The Lullabar — Restaurant in Carlsbad

I just had a terrible experience.

I came here for a mani pedi. I was asked to sit down & wait. There was one tech finishing up with a lady. I sat there for 20 min & walked up the front counter to ask if that was my technician or if another lady was coming in. She told me that was my tech & said she would go in to ask how much longer it would be. I told her that was not necessary as I didn’t want to come off as I was bothered, I was simply trying to understand if I was waiting for her to finish or if I was waiting for another tech to show up.

She confirmed that was my tech. I told her no problem & went to sit back inside the salon.

A few moments later, The front desk lady came in asking for an “ETA?” to the tech. “I’m done right now!” The tech said.

Even though she was 30 min late, I was just happy to be there in a relaxing space focusing on wellness.

I’m going through IVF at the moment and needed some peace and quiet. We were the only two people in the salon so that added to the nice ambience.

The pedi started, and about 20 min in, a little girl came into the salon talking loudly and walking around for a few minutes before Her mom (the front desk lady) came in and told her to be quiet as the “lady needs her peace and quiet”. A few min later they came back into the salon looking for nail polish, and her mom told her she would paint her nails. They were whispering really loudly but I didn’t mind because I thought they would be leaving soon after picking a color.

My tech was hurting me a little with the wide nail clippers so I asked her to use the thinner ones and remove most of the white parts of my nail. She responded with “if I do that it’ll make you bleed”. I responded by saying “well I don’t want you to make me bleed, I just want my nails cut shorter than they are.”

The mom lady then went & sat down at the salon table with her daughter and they continued to talk in a loud whisper as she prepared to paint her nails. I quietly asked my tech, “isn’t this supposed to be a quiet relaxing area without children?”

The mom lady heard me & piped up slightly agitated to ask “What did you ask? A space without what?!”

I repeated myself in a calm manner, “ isn’t this supposed to be a quiet relaxing space without children around?”

“No. This is an all inclusive establishment, for families. We cater to all mothers and parents here.” She said, obviously perturbed.

“But I thought this was a space to relax and that’s why you have childcare next door.”

“No. Mothers breast feed their babies in here. Mothers bring their children in here. We are a family establishment.”

At this point she was clearly irritated with my question and started picking up all the nail polish stuff and said “but if this bothers you than I’m more than happy to move. But thanks for being so kind.”

“What??” I asked, completely baffled by her attitude towards me.

“Thanks for being kind” she repeated.

“”Please don’t be sarcastic with me? I was just asking a question.” Shocked by her blatant disregard for my wellbeing.

“Oh I’m not being sarcastic, I meant it when I said thank you for being so kind.” She said as she walked out of the salon with her daughter.

I was shocked, I told my tech, “I’m going through IVF right now and dealing with a lot.. I don’t need this sarcasm, i came here to relax and have peace, a moment to myself. This is now a stressful situation”

A min later the lady came back into the salon and said “we’re going to refund you and ask you to leave. I think you should find a different establishment to go to. This one is not right for you.”

“Wow. This is outrageous. Who is the manager?”

“I am.” She stated.

“And who is above you?” I asked.

“The owners.”

I packed my stuff and walked out. She was sitting at the front counter. I asked her how can I complain to the owners. She said, “they’ll call you, I’m not giving out their personal information”.

“I never asked for that, but is there an email?”

“I’ll write down the salon phone number. We’ll refund you. Bye. Thanks for being so...

I’ve been here twice during their opening week for 2 different workshops - Dance With Baby and Postpartum Pelvis 101! DWB was so relaxing and laid back, the mom group and the teacher Julia were lovely…several of the babies were snoozing by the end. It was wonderful to connect and relate with the moms in the class, & meet their adorable little ones! I’ve danced my baby to sleep several times since, she loves it. Don’t sleep on the Postpartum Pelvis 101 workshop, pelvic therapy is great for pregnancy through postpartum! Dr. Jenny was so insightful, knowledgeable and empathetic. I was struggling to find a pelvic floor therapist, and I left the class feeling reassured & informed, with a handful of techniques and exercises to help rebuild core strength at home. The facility itself is gorgeous and well thought-out, from the soothing and pretty color palette, to the fun mix of goods to shop from, to the airy vacation-vibes cafe space (strawberry matcha is a delight!). There was even a little “stroller parking” zone, and the bathrooms are so well appointed with caregivers and little ones in mind. Edit to add: the Lullabar team are so sweet, both at the front desk and at the cafe! Check-in was smooth and Chanel was so sweet & friendly. I was preoccupied with baby and didn’t realize my drink was done - it had been sitting out and the baristas kindly offered to make a fresh one for me after my workshop since it was about to start. I look forward to coming back and trying other workshops, there are a wide and interesting variety available (would love to see a yoga with...

UPDATE: They let go their best Nail Tech. Remember when I said their business practices are weird? This is a great example of that. I will not be going back.

Christina is magic. The 5-star rating is for her (and the friendly front-desk staff). Since I have been seeing her regularly for manicures, my nail plates are healing. I have been to other nail techs in the past for manicures and all I can say is her 13 years experience and dedication to the best practices in her field makes a difference. My hands have never looked better...HOWEVER, I never would have discovered Christina or the Lullabar if I hadn't physically walked by. I had been on their website earlier and found it extremely confusing, with only 4 options for bookable appt times each day. Further, all their marketing is aimed at moms and I was actually confused, thinking they only offered services for moms... I was shopping nearby one day and decided to just walk in and ask if I could get a manicure and they set me straight; that they welcome anyone. Tipping is a bit weird (it's not easy for them to let me add a tip on my credit card) and they also want me to pay for the service at the time I make the appt, not on the day of service - though I did ask if we could change this to charge me on the day of service instead and they let me. So I'd say the business practice is a bit weird, but the front desk staff try to accommodate. Finally the cafe is overpriced, though the food is yummy. If it weren't for Christina, I'd probably give a 2- or 3-...