Smile Spa Nails

The 1^st time I walked in I was so impressed on the cleanliness of the salon. Jimmy & Kim the owners were so friendly & remember your name from the 1^st visit. The gel polish actually lasts almost 3 wks. They have beverages free upon request. The pedicure chairs are very clean and comfortable. I changed salons after 9 yrs going to one place. This salon is a worth the change. Oh and they make apps & honor them. So many salons take walk-​ins and don’t recognize the steady customer with apps.

If I could have given this no stars I would. Just moved from Virginia Bch and my nail tech was AWESOME. Knew what I wanted and knew exactly how to do it. I came in on a Sunday with NO ONE IN THERE. Spoke to the technician about what I wanted, which was to have 3 nails redone because due to moving snapped them off and I had gotten them done literally 3 days before. Technician seemed to not have either understood me or just wasn’t truly listening. After saying numerous times, I would like them cut down to match the length of the replaced nails and after having what appeared to be the owner that came over to assist work finally started. To make this situation come to an end, after redoing/​repainting all my nails, I was left with one hand having dust from the file down and nails not even matching to where I have to wait another week to get them fixed. Trust me, if you’ve been here I’m not sure who you had done your nails or pedicure but this was mediocre at best. This is not a fake review and not sure how this even got 3 stars should be borderline 1 to MAYBE 2 stars. Definitely a waste of $ 20.

What I’ve decided about nail salons is that consistency of service quality is most important. When it comes right down to it, pretty much all of these places are the same in the other respects (cleanliness, friendliness, services offered). But a salon that you can depend on to give you the same quality every time you visit is where they have the opportunity to shine and, sadly, I’ve been to US Nails enough times now to know they don’t fit that bill.
It all depends on your technician, and this place seems to have a lot of turnover. The owners Michael and Kim are very friendly; Michael gives a great manicure, as did a man named Tuan and a lady named Rose about a year ago. Unfortunately though, I don’t think Tuan or Rose are there anymore, and therein lies the problem.
The last two pedicures I got here were disappointing. The first technician got a little too eager with the giant cheese grater they use to smooth off calluses and it actually cut my foot to the point of bleeding. I couldn’t feel it at the time but I noticed her stopping to look at the area and frowning. When she had me put my foot back into the water it immediately started stinging and I knew something was wrong. What proceeded over the next several days was an extremely sore heel that actually cracked and bled numerous times. I don’t know exactly what I wanted her to do but maybe an acknowledgment that she had cut me and a sincere apology would have helped. At least so I would know she was aware of her error and that she wasn’t going out on the loose to wield her cheese grater with impunity on others? For the record, I think the cheese grater should be outlawed in pedicures. Sure, it gets your skin smooth but it’s kind of like trying to smooth wrinkles on your face with sandpaper. The wrinkles will disappear, but so will your skin. After that experience, I can tell you my feet will never come face to face with one again. I will stick to their intended purpose, thanks– for Parmesan on my pasta.
So yesterday I braved a pedicure again, fully intending to decline the cheese grater if it was brought out. I was given (another) technician I had never seen before. I loved everything she did except for the polish. She was gentle (complete opposite of cheese grater lady), detailed, and the massage was wonderful. She really paid attention to the little things like making sure the towel wasn’t scorching hot before she put it on my legs. I was thinking I had finally found The One until two hours later, when my foot touched something and the polish on my first three toes smudged to the point where the layer of paint looked like it would slide totally off. I had found it odd that she squirted oil on my toes and never went back over them with a layer of remover before she started applying polish. On top of that, she put three coats of polish on my nails (not two) which I know has a tendency to make the polish not last as long. I think she did that because it was a more sheer paint and it looked streaky otherwise, but jeez, I was expecting it to last more than 2 hours. I’m really wondering if that missing swipe of remover was the problem.
This is a lot of detail that some might call petty but hey, pedicures are not cheap these days! When you add in the tip, you are talking about $ 30, and for that price, I think we deserve to demand perfect and consistent results. Or at the very least, feet that aren’t injured by kitchen tools and a paint job that lasts more than a few hours. I will keep looking for a salon that keeps more permanent, mindful technicians on staff.

I have been to Smile Spa three times in the last 2 months. Two of those times I had to bring my own polish, because they insisted on using Gelish polish, despite me asking and paying for a Shellac manicure and pedicure ($ 13 mani $ 25 pedi and $ 42 for my OWN bottle of shellac totaling $ 75, not including tip). They still use gelish top and base coat and tell me it is the same brand; however, I am very well aware that Gelish is half the cost of Shellac… and for good reason. Gelish lasts half the time of Shellac!
They as well shuffled me through two people today to do a simultaneous mani and pedi. I had planned to write a few emails while enjoying my pedi and not be rushed. The older lady does a great job; however, the younger girl did a horrible job on my nails. She left me with my hands in the UV light for 20 minutes while she did someone’s eyebrows, which I was asked repeatedly if I wanted done.
Each time I went they charged more for the same services. This time I downgraded and was still charged more.
It’s sufficient to say, I will not be back!

I live in the area, and I was looking for something a little less expensive for where I was going. I wanted to get a full set gel manicure and then some cute design. I expressed that I wanted them short, but not too short. Then not only cut it shorter then I had expressed, but they really ruined the nail bed. I thought they looked pretty messed up, so after 8 days of getting this full set, after that short amount of time I had to get a fill in. I don’t know but usually they last about 2 weeks before I need a fill in. I went back to my place that I usually go to and the guy was just disgusted at the work US Nails did. He said that my nail beds were severely damaged and that he wasn’t able to work with that. I had to get a whole new full set. It took about 2 months for my nail beds to heal and get back to normal. I would like to remind you that my guy that I normally go to did tell me after I told him which nail salon I ventured off to, that in fact he had several customers who went to US Nails and were very unhappy and then finally came to their senses and went to this good salon.
All and all. this salon does not listen to you. They damaged my nail beds, my gel manicure only lasted 8 days before it needed filled in. AND — I really didn’t like their attitude. I, to was asked if I want «eyebrow done» and I said no and they wouldn’t let it down. I don’t EVER wax my eyebrows, instead I thread them. If you girls have not ever tried it, I do recommend highly getting your eyebrows threaded instead of waxing. It hurts far less, and they don’t use any harsh chemicals on your skin. The big thing is that they are able to work with the arch of your brows and shape them to how you like them. I recommend the eyebrow place Idolize at Crabtree mall. Best place ever. Only $ 12.
But my point is of this review is – DON’T GO TO THIS PLACE. THEY ARE HORRIBLE!

This has been renamed Smile Spa Nails. I went last night for a shellac manicure and French pedicure. I won’t be going back.
First off, they did the manicure while I was getting my pedicure. I didn’t appreciate this because I wanted to relax and enjoy my pedicure but couldn’t while I was constantly shifting hands.
Second they didn’t know how to do a French pedicure. They painted the white tips and just put clear over it. I had to ask for a sheer pink polish to go over the whole thing and they seemed really confused. I finally had to get out of the chair and go pick a color to paint over the white tips. Has no one ever asked for that before? Maybe I’m weird?
Lastly, they asked me if I wanted my eyebrows done. Lots of nail places will do this and it is a big pet peeve of mine. NO I do not want my eyebrows done. If I did, I would have asked for it. But thanks for making me feel like I am walking around with giant furry caterpillars on my face.
The end result was fine but the experience was not as good as other places I’ve been.

I have been seeing Cindy now @ Smile Nails about 2 months now and I think she is fabulous. She takes really great care of me. I am a diabetic so she makes sure the foot tub is clean and is very careful with my feet. She also is wonderful with my manicures and she also waxes my brows. She does a great job!
On a side note my friend had a pedicure with another manicurist and she cut her nails too short causing her pain. She will not go to that manicurist again.
I recommend Cindy if you decide to go there.

On the continuum of mani-​pedi experiences I’ve had (a whopping three so far), this one seemed kind of bad. Initially I was only going to have a pedicure, but after a couple of minutes of pedicure action, I decided to add a manicure. This was a mistake, because a second person came over to start my manicure while I was in the pedicure chair. This meant I had to twist sideways the whole rest of the time so she could work on both my hands at once — which meant I couldn’t relax and enjoy the massage chair. (Not to mention I could no longer hold my magazine in order to subtly convey that I wanted to enjoy the pedicure without chitchat, but oh well, no biggie.) Both of the women who worked on me were very nice and friendly, but the manicurist soaked my hands in cold water (I know, I’m a dork for not saying something), and the pedicurist cut me when she was working on my cuticles. And when I left, both my big toes were a mess. There was polish on the skin next to my nails on both sides of both toes; plus there was a lovely blood clot on my cuticle. Luckily (ha) the blood blended in with my polish color, but I had to scrape all the polish off my skin when I got home.
All of this was just sort of disappointing, but not bad enough for me to go to the trouble of writing a negative review — until the capper. While I was there, both my manicurist and pedicurist asked at different times if I wanted my eyebrows done, and I declined. I have pale skin and blond eyebrows, and while the state of my eyebrows is not a source of pride for me, their imperfections are also pretty unobtrusive unless you’re really looking at them up close. But a third woman came over later and asked if I wanted my eyebrows done. When I said no, she looked at me with mild distaste and said, «You NEED!» and walked away.
I don’t know about you, but I go to get my nails done to feel pretty — not to have someone criticize my appearance. I definitely won’t go back there again.

I’ve been going to Kim at US/​Smile nails now for a year and a half. The «thin and lite» gel nails are my favorite. They dont look thick and they are actually pliable. Very realistic. My nails look like they’re only painted but they’re infinitely stronger. I get them French, and my hands always look great. Kim listens to my requests (I like the white really thin) and she is constantly going above and beyond for customers. She has an amazing work ethic, and loads of talent. They like to joke around and have a good time and include me in their crazy conversations. Give them a shot, I trust you’ll be pleased.

I’ve been to several places in the triangle to get a french tip pedicure, and this is one of the places I’ve been the happiest with. I got the classic pedicure with the massage — they weren’t too rough, the lotion smells wonderful (some kind of mango scent) and the results are picture perfect — my toenails look great!
Kim is the owner (her husband runs JK Nails) and she said they will accept any competitor’s coupons as well.
BTW, they have just changed the name to «Smile Nails».