Essential Nail Spa

Ms. Hong and her husband did a fantastic job on our pedicures. And we had a lot of entertainment while we were there! We felt VERY welcome — like we were part of the family — and we’d definitely recommend to anyone looking for some TLC.

I don’t know what it was but I loved Ms. Hong almost immediately. I stopped in because I had had a perfectly pleasant but ultimately terrible pedicure at a snooty country club spa two days earlier and I needed my polish changed. The salon is decorated to the hilt with zebra stripes, maneki neko shrines and more bottles of nail polish than you knew existed. If you ask Ms. Hong a little bit about her life, she might explain the zebra stripes.
Much of what other reviewers said is true, she did poop-​poop some of the polish colors I was considering. But you know what? I ended up with a beautiful color that I would never have chosen by myself. Was the salon a quiet, serene environment where all my troubles seemed far away? No, but I had some of the best conversation at a salon ever and laughed and hooted and shook my head at life with Ms. Hong and the other patrons.
Bottom line, if you think a good mani/​pedi needs to be performed in a perfectly manicured setting, by perfectly manicured people with a recording of chimes playing softly in the background, then this is not the place for you. If you have some time to kill, enjoy kibitzing with everyone from elderly Bosnian women to punky teenagers and are happy to let Ms. Hong ‘mom’ you for a while, then you will be glad you took a chance and ignored the negative reviews by negative nellies who aren’t smart enough to know when real life grabs them by the hand.

A very friendly busy place to come get your nails done

I’ve gone here twice for pedi’s and that was two times too many! The first time I went, I was new in town and needed to look good for some events coming up, but the average price in the area for *just* a pedicure seems to be ~$ 50 which is insane to me — I’m used to $ 20 for a mani-​pedi that’s excellent quality and $ 30 for a shellac mani-​pedi combo. I guess this city has a lesser demand for these services than most places… I don’t understand it. Anyways, at Essential Nail Spa, I think the normal price is $ 30 for just a pedicure which is closer to my budget and they fit me into their schedule on short notice, so I went —
The place is huge, but both times I went there the owner was the only one working while arguing and cursing at and about her teenage daughter who was throwing back terrible language. Her husband, whom she refers to as her «China-​man,» came in later and helped some, but everything he did was slap-​dash. The language and attitude is unbelievable and her un-​politically correct humor gets nauseating — just down right rude and not funny. She doesn’t let any customer get a word in and likes to dole out unsavory nicknames to her clients — even first-​timers! She works on two to 5 clients at a time and my second visit TOOK ALMOST FOUR HOURS!
So, the first time I went, she did a nice job, was friendly-​enough and it didn’t take all that long — like 1.25hrs and the price was baerable. The second time I brought my mom (who was visiting on vacation) and everything was worse and magnified and I felt Terrible for bringing her into this onslaught of vulgarity, ridicule, and poor taste — we weren’t even satisified with any step of the pedicure — our feet were sitting in cold cold water, she slathered on lotion sloppily and didn’t really massage either of us and she declared that my mom had an awful ingrown toe nail and proceeded to dig and cut until the nail bed was bleeding in several places. WE each were only okay with the polish jobs she did — btw — she told us to pick out polishes and then chose colors she liked better for us right before she started painting! We tried to speak up, but against sooo much personality we didn’t know how to politely escape… We definitely learned our lesson that day and will no longer be «those quiet little white girls» that are complacent and polite even in misery… Uggh, WHAT A DISASTER! If you go here, Expect To Get Less Than You Pay For and Expect To Lose Your Entire Day! :(Lastly, she swears bleach cures (kills) all, but her tubs really don’t look soo spectacular. My feet are still healthy and fungus free, but probably no thanks to her!
Instead — To leave on a positive note:
I HIGHLY recommend The MiniSpa in downtown Burlington at 166 Battery Street, south of Echo Aquarium and on the east side of the street, slightly underground (previously known as Tootsies) — They are genuinely cheerful, clean, professional — Delightful! Also, their menu has various choices, in various price-​ranges. Still more than I’m accustomed to, but lovely! You will have a Great Experience here, they want you happy and satisfied!!! :D

The most bizarre nail experience I have ever had. The place is a complete mess… The owners dirty socks lying in the middle of the floor– are you kidding? If you love getting asked inappropriate professional and personal questions (and your nails insulted) then this is the place for YOU! There were these algae infested fish tanks everywhere… Every chair, towel, and surface was splattered with old polish and other products. It was ironic that there were literally 5 vacuums laying around the place when the floors were so dusty and dirty. WHAT THE HELL! I was so uncomfortable and disgusted the whole time. And NOT even inexpensive!

They do an amazing job and offer the best pedicure, but they take there time and try to juggle 3 – 4 people at a time. It took hours for me to get my nails once, will not go back.

I was in town visiting a friend and the owner gave us both pedicures and me a manicure. She was alone so it was almost a 3 hour process. She is very different. I received a top notch pedicure. I’ve not had someone besides myself give my feet that much attention. Ever. One week later and my feet still feel phenomenal.
Unfortunately my manicure is a completely different story. I’m a nurse and I’ve solely gotten the gel or shellack polishes for the last 2 years. They’ve been a godsend. I was in the shop on Wednesday ⁶⁄₄ and got the OPI gel. I’ve used this brand many times before. On Sunday ⁶⁄₈ I noticed it was «bubbling» off several of my nails, this morning it peeled off completely. It took minimal effort to remove what hadn’t fallen off on it’s own. No acetone needed. Normally I have to have gel polish professionally removed or it takes over an hour to remove at home. Quite a process. It always lasts at least two weeks. I only remove it because my nails have grown out. It’s a $ 30 manicure and should last at least that long. Some can go longer, my nails grow too fast. The cleaning up of my cuticles was ok, mine are horrible. A complete waste of our time and my money. I’m so disappointed. I should have just stuck with the pedicure.
Pedicure was 5 stars — Manicure 1 star. I’m sticking with 2 stars because the entire event took way too long.

Excellent people! Funky and fun!
I came in just before running the Burlington City Marathon for some nail-​spirit :) MiAnn did a fantastic job with my manicure and was so kind. Then the owner Ms. Hong had the best idea ever… she painted my bib number on my nails and we picked a color that matched my sneaks.
They spend some real time with you here and my manicure is proof; it held up great through the marathon and is still going strong.
I am coming back for my wedding nails in a few weeks. Can’t wait!

The owners were really funny and took there time to really give you a one of a kind experience. They didn’t just want you in and out of there salon to be able to service more clients. My mother had issues with her toes and they wanted to help her. They trimmed her nails and removed her ingrown nails and filed them so she won’t have so many issues anymore. My mother and I drove over an hour to get our nails done and we will be returning.

Love this neighborhood salon — great manis and pedis! ENS to me is the Cheers of nail salons — a friendly fun environment where everybody knows your name. Best pedis ever for rough, athletic feet. I don’t get the manis as often but when I do they look great and they last. reasonable prices. Two thumbs up!

Best nail salon in Burlington! The widest selection of polishes anywhere. Large and airy, no odor. She’ll even draw free-​form designs on your nails. Everyone’s very friendly and chatty here– no in and out service. You’ll feel like part of the family. And return again, and again.

Totally unique experience. The owners are hilarious. Just as other reviewers stated, they are eccentric and said a few off color things, but I loved it! It was so entertaining. I’m used to the nail techs barely engaging me in any conversation at all and just speaking to each other in Vietnamese the whole time. These folks totally cracked me up with their banter and kooky stories. That atmosphere may not be for everyone, but I’m going back for sure. It was fun and my pedicure was good.

I’ve gone here twice since I moved to Burlington (six months ago) and I’ve loved it. The manicures are good and last at least a week (other places I’ve been up here have chipped within days, which I’m not used to!). Pedicures are amazing-​feet are smooth and they’re meticulous! They have hundreds of colors, too, and are fabulous at helping you pick out colors. Prices are good ($ 48 for mani and pedi last time I went).
The part I love about this place is how eccentric the owner is. She’s a lot of fun, and there’s always a great group of people in the salon. She takes great care of her elderly customers, and she seems to know everyone! That said, this is not the place to go if you want to sit and not talk or be talked to. It’s not a zen-​like spa experience at all. I love that about this place, but if you’re looking for silence, this is not the place! Definitely recommend it.