Ashby Nails

Been looking for a good nail shop around Berkeley and this is it! Went for a full and did the shape I wanted perfectly and my nails look painted well. Everything you could ask for at a decent price !

I went here because it’s close to my house. But take the extra time to go somewhere else. The lady that did my nails rushed on my nails and in the process continue to drill on my cuticles to the point I said ouch. In addition to that the paint job that was done looked horrible. I got shellac or as they would put it «gel».
Someone else did my feet and I don’t remember her name but she was nice and massaged good. But my issue with that was the next day the shellac was chipping on my toes and one of my nails on my hand. Smh. I was so disappointed. I’ve never experienced anything like this. I moved here from east coast and I know good quality nail techs as well as quality nail polish. Awful experience!

Emily is so sweet and efficient. My nails look elegant and classy. I will be back. She made me feel comfortable and eased my anxiety about my nail issues I am having (breaking). I will definitely be back. Gel fill was $ 25.

So I’m not New to Ashby Nails I use too go there every two weeks when I lived in the east bay. I love Jack he hooked up my designs. This time jack or Emily were not there so I got a young lady to do my gel nail and she did a great job with me. My first time back in three years and I’m ready to make them home again because the nail shops in concord are not up to par. Only downside is that there’s no parking and they over book them selfs.

They take an extremely long time. I called to see I could come in and they said yes. So I came in and I had to leave cause they had me waiting too long

Not sure why they have so many low reviews but this place is exactly what you would expect. It’s not super pricey BUT it’s clean and I always get a good manicure. I find my nails chip no matter where I get them done if I don’t let them sit untouched for 30 minutes. Just a little tip! Will be back!

Bad service. Had to keep pointing out mistakes being ignored on mani and pedi. Very annoyed when I did so. Didn’t ask about what shape or if I wanted nails cut down. Very cold personalities and uninviting. They did however stay late to accommodate me and my friends and that was very nice of them. However if you don’t want to stay late you have the option not to do so.

I waited 2 hours for one nail to be fixed!!! Yes Emily can do nails, but do you really want to waste your whole day at the nail shop??? While she lets everybody get in front of you?!!

I’ve been looking for a good place to get my nails done. After reading reviews I decided to check it out myself. I was patient and waited 30 – 40 minutes. First I was told to pick a color (by the way she changed bc SHE thought there was a better match for my toes-​WRONG). It was rushed and my nails didn’t last 2 days. I chose gel for a reason. I doubt I will give them another try.

This place is almost always packed. Emily and Kim are the two to go to. I won’t let anyone else do my hand nails. I don’t really care who does my toes. But it’s usually them two.
I can’t say enough kind words for these two. They listen to what you want and they do it. If you have a broken nail or a nail is lifting they will fix it with no problem.

Very professional, on time, and did a great mani pedi. very cheap!

I had been here a few others times beforecand had good experiences. But today totally ruined it for me. I went in and got a pedicure and a gel manicure. Now the thing with gel is its not supposed to chip for 2 weeks. I used to get gel when I worked with kids and it held up great for up to a month at a time. Well today on my day off I haven’t done much but relax. And 2 of my nails have already chipped at the tip and of course on the two nails she had to fix twice. I won’t be going here again except to have them fim my nails on Sunday.

I went in and got a mani pedi! Great as always!!! Amazing job and emily and her staff is super sweet and patient!

This nail salon is in my South Berkeley ‘hood so the location is very convenient. The prices are great too ($ 30 for mani/​pedi). I’ve been going there a while now and the women are *finally* starting to warm up to me. The first few times I went there, all I got were stone cold stares and a brusque greeting. Now they sometimes smile a bit and the greeting is more welcoming.
It’s located right across from Ashby BART and the foot traffic seems to have a lot of meth-​heads/​alcoholics/​homeless people. They leave a door open for ventilation so you hear people walking by arguing loudly — or have angry people on drugs walk into the shop screaming. I was very nervous because my car was parked right outside and I was hoping I wasn’t gonna come out to a broken window.
The customers can be characters too. They come from all walks of life. One girl was getting a Brazilian wax in the back room, and she was screaming bloody murder. I thought Dexter had her in his kill room. She was begging for the person working on her to stop and eventually came out with a tear streaked face. YIKES.
But… I digress. They do a GREAT job with my ragged cuticles and give fantastic arm and calf massages. I feel they do a very thorough job with my mani/​pedis, though their nail color selections could be better. It seems to be decently clean too. And they have massage chairs that are soooo relaxing. Ahhhh…
All in all, it’s a solid 4 star place. It’s not luxurious by any means and the location is dicey, but I’ll continue to be a regular.

To be honest, I only want to write good reviews because it feels rude to slam a business on Unilocal.But… they cut my cuticles. The acrylic was chipping quickly. Service was rushed. Employees weren’t super friendly. Someone sushed me and my friend– not the place to go if you’d like to have a relaxing day with your girls

HORRIBLE!
They don’t even deserve a single star
She cut my cuticles WITHOUT SOAKING THEM — no one ever does that
I got a full set and when the woman was applying the acrylic my thumb was burning!
It seems she didn’t apply enough of the protective coating that’s applied beforehand.
That has never happened to me and I’ve been getting my nails done since I was 16!
(I’m 34)
Right after she finished the fake nails felt super weak.
And now a week and a half later there’s some air pockets at the base of my nails as if they’re going to pop off soon.
Cheap prices sure… But SO NOT worth it!

Emily does a good job on eyebrows — they always look good.
She isn’t the friendliest, but I don’t care bc she knows what she’s doing.
I’ve never gotten anything else done there, just not my atmosphere.

Just got my nails and feet done today and they were excellent its not an upscale salon but their work is very up to par very clean up to date on the latest nail trends they did a good job Emily is great and jack is my favorite

I come to this salon when I am having a bad week as it is in my neighborhood and close to BART – it is good to have someone else take care of you and just listen in on what the other customers might be discussing. No matter your background, education, race, or religion, for some reason there is something incredibly humbling about going to any sort of beauty shop that allows people to share across all lines. It could be that you have only half a weave in, or your shellac has been scraped back, or that others can see how gnarly your cuticles get after a few weeks – but it humanizes even the most posh. It reminds us we are all worthy of taking care of ourselves. The clientele here are priceless for their candor and sense of humor and their amazing life experience. We may not share all the same political views, but we are all lady enough to find common ground upon which to stand together.
Anyhow, I digress, but that is one of the many thoughts that meander in and out of my head as I sit in my spa chair waiting for someone to finally get to me. I think the worst thing about this salon is the god-​awful wait and the lack of the staff to keep their appointments properly. It’s almost like walk-​ins get priority at times. Emily is very nice and is awesome at doing nails, gels, etc, but I have to say the level of sanitation here is probably a bit shocking. I’ve seen emery boards being reused on other clients and that just completely squicked me out. If you can, bring in your own supplies – just for your peace of mind.
I think if they got a website and an appointment booking system it would be a tremendously helpful change. I also wish their floors weren’t carpeted since I shudder to think what is in there and when the last time it was that they’d steamed it. The place also suffers from the worst ventilation ever and it makes me worry for the staff.
Aside from that, the prices here are the best in Berkeley. Nice ladies, just wish it was cleaner and less wait time. I’d pay more for cleaner facilities with wood/​lam flooring and just to know that when I say I have a 4 pm appointment, that I actually will have a chair waiting for me when I get in.

The best prices in Berkeley, hands down. Couldn’t find a price/​services list online so I took some pics and posted for ya.
They’re open on Mondays (when most salons are closed) and they stay open till 7pm every night.
Dig it.