Gloss Bar Nails & HeadSpa — Local services in Washington

I have been going to another nail salon for gel manicures for nearly a decade, but they were booked solid. With an event coming up, I made a reservation with gloss bar based on positive reviews online. This review is based on my experience and expectations of high quality manicures. The salon experience is highly typical of any plain vanilla high volume nail salon. For the base price of the manicure, I would expect something more upscale. The hygiene of the place is moderate. There was no evidence that the tools were sanitized between uses, but also no evidence that they weren’t either. I neede my gel removed and the manicurist was extremely aggressive with the dremel despite my insistence that we use a gentler approach. I flagged that I have been building up my nail strength for a while and was worried about the nail bed / thinning the nails. She brushed it off and acted annoyed by my request. Then, she asked how to shape my nails - I said rounded - she proceeded to cut half the length and file them asymmetrically. I pointed to two nails that were not shaped well and again, she acted annoyed but tried to fix the shape only to make it worse. My two pointer fingers now had a point with a deep angle next to the cuticle. It gets worse. They do not use quality gel product lines, which I only discovered after choosing my color from the selector kit. I should have walked at this point but figured it couldn’t hurt to just have my nails covered. From here, she didn’t cure the nails for the proper time, sometimes pulling my hands out too soon even though I aksed shouldn’t I stay under longer. She didn’t evenly cover the nail and when I pointed it out she just added more material but not evenly. She didn’t take care to avoid the cuticles or clean up excess. And finally, their board says all manicures come with a hand treatment, which I wasn’t offered. I should have raised the flag right there, but felt like I just needed to be done. Now it’s a few days later and either the costs have peeled or chipped, or nails are actually breaking / cracking. So all the nail building, length care etc is completely wasted and I’m starting from scratch. To say this is the worst manicure is an understatement. I’m surprised by the positive reviews and perhaps I just pulled the short straw. But, from what I watched around the salon I think that most patrons are paying a lot for bad manis that are damaging their nails without knowing what a good one is really like. Save your money and go elsewhere. I do hope that the owners read this and improve the service and retrain the staff. The location is great and they certainly could improve if they just addressed these quality and service components… and using better quality...

I went to gloss bar on Nov 11, 2021 for my third experience and last experience. The first experience was in September as my regular nail tech had major surgery. The first time I came I was told another individual would perform my pedicure, I declined and asked if the same technician could work on my toes. Apparently Bella was upset because I wanted three coats of OPI nail polish that I brought instead of 2. My next visit I was serviced by Emma who complained because I wanted three coats as well. I realized during my visit the technicians treated the black customers differently than the white ones. Both visits white women were offered complimentary drinks and not once was I or another woman of color was offered anything. I attempted to make another appointment because my original technician is still recovering and was told I am blocked because it takes two hours to complete my service, they are commission based and unable to service me. The irony behind this statement makes me wonder why. I am paying for a service, and because my expectation is to receive what I’m paying for it is frowned upon. Not once did I see or hear the technicians speak in their native language when a white woman asked them to fix her nail but it’s a huge Hangup when a black one does? As I thought my mind was playing tricks on me I turned on my translator the last visit and the words popped up as to what they were saying about me. In this review, why would I return—because it’s in walking distance of my home. I am not upset of the block, I hope in reading this the management takes into respect you are centered in a well diverse neighborhood and you should treat all with the same respect and courtesy. Also when paying for a service, you expect it to be done correct and without needing any...

I recently had my nails done at this salon because I have heard amazing things about it. My technician was named Henry. Throughout the appointment, Henry complimented me repeatedly (seven or eight times), continuously stating how pretty I was- which of course is very kind and I would not think too much of it, until after one of his compliments, he commented on my engagement ring. He mentioned something about leaving my fiancé, and then whispered something under his mask that I couldn’t fully make out stating “Do me a favor when you get home…” I was trying to ask him to repeat himself but he immediately stopped talking as soon as another female nail tech sat next to us. Whatever he said, this situation felt a little unprofessional and left me a bit uneasy.

In terms of the actual nail work, I asked for pink builder gel with chrome. When I reminded him towards the end of the appointment that I wanted chrome, he seemed unsure of the process to apply it and had to ask someone else for help—which I don’t mind of course- but he may have done it incorrectly, as the chrome started peeling off after only two days. All of the chrome on my R hand peeled off in less than a week.

I honestly wasn’t going to leave a review until today, when I went to a different salon to get my nails done. When they removed the builder gel, they pointed out significant damage to my natural nail beds, from the way they Henry drilled too harshly.

I don’t usually leave reviews, but I wanted to share this so others can make informed decisions. Again, I have heard incredible things about this salon and am sure the other technicians are just as great as they sound. Unfortunately, I would not recommend Henry. I hope this feedback is helpful for the salon in terms of training and...