The Nail Lounge of La Jolla

Not impressed with this salon. Although I’m sure some of their services are great, and they do truly care about providing good customer service, the gel manicure I got was just not good. I was visiting from out of state so just poped in for a mani. I got taken care of fairly quickly, however the technician seemed like she really didn’t know what she was doing, or maybe she was new I don’t know but, at the end of the service my nails looked already grown out because she didn’t apply the gel close enough to the cuticle line and she didn’t even clean up my cuticles so with a fresh manicure i had grown out dry cuticle skin. I have never paid more than $ 40 for a manicure that did not include cuticle clean up and to top it off a few days later I noticed cracks in the gel on a couple nails. It’s been just over a week and 2 nails have also come off already when at my normal places they last at least 3 weeks.

I love the girl that I come to, Ivy. She totally fixed my nails, that had been ruined when I got a fill in LA. The lounge is beautiful, but there is no parking, and often times I wait well beyond the time I called ahead for. I think it is worth it though, because Ivy seriously is the best I have ever had do my nails.

I have been going to La Jolla Nail lounge for over two years and have never been disappointed. I live in Encinitas and drive all the way to La Jolla because they provide the best service and quality. Hailey recently started doing my almond shaped nails and they are perfect. I highly recommend her. Sometimes it’s hard to get in so I suggest scheduling an appointment.

I typically come here with my SiLs every other month to get our mani/​pedis. I just get pedis bc in my line of work, were not allowed to have our manis done.
Ive never had the same girl but each girl Ive had were always so gentle and careful with my sensitive feet. TMI but I get ingrowns so I always get anxious whenever they’re about to start cutting it and each time I have never complained they made it so painless!
I love to get my feet pampered so when it comes to polish, I love unique and fun designs. There was never a time where I came in with a pedi design that I wanted where the girl currently working on my feet couldn’t emulate the design.
I always leave the lounge very happy and feel the money is well worth it.
But then again, it’s just my opinion.

The Nail Lounge recently underwent a renovation which included new pedicure chairs. The chairs are great because they use a disposable plastic cover over the foot baths every time they do a pedicure. This is great because it address the concerns of infections that I had before. Plus the prices and service is still pretty damn good, especially for La Jolla.

Walked in worst service was not acknowledged. Sitting there waiting to get acknowledged to get on list. 3 other xustomers came after and the guy came to ask what they were here for.

I normally go to my usual place where I live in La but since I was here in San Diego visiting my boyfriend and had to get my nails done I decided to give this place a shot. Already weary that it wasn’t my usual girl but tried to branch out. I went in to get my pink and white acrylics filled. They were pretty grown out to start with and the technician, Heather started off by saying the white didn’t need to be filled. That could be personal preference but I wanted it filled. After that it was just a downhill of misunderstandings. She said my nails were thick and asked if I wanted them that way. I said yes thinking she meant that I wanted them «thick» the way I originally had them. I asked for her to completely fix three of my fingers and she did gracefully however I continued to be weary of the final product. By the end, my nails ended up being dimpled. Extremely thick and my skin around it was left Uncleaned and funky from excess acrylic.
I went to pay and unfortunately didn’t grab the cashiers name but she noticed the shotty job Heather had done. She confronted her about it and Heather started talking about me in the third person as I was standing right in front of both of them. The cashier didn’t make me pay and I truly appreciated her offer to have them redone. Unfortunately I just didn’t trust my nails in this nail salon anymore.

I at first really liked this place. I got a gel mani and a pedi and my nails looks amazing… until they chipped 1 – 2 days later :(ive never had that happen before with gels. maybe it’s because my manicurist forgot to put the top clear gel coat on my nails and started to spray alcohol on them and then i said «uh i think you forgot the top coat» and then she realized her mistake and quickly wiped off the alcohol or whatever liquid it was and added the top coat. They do have a large color selection, are very clean, and plenty of parking. They also did a good job of removing an ingrown nail.

I called and asked for an appointment when the place wouldn’t be as jam packed and was given a dinnertime appointment. After arrival, I had to wait 20 minutes past my appointment time. It felt like we customers were cattle being herded.
After I was seated, I couldn’t stick my feet in the water to start soaking like I was supposed to because the water was way too hot. Therefore, I did not get the preparation foot soak.
The woman who did my pedicure made more effort than the woman who did my manicure, but it still was the worst pedicure I’ve ever had. She started by ignoring my direction to Not give me a salt scrub massage because the salt scrub costs more. I specifically told her I did not want it because I don’t like salt scrubbed on my skin. I think it is bad for skin because it is too abrasive. She started to do it anyway and I had to stop her.
I did ask for the callous removal, so I was still purchasing an extra, but her effort was a joke. She removed almost nothing.
The massage was barely ho-​hum. I’ve had much better for much longer in many other salons.
The nail polish application was thick with ridges around the edges and she applied nothing to help it dry or provide chip resistance.
The manicurist was worse. She feigned ignorance about the services menu and prices. She, too, wanted me to purchase a salt scrub for my hands. I had to show her the menu to get a manicure with no salt scrub massage and to receive the hot oil.
She rushed through the job, cutting me and drawing blood.
I asked for clear polish and she did such a poor job that it was bubbly and rough. She, too, provided nothing to help with drying or chipping. It started peeling off in two days.
With the tips, I spent almost $ 70.00. It was more than most nail salons cost, yet the worst service I’ve received. The environment is not relaxing at all. I felt insulted by the entire experience.
I’ll never go back.

Man, I really wanted to give Nail Lounge a higher rating, but the more popular it’s become, the worse the service is.
First of all, you can no longer park at the Von’s parking lot, where there are plenty of spaces. Instead, you have to circle the block in effort to find one of the few public spots available.
Once you finally park, don’t expect to start on time if you have an appointment. The manager does a poor job of juggling available technicians and chairs, so your 1:30 pm appointment could start at 1:45 pm or even 2 o’clock.
Because of its popularity, the place is always crowded, which little room to move around. Just getting to the bathroom is difficult because there are bunches of rolling carts being restocked in front of the bathroom door.
Now if you are able to park and finally get a chair, you will be pleased with the quality of the mani-​pedi. It is consistently good. In addition, the staff adheres to an excellent hygiene regimen.
Bottom line: Nail Lounge has outgrown its space, but show no signs of fixing the parking, scheduling or occupancy issues.

This place gets packed. Like seriously packed. Make an appointment, because walk in appointments take hours!
We went to get acrylics done because well we love it! Our nail technicians were so nice.
It gets seriously pretty busy here so don’t expect a quiet spot.

My friend had booked an appointment for us and 3 others to get mani/​pedis for my upcoming wedding. We booked a couple of days in advance and confirmed the day of. When we got there it was jam packed– with not one open seat. So we sat around and waited for about 15 minutes then we were sat one at a time– completely separated from each other.
They did a fine job with our nails but come on– if we made appointments and say it’s for a wedding, don’t you think you should block off the seats next to each other. That really pissed me off especially because I couldn’t even see two of the girls and to talk to any of them I had to scream across the room which is embarrassing.
Poor scheduling, won’t be back. I like the salons in Carmel Valley better.

This place is the best of the best when it comes to nail salons. I have struggled with finding a gel place in San Diego that actually does a good job and nail designs! It’s a little pricier than normal but so worth it! They give you a 14 day nail-​warranty if they chip too! Fast, always optimal to call ahead though!

I came here with two other girlfriends so we could enjoy some mani/​pedi time. I got a pedicure, my friend got a gel mani/​regular pedi and my last friend got a mani. We each received different services, but one of us was not impressed.
All in all they did a good job with me and my friend who got the gel mani/​regular pedi, but not with my friend who just got the mani.
Here’s the breakdown:
I would suggest not getting a mani here unless you are seated in one of the lounge chairs or at the nail bar. My poor friend had to sit in a regular waiting area chair, place a pillow on her lap and get her manicure done that way. It would’ve been better to have her sit on the nail bar and they could work on her nails with her hands on a table as opposed to a pillow on her lap. Plus, the woman who did her nails wasn’t very thoughtful and had to redo two of her fingers. I’ve never been to a place that does your manicure on a pillow on your lap.
My friend got her gel mani/​regular pedi and was impressed with her services. We sat right next to each other. She appreciated how they put sunscreen on her hands as she was getting her gel mani. Actually, that’s nice since the UV rays are probably not great for your hands. She liked how they did her nails.
I was thoroughly impressed with my pedi. I got the Deluxe pedi which includes a series of leg and feet massages. I got a oil moisturizing massage and a hot stone massage, which my legs and feet definitely needed. I appreciated how she took her time and didn’t rush through my pedicure. I will say I was a bit peeved she cut me slightly, but she apologized, I’ve been to nail places where they leave it be and don’t think you notice. (I notice).
All in all this is a good place for a pedicure and gel manicure since they do put sun screen and take their time. I definitely recommend the deluxe spa pedicure. But I don’t suggest you get a regular manicure unless you get it done on the nail table. Oh and the massage chairs won’t working when we went.
I do like the fact they autoclave their tools. There’s a lot of selection for polish. I’d suggest making an appointment. Parking sucks as they don’t let you park in the Vons plaza.
I’m sure they’re better spots around, but this was isn’t bad.