The Spa at the College

I am giving my honest experience and review for The Spa at the College. I set an appointment for a basic mani and basic pedi.
I arrived at The Spa for my appointment time of 10:00am. The location was easy to find; in a shopping location adjacent to FCC, they had their own parking lot. When I arrived, a handful of people welcomed me to their place, they looked happy to see me. The lady at the front desk had me sign in and sign a waiver. About 5 minutes after I sat down the lady said that it was time for the student’s break. At that point the room I was in (waiting room and main floor where the services are done) emptied out. But my appointment was at 10:00am, weird. So I waited and about 15 minutes after my appointment was supposed to start a student finally came up to me and said for me to wait again so she could grab a snack outside of the college because she was going to miss her lunch break by attending to me. About 10 minutes after that another student came over and led me to the foot bath as she was filling in for the student who was supposed to do the mani/​pedi. Ok, so I came in at 10:00am like I was supposed to but they actually started at 10:30am. I am a pretty patient person, but 30 minutes is even too much for me. I think waiting that long could have been avoided.
When the woman did show up, she was very nice and sweet. She was an older lady and it was nice to talk to her – she made me feel as if I was talking to an old friend. The supplies that the school gives to the students are extremely limited. Nail files are old, polish is outdated, limited and clumpy. They had ‘run out of q-​tips that day’ and the student who worked on me brought a mini fan from her home to help dry nails quicker. I would recommend bringing your own nail polish but doesn’t that defeat part of the purpose of getting your nails done?
Okay so besides the lack of supplies and late start, another thing that concerned me about this place is lack of experience. The combined amount of time it took for my basic manicure and pedicure was 3 hours. The student who worked on me, although sweet, was very slow. The Spa states that an instructor is around the student to offer advice or step in if needed, however, the instructor showed up only once during my appointment to tell the student she forgot to use a base coat. She seemed very busy taking care of other students (although I was the only client there at the time). The student working on me had a list of steps out in front of her and missed some steps, or I asked her to repaint a part she missed, etc. Because of the poor quality of the nail polish I selected (there were barely any other options available), she loaded it on and it started to chip later that evening. The pedicure is lasting and looks great, however.
The only thing that could save this review is the superb friendliness I received as a client. The students were all very friendly. Besides the student that was working on me, other would say hi to me, or ask how my day was going. The instructors were nice to the students as well. I was in earshot of instructors going over student’s work and praising them, if they weren’t praising them then they gave constructive criticism. It seemed like a positive environment to work and learn in.
This is a cheap alternative to regular high-​priced spas, but buyer beware: you get what you pay for. Although I wouldn’t go back for a manicure. I would still consider returning for their other services like eyebrow waxing or makeup application for a special event (although I am going to ask for an instructor to be present the majority of the service).