfair. But to make matters worse, my nail technician asked if I wanted to tip for the nail color/design change! I've already paid $100 for a design that still isn't executed exactly properly at this point. This isn't the first time I've been charged what seemed excessive to get my nail tip color changed after being unsatisfied with the original design/execution. So, this is a reminder that you get what you pay for at this salon-- regardless of how you tip or how long you've been a loyal customer. My daughter moved away yesterday, & I guess it's time to look for a new nail tech & salon maybe closer to home. 😣🥺

Previous: My girl Ivy cleaned up my old nails with a good ol' acetone soak, file, & new acrylic overlay. The design is pretty and screams "Summer". The basic pedi & sideburn/eyebrow wax were the icing on the cake today. So I'm...

I went in for a gel mani and a regular pedi on Dec 21st. I wanted the green cat eyes gel on my nails for Christmas. They wouldn't stop telling me it would look "so nice" on my toes if I did the same color and gel (figured I could politely say no twice but geez they wouldn't stop asking). I had considered it so I caved. I shouldn't have. When I was done and went to pay, they upped the charge of everything which was not what was written on the menu I was handed during my time there. There were many other people there getting nails done for Christmas so I did not make a scene. Gel mani pedi came out to 87 dollars! Paid and went on my way thinking this has to be the best mani pedi I have ever gotten. Well, a few days later, here I have my gel nails peeling off. I haven't done any of the holiday cleaning or cooking so it's not from hand wear and tear. I am so beyond disappointed in this because they claim it lasts two weeks (and as a regular gel mani customer, I assure you almost every other one I have gotten lasts at LEAST 2 weeks) and I paid more than what I would normally pay because I tried a new place closer to home. I would never go back here! The quality is terrible and I can't believe I paid for this. If I wasnt away for the holidays I would go back and have them fix it. Literally go to any other place except here....

For a $37 basic pedicure, I expected a thorough cleaning and scrubbing, but unfortunately, the salon fell short. Despite pointing out that my heels weren't adequately cleaned, they insisted on charging an additional $10 for calloused feet. The service felt rushed, with minimal effort beyond soaking, nail trimming, and painting. Basic should mean more than just wetting feet and trimming nails; removing dead skin from heels is essential. The entire service took less than 15 minutes, which was disappointing. I found myself spending more time on their massage while waiting for my nails to dry, which felt like a better use of my time and money. To provide more context, when you go for a body massage priced at $60, they typically provide a full 60 minutes of massage. I expect the same level of thoroughness and time allocation for the price charged by any salon.

There are other salons in the neighborhood where I've received similar or even better service for a $25 pedicure. Considering this, it makes me question where I would prefer to spend my money in the future.

While I understand certain limitations, such as not addressing callouses under toenails, the overall experience left much...