Lilypad Spa

I like lilypad and have been getting manicures and pedicures here often for about four years. I’ve also had shellac/​gel manicures here. They do an excellent gel manicure. Regular manicures and pedicures are nicely done as well. The service on trimming and shaping of nails varies from technician to technician so I pay attention and request shaping an inspect and request changes if I don’t like how it’s being done.
The place and tools are clean. On my most recent visit they charged extra for a new polish color which was slightly annoying but it was only $ 3 so whatever.
I suggest calling to see how busy they are. They do take appointments but I find that you typically still need to wait. If you are in s hurry they are not quick. I’d set aside 1.5−2 hours if you are having mani and pedi.

This place is wonderful! $ 27 for shellac Mani and it looks wonderful. I got a nice massage at the end, overall a really good experience!

This review is only for their wax service. I’ve gone here a few times and out of all the cheap waxing places near me, this is the most consistent. The lady who does the waxing is quick, efficient and does a thorough job each time. I don’t go to her as often as I’d like because their location is out of the way sometimes. You don’t need appointments but I always like to call ahead for good measure.

Possibly the worst manicure I’ve ever had worldwide! The salon wasn’t busy (there was one other client when I walked in) but I was seated at the back in full view of the bathroom and washing up area (this isn’t an area which clients should see especially as they have a separate room/​area which they could use) I asked the male technician to cut my nails about 3 times in the shape I wanted and they were then filed. Cuticle removal was not great (my hand was left dripping with cuticle oil over the towel which still had my cut nails and cuticles left on it) nor the hand massage which mostly consisted of just pulling my fingers which was not relaxing! The worst part was still to come when his colleague leant over the nail station and picked up the polish I had chosen and then proceeded to dilute the polish as she realized it was clearly too thick — right in front of me! He applied the polish with a shaky hand and tried to clean up his mistakes with his rather long nails. The polish was too thick, he messed up a nail and instead of redoing it just painted over and wanted to do a 3^rd coat before I stopped him! While waiting for my nails to dry I was in full view of the rather sloppy clean up job of the tools he had used (I didn’t see them put into the sterilized solution rather just left on side of the sink) and when I got up to pay there was no price list visible and was told it was ‘14’. It was almost as if they plucked the figure after a bit of discussion as I was the only customer in the salon at the time. Very disappointing, I won’t be back!

This is my go to salon because it’s close to my apartment, they have good prices and they do a good job. My one annoyance is that I always call ahead of time to ask if they have time to take me but then I still consistently have to wait at least 15 – 30 minutes when I get there. Just tell me to come later!

Pretty fed up with this place. Been coming here for a while and it’s gotten worse and worse over the years. Made an appointment for 7pm, didn’t have someone start working on my mani/​pedi until after 7:30 and didn’t leave the shop until 8:45!
During my manicure the manicurist’s 2 year old daughter started climbing all over her and became a huge distraction. She was very cute but it was pretty annoying. I had picked a matte color for my fingers and instead of using a matte top coat she put the normal top coat on which made it shiny and defeated the purpose of the matte color.
It’s now less than 24 hours later and my thumb nail has basically peeled off.

I usually go to my favorite nail salon new age in north beach even after I moved to nob hill. I was in a hurry today so I called lilypad if I could come by. They said at 7:30pm. When I walked in at 7:30pm they all just stared at me and said they can just do it in about 15−20min. Annoying so I said I will try another salon. The salons around the corner were closed already so I walked back. No new customer walked in so I said I would love to get the mani padi still. It took quiet a bit of asking that they said yes. I was sitting there another 30min to get it started. 45min after I got the ‘appointment’. Will never come here again, will spend the time going to north beach then.

This is my go-​to nail salon, they do a great job with all of their services and their prices are very affordable. I’ve gone in most recently for a pedicure, but have also gone for normal and shellac manicures. One thing that’s different from some other salons is that they use a big basin for their pedicures and don’t have the spa chairs.
They have a good selection of different brands of nail polishes, ranging from your standard Essie and OPI to others like Zoya. They also have a good range of shellac polishes.
Appointments are a little hit or miss especially during their busy times. But since I live pretty close, I’ll do a drive by and just go in when the salon is looking less busy. It wouldn’t hurt just to call ahead to see how busy they are.

I really lucked out living near this little gem. Affordable, efficient, and pleasant staff that are very accommodating and don’t rush at all. Mani/​pedi is around $ 30 and includes a lengthy hand and foot massage. Salon has calming music on and is just a pleasant experience all around!

My regular nail salon was closed. Lily pad offers a bit later hours closing at 8pm. It’s in my neighborhood so I decided to pop in.
I got a fill on my acrylic set and a pedicure.
Overall I like this place and I’d return. Hanna was friendly and prompt greeting me. The setting is relaxing.
I only took a star away for the pedicure which looked more promising with the blue cucumber mint infuse water than it was. It felt a bit rushed and although I asked her to clip the nails she barely did. But the sugar scrub and warm lavender lotion were a nice touch.
My fill however was done nicely and I was very satisfied with the shaping and execution on my «coffin nails».

My first mani-​pedi in SF and it was fantastic! The ladies in Lilypad were lovely and had such attention to detail! Will be going back for sure!

Definitely one of the best spots to get a pedicure in SF. Comfortable, clean environment. The staff is super sweet and does an awesome job. I’ve been a number of times and my pedicures have been flawless. I recently went in and was in somewhat of a hurry. I messed up one of my nails because I couldn’t wait for it to fully dry. They asked me to come back whenever I could so they could fix it. Highly recommend visiting!

The service here is awesome! Was in town for work and found this place near where I was staying. I showed up 40min before they were closing for a mani/​pedi. They were super accommodating and took their time, suggesting I needed 3 coats of a color for it to look good even though they could’ve rushed the process. I ended up being the party in more of a rush because I needed to make a dinner reservation. They let me go despite my nails not fully drying after spraying it with quick dry spray a full half hour after they were supposed to close.
Obviously, I messed up the ENTIRE manicure as soon as I got home.
I came back the next day asking for a polish change. I fully expected to pay an express mani fee, but they redid my nails for me FREE OF CHARGE even though the blame was totally on me for rushing out of there the night before and not being more careful. Now THAT’S service.
Will def be back the next time I’m back in SF!

*Services utilized: pedicures and gel manicures
* The place is pretty clean and has a good selection of polish. It’s usually peaceful with soft background music. The instrumental version of «Scarborough Fair» is bound to be played on one of your visits. I’m a fan of the song so to me this is a bonus.
*In the times I’ve been to/​walked by Lilypad it’s never been overly crowded so walk-​in appointments are pretty possible, especially if you are by yourself.
*The reason I’m taking off a star is that the gel manicures I’ve gotten from Lilypad don’t seem to last as long as ones I’ve gotten from other places (2 – 2.5 weeks versus 3 – 3.5 weeks at other places). I suspect that this is because they put the polish on a little too thick, causing it to start peeling around the 2 week mark.

I went to get my acrylics taken off and to get a gel manicure. The place wasn’t very crowded for a Saturday and I desperately needed my nails done.
It wasn’t one of the nicest places I’ve been to but the woman who did my nails did a decent job. It seemed like everyone working there would rather talk to each other than their customers.
While getting my nails done I was asked if my hair was real and then she had the nerve to come over and touch it like a science project. Bitch please! You never touch a woman’s hair ever.
I will never be returning to this place again.

While I airbnb’d next door, I was in desperate need of a manicure and pedicure. They have a large selection of gels and its clean and affordable.
2 weeks later my gel mani still looks amazing!!!

Worst mani and pedi ever! Got lip burned after lip waxing. Don’t recomend this place at all!

My experience went like this:
–check Unilocal for a place nearby that does threading
–Lilypad comes up and gets good reviews
–go to Lilypad, ask for eyebrow threading, asked to sit down and proceed to wait for 15 minutes
–escorted to the back of the salon and see a waxing table
–think «huh, that’s a new way to thread eyebrows…» but don’t think beyond that weirdness because a) I’m hungover, b) I get to lay down and c), it’s Sunday.
–my eyebrows are prepped and trimmed
–next thing I know, the underside of my eyebrow is getting covered with hot wax. I immediately state that I want my eyebrows threaded, not waxed, and the lady goes «oh we don’t do threading here.» Well, GOOD TO KNOW.
–leave the salon with very tender feeling eyebrows — there is now an ugly wax burn under my right eyebrow.
No thank you.

My best friend lives across the street so I find myself here a lot. This place hits the necessary:
–Affordable: $ 30 for a Brazilian, $ 40 for a gel mani/​regular pedi
–Detailed: Way better than some of these frou frou places Downtown. Great paint jobs or never a stray hair…
–Friendly: Hannah, the owner, is so so so sweet
Don’t expect that Burke Williams type of ambience, but this place is really relaxing — bright, airy and spacious. Hannah does a great job with waxes too. Always thorough and still can’t believe it’s only $ 30 for a Brazilian. They wax in a completely different room too so you don’t have to worry about privacy or anything. I have yet to try their eyelash extensions, but I want to!
Conveniently located right on Hyde and Sacramento, come get your nails all prettied up and then do your grocery shopping at Trader Joe’s right after.
5% off if you pay with cash!

Couldn’t ask for a better neighborhood nail salon. $ 30 for mani and pedi? Yes, please!
Some reasons why I love this place:
— CLEAN (very important)
— Quiet, calming atmosphere
— Attendants show great attention to detail
— Complimentary arm and leg massages
YES to reservations. Don’t always expect to be treated on time, but if you’re trying to stop by on a busy evening, you will get precedence.
Tip: Pay in cash to get 5% off your total treatment!