Paradise Salon & Spa

I have been going to Paradise for different services over the last 10 years at least. I have had Brazilian waxes, eyebrow waxes, massages, highlights, haircuts, facials, and pedicures. I have never ever experienced nor observed any of the negative reviewers’ issues. They did change locations a few years back and the new space has great rooms for massages, waxes, etc. I have never experienced any of the staff being less than professional. I love the place and that’s why I return every 6 – 8 weeks for pedicures & brow waxing.

I have been a customer at this salon for the past year. During this time I have had numerous services done including waxing and mani/​pedis. Everyone I have encountered is very professional and friendly. Waxing is a very personal thing and I was made to feel very comfortable. I would highly recommend this salon.

I had a gift certificate (tip included) here for my birthday. I don’t know how you’re treated when you walk in without a pre-​paid day but I’d say the highlight of my time there was the cheerful red-​head who greeted me (and the only reason why there are two stars and not one). I had a good massage, I’ll admit, and appreciated that I didn’t have facial products forced upon me. The lunch selections where slim pickings, and I was given a handful of outdated magazines. I ate quickly, in silence, and sat there until my manicure. My manicurist (I don’t know her name) was pleasant enough, but after a 30 second soak in lukewarm water, we went straight to painting. No shaping, no cuticle care – nothing. My paint job left a lot to be desired – like, a lot. She smudged the nail polish with her finger, looked at it, then continued to paint. And this was not a small smudge – it was an eye sore. After she put on the top coat, complete with fuzz sticking to my pinkie finger, she got up and left. She said nothing to me, and I sat there for 10 minutes with no one up front. I had no idea if I was even done, I mean, there was a huge smudge in my finger nail! After another 5 minutes, I left my cold cup of coffee on the table and quietly left. No goodbye. No «what do you think». Nothing. I nearly thought they had closed without telling me! Within 20 minutes, I had removed the nail polish and performed my own manicure. I didn’t have the heart to tell my husband, who was so proud of his gift, that I had to paint my own nails. I’m not sure if the tip being included or my prepaid visit made me less important of a customer, but it was someone’s hard-​earned money that went into that gift. Needless to say, I would not recommend this place. And I’d be hard pressed to want to return.

WORST MANICURE EVER!
I was in town and desperately needed to get my nails re-​done and was thrilled that they could squeeze me in. I was a bit concerned when I arrived and the manicurist was not friendly, but I just figured that could be blamed on the fact that it was morning. She proceeded to rush through removing my polish, never soaked my hands (she claimed the soaking effected the polish sticking even though any other salon does it), dry cut my cuticles roughly and never massaged or lotioned my hands. She seemed very rushed and I will never return. It was overpriced considering the location, but especially considering the terrible service. There must be a better local salon. Otherwise I would recommend finding a friend or doing your own!

I was visiting friends in the area and was in desperate need of having my shellac manicure re-​done. I has happy to find that Paradise had a last minute appointment for me, and I met with Brenda. Brenda told me that there was a small fee to soak off the shellac I already had on because I had it done elsewhere. This was ok with me because I know my salon back at home also charges for the soak off if done elsewhere.
Brenda soaked my nails and then while scraping off the shellac, she also barely clipped my cuticles. This was odd to me, I never had my cuticles clipped dry. She shaped, and buffed my nails and proceeded directly to painting. And that was it. I didn’t get a soak. I didn’t get lotion. I didn’t even get the opportunity to WASH my hands after soaking in acetone for 15 minutes.
What I DID get was a sloppy paint job (lots of paint around the nail, and HAIR embedded in one of the nails), dried out hands, and a $ 47 bill for this privilege!
$ 47 in central Maine for a jacked up manicure is ABSURD. I asked the girl at the desk how much the soak off was. «$ 10,» she replied, sweetly. My salon (in a Boston suburb) charges $ 5, and $ 30 for a shellac manicure — including a soak and lotioned massage.
If you folks in Maine consider THIS to be a quality service, you are being duped.
Overall, all I got was a WAY overpriced polish change.

Although I wrote a less than glowing review of this place a while ago– they have undergone some changes in staffing and location, and now my opinion has changed!
I started going here after being very unimpressed with my current strip mall nail place, and am so happy with my choice. The service is incredible, and I feel valued and appreciated as a customer, and my nails turn out wonderful. Before, I felt that my time was taken advantage of, and my gel nails were breaking and shattering every month. At Paradise, Chelsea does an incredible job every time, and we laugh and talk the entire time. I consider these ladies friends at this point!
I also highly recommend Dani for a massage as a splurge. just when I thought I was not physically able to ever relax anymore, I was shown otherwise.
The other small thing that really makes a difference, is unlike the salon I go to for my hair, you can put gratuity on your credit card, which makes my life so much easier when I don’t have to remember to pick up cash before my appointments!

Very professional waxing service. Brenda is quick and thorough. Very reasonable pricing.