Kalea Nails

They only accept CASH and they sent us on a wild goose chase to find a Bank of America. Its very small and English isn’t a first language here. The only words they managed to say in English was NO CARDS…

This review is for a manicure only. I passed by this salon and saw the sign outside advertising a $ 10 manicure, so thought I would give it a try.
The salon is tiny, with no frills attached, but it gets the job done. There are two tables for manicures, as well as two hand dryers on the opposite wall. There was one technician doing nails while a second technician did pedicures. There was a short wait with one person ahead of me when I came in.
The technician did a great job with my nails. She was thorough and gentle throughout the manicure. Before applying the nail polish, she rubbed lotion on my hands and gave it a quick massage, which felt wonderful. She also took care to remove all the dead skin around the cuticles.
For a basic manicure, I would return here again and recommend this salon to others. The polish looks clean and professional. For $ 10 it is a great deal– if you are looking for a fancy upscale salon this is not in it, but if you are looking to get in and out with better-​looking nails, it gets the job done.

Went here today for a mani/​pedi and i was very satisfied. Best mani/​pedi i have had in a while. My technician Maria was very sweet and gentle and made sure to take her time with my hands and feet. It’s a couple extra bucks more than other shops in the area but well worth it because they do such a great job. The scrub they use on your feet is AMAZING. The only reason I didn’t give 5 stars is because Maria had her baby girl in the shop and the baby started to get fussy. She had had to leave me a few times to go tend to her. I completely understand trying to make money while raising a young child so I did not make a fuss about it at all because she still made sure I was taken care of. because i was patient and polite, they gave a gel top coat on my manicure which is usually $ 1 more, for free. (a little understanding and compassion goes a long way people!!). I will definitely be getting my nails done here again.

I felt kind of dirty sitting in this place. There are no frills, no fancy touches, just a decent pedicure. I appreciate that the technician stayed a bit late to finish up the pups in question, but the entire time I was thinking, «I really hope that sterilizing machine works.»
Have I found better in the neighborhood? No. Was the price reasonable? Yes. Did my feet feel better after? Yes. Would I go again? Only if I was in a rush.

The pedicures are honestly so good! They take a ton of care with your feet, making them super soft. There only seems to be 2 women working there so wait times can be an issue sometimes, but it doesn’t get crazy busy. It also can feel a little dirty. Got my nails done here once, and she told me the shape I wanted was bad and did the shape she wanted. LOL. So needless to say I only go now for the pedicures…

Let’s talk about the pedicure first. The girl worked very hard and really smoothed them out. She took her time and polished well. She was sweet and efficient. There was not any massage time however. I brought my own polish which I’m happy about. I’m a snob for OPI and Essie.
As for environment, not the cleanest place. There was a man and a woman just sitting inside eating smelly food and talking Spanish the entire time at an obnoxious level.
For being sick and wanting to stay near my home I’m okay w it.
Kinda pricey. $ 23? In Harlem? I would just rather go YO a sweet and cute salon and pay $ 20 in union square.

When I went to Kalea Nails in the early evening on a weekday, I had to wait for over 30 minutes before a technician started on my nails. The pedicure lasted about an hour, and the manicure took about 30 minutes. If you do the math, that’s 2 hours. I go to hole in the wall nail shops for quick mani/​pedis. If I have hours to kill, I’ll spend the money and go to a spa instead.
$ 35 + tip for a mani/​pedi. The pedicure was one of the best I’ve had. My feet were completely transformed. 5-​stars for the pedicure. The manicure, on the other hand, was not so great. The polish started chipping and peeling the very next day!