Mars the Salon

Love this place! Good quality, but prices are very high, that’s why 4 stars. You can do many and pedi the same time and also it’s very private.

Surprised to see negative reviews of this place. It’s a splurge, but I’ve been going there for two years now, and I think it’s worth every penny.
I get gel polish with nail art and pedicures. Their art is FLAWLESS. I’ve used their designs and brought them art off of pinterest. The results are always clean and gorgeous. Most of the manicures I’ve gotten there have lasted well over two to three weeks without any peeling. When I’m on the road or the timing doesn’t work out, I’ve booked elsewhere and been sorry – broken nails, peeling polish, messed up cuticles. I’m always relieved to go back to Mars.
You get a private room, headphones (no, there aren’t a ton of channels, but come on). If they have enough staff, there’s a massage menu as well and the scalp and shoulder massage is excellent. They always have the latest colors, and the whole experience is just relaxing and blissful.
One note: they used to have a small parking lot, but there’s been construction blocking it for a while now. I valet at Urth Caffe.

Not the best place in LA, not even close to being called the best. Yes they greet you with Asian attitude, bowing and saying «thank you very much» a hundred times. The point is they are not professional at all. Nail polish they applied uneven. The shaping of the nails was not identical, the woman cut my nails at different length. I even tried their special spa pedicure and was very disappointed. Waste of money. Never tried gel manicure there, but my friend tried once it there and never went back, I suppose it wasn’t good. Ladies avoid this place.

If u want a regular mani-​pedi., this is a lovely, luxurious, relaxing place.
But… I had Gel nails put on for the first time here & the gel set they applied are absolutely, well all I can say is unprofessional & horrid. I had to go back 2x (Thank God there is a 5 day «Grace» window), to have them adjusted, & they r still much worse than my friends have gotten at less expensive salons. My gels turned out thick, & wavy. Some of the nails flipped upwards, some flat, some had a dent in the center.
Honestly I was shocked as their mani/​pedis r lovely so I didn’t think paying the extra $$$ for Gels would b so disappointing.
Also, most times the parking lot which is across & ¼ blk. down the st., (Of which is in reality a construction workers parking lot, is full, so GOOD LUCK!) & there is NO st. parking unless u r very lucky. Urth café is across the street, which makes it even more challenging. As of the past 2 yrs. they have no parking lot of their own.
My advice is to go elsewhere for gels.

Best manicured in LA. Not cheap but worth every penny
The attention and service second to none

What a wonderful experience! My digits haven’t been so happy in a very long time. I will definitely be a long time customer!

Very happy with this place! If you’re a perfectionist, this place is for you!

After a horrible gel mani in NYC literally peeled off in huge pieces during my LA vacation, I headed to Mars to get fixed up. Such an enjoyable (huge comfy chair in private room!!) mani experience, loved the color choices and my nail artist picked the most fun pink color for me. She worked carefully and efficiently and it came out perfect. I love it! Can’t stop looking at my nails. Watching TV and being pampered like that is worth the expensive price, even if its just a once in a lifetime thing. Just do it.

Wow, wow, wow, wow, WOW.
I just got back from visiting this salon for the first time and all I can say is, they have a customer for life.
NEVER have I had such a meticulous, careful, skilled, GORGEOUS gel manicure. It’s the nail equivalent of going from Supercuts to Andy LeCompte — definitely pricey but BOY do you get what you pay for. There is absolutely no way on earth I will ever go to a subpar salon again. These ladies own my nails forever.
I’d like to mention Aki, who did such a fantastic job. To paraphrase Elizabeth Bennet: till this day, I never knew a good manicure. thank you Mars!!!

All I have to say is I wish Mars would make a landing in NYC. Pros all the way from the service, hosting, and craft. Japanese nail art at its best. Merci Beaucoup from Très Chix NYC!

If I could give Mars a sixth star, I would. The place is serene and the artists are absolute perfectionists. I’ve yet to find a better salon.

A little warning, this review is going to be extremely long:
I feel bad for leaving a less than stellar review for this business but I did not have a great experience at this salon. I rely on Unilocal for almost everything these days and I felt that I should share it with other Unilocalers and in hopes that the business reads my review so that it does not happen again to anyone else.
For my cousin’s birthday I decided to treat the stay at home mom to the ultimate pampered session of a glorious gel manicure and spa pedicure. I was excited to come here based on the reviews I read and the amenities that were offered and wanted to surprise my cousin with a wonderful birthday treat.
PROS:
Very clean, serene, and loved the simple décor. We were offered hot tea and treats while waiting. Loved the private rooms, the idea of getting pampered while watching something on the tv (earphones included) while relaxing on the comfortable chair while your hands and feet are being meticulously worked on. They also play music and offer magazines at your choice.
CONS:
1.) Unfortunately when I called to book our appointments several weeks prior I mentioned in my phone call that my cousin wanted a gel manicure and a spa pedicure for her birthday and I opted for the French gel manicure (no pedi) over the phone. Come appointment day at the front desk, they tell us that they only booked my cousins appointment for the gel manicure and spa pedicure but «did not have time» to do the gel manicure with me. Seeing how its my cousin’s birthday I told them that it was fine, I didn’t want to spoil her day of pampering so I let it go and went with the regular French manicure as she offered to forego her pedi so I could have a gel manicure since they «did not have the time». Honesty though, I was super disappointed because I am not the type that takes care of my nails very well and prefer the gel manicure because they last longer.
2.)My cousin and I were ushered in separate rooms. My experience was less than stellar. I was not offered earphones, to turn on the tv, or even a magazine that other customers were offered when I walked by the rooms. Seems like when they said «they did not have the time» to do the gel manicure, they just did not have enough time for me period as the girl working on me was doing a sloppy job doing my nails like she was in a hurry after telling me to sit in the chair. She was very sweet and polite but I was sooo disappointed in how my simple French manicure turned out! I am very anal about my manicures and when I saw that she did not fill in the edges well it made me even more disappointed because I could have gone to a much less expensive salon to get the same but better job for $ 20-​$ 25. Totally did not expect this from an upscale salon.
3.) I was finished first and went to the hall to wait and this is why I only do gel manicures, one of my fingers smudged badly and had to be redone. Granted, this was my mistake so I showed the person at the desk my badly smudged finger to call the girl back who did my nails to redo my finger. The girl at the front seemed like she was one of the primary nail artists and she didnt seem that concerned and called for the other girl who did my nails so she could fix it. Instead of redoing the whole finger, to my surprise, she painted over it. Painted it over several times to the point where the coating was uneven and it was oozing white so that the line was uneven. Uhm. what the heck? I’ve never experienced this before at any nail salon, they usually do the whole nail over again if its smudged badly. That just locked in my decision on never coming back here again. I guess I was so surprised by her action of just repainting the nail several times that at that point I just told her it was fine as I just wanted to get out of there. I asked how long my cousin was going to take and they told me it would be a few minutes.
When my cousin finished she liked her mani and pedi (they did look great) but when she saw my nails (the sloppy job done on the edges, and the repainted finger that by now. looked like a thick white glob) she felt so bad for me and was shocked that our experiences were so different and she also thought that my nails looked bad too. :(When I paid the bill I did leave a generous tip only because my cousin enjoyed her experience and her mani/​pedi came out great but if it was just me I would not have left anything and plus, she had 2 or 3 different girls working on her so I felt like I should tip them at least. I’m not sure if the girl who did my nails was new or in training but it definitely ruined the experience for me as I have been to other Japanese nail salons (primarily in costa mesa) with wonderful customer service and never experienced something awful like this, especially at an expensive salon such as Mars with a reputation of being a luxurious nail salon.

Oh. my. god. This place feels like Hermes of nail salons.
The outside is simple, but a flurry of japanese women lead you to a private room with a large lounge chair, a cubby for your purse a TV, music and scented candles. Then they totally pamper your nails for the next 2.5 hours. I was offered a variety of teas and juices.
I had a gel manicure done with a Coachella design. The painted on gradients as well as palm trees and the Coachella ferris wheel on my nails. They ask for your approval every step of the way and are EXTREMELY meticulous and detail oriented. I had 4 japanese ladies working on my hands, as each seems to have their own specialty. One custom mixed colors for my nails and painted them on, 2 painted on the design and one added finishing touches and top coat. They work on both hands the same time. This does not include the 2 ladies who worked on my toes.
It can get a little pricey though. I spent $ 300 for the whole thing, plus tipped another $ 150 (there were so many girls who took care of my nails and they turned out beautiful!). Yes, it was a pricey a mani/​pedi, but again the ultimate of mani pedis!
I think if you choose a non-​complex design the price might be cheaper, but why not go for it all when you are there? :P
Parking is free and at the back, they will point you to it.

The BEST gel manicure and pedicure on planet Earth!!!
I’ve been going to MARS for 1.5 years and I will not go anywhere else– EVER.
My hands last 2 weeks, and my feet last 1 month. Incredible!!!
Sit back, relax– and zone out to some peaceful music or television…
And let the amazing ladies take your hands and feet into another world.
BLISS!!!

If you’re the type to stare at your freshly manicured nails looking for flaws then this place is for you. I’m super specific and anal about the way my nails should look. Especially when I’m getting gel, I expect it to be evenly applied and look flawless for weeks. Most of the time when I get my nails done, I would be really bothered by the fact that they just can’t file my nails evenly, one might be rounder or shorter than the other, etc. Well, at Mars The Salon I don’t have to worry about any of that. It’s the nicest, chicest, and best salon I’ve been to so far. Of course the prices reflect that but I rather spend more knowing that I will walk out completely satisfied.
Mars is by appointment only. They have 3 private rooms with a super comfortable chair, tv, and ear phones. I’ve been here twice and fell asleep during my mani on both occasions. The Japanese girls who work here are professionals. They don’t talk to each other, don’t bother you with questions, they just focus on their craft. If you like a specifc style, bring a picture and they’ll be able to replicate it down to a T.
Another plus is that they have their own private lot for customers, we all know that free parking is nearly impossible to find in Weho. Love it here, will be back.

MARS is the BEST NAIL SALON in Los Angeles!
I’m a perfectionist and extremely hard to please when it comes to nail care.
MARS provides a luxury VIP treatment and it’s really fantastic. It’s the epitome of Japanese hospitality. You get your private room with TV and headphones. If you don’t care for the TV option, just simply ask them to turn on some music for you. They were playing a lovely jazz set when I was there. Very relaxing, I loved it. They have a nice selection of CHANEL, ESSIE and OPI nail polishes. The ladies who work there are lovely too. An amazing plus for LA, they have parking in the back!
Thanks Mars for the lovely experience. You’re my new favorite!

Perfect place to have a mini retreat in LA. My sister and I came here for a sisters date last week. I love that you have your own private room. They bring you tea and a little treat. It’s so relaxing and I’ve never had better nails! The girls are very sweet and very thorough. I love the variety of gel sets and nail art they have. It’s also right across the street from earth café. It’s pricey but worth every penny!

The BEST nail salon I’ve ever been to. They have Chanel polishes, and you get your nails done in your own room with TV and headphones in total, blissful silence. The salon is also impeccably clean, and the manicure came out perfect. Even a $ 20 polish change here is better than a full manicure elsewhere.

So I have a confession … I have a serious love/​hate relationship … I don’t know if I love her or I hate her or I lote her … Well, it’s something. Her name is Gwyneth Paltrow and I ha-​ve (hate/​love) her.
So what does the highly disfunctional relationship lead me to do. DO ALL THINGS G. I mean I cleanse with G, I workout with G and I read Goop religiously. I mean I am a kooky for all things Paltrow. So in her lovely Goop app she has wonderful recs for the City of Angels. I was lost in my recent move: WHERE OH WHERE SHOULD I GO FOR FASTIDIOUS NAILS?!
Of course, the perfect G, had the perfect answer. MARS! As everything G has on goop, it is way expensive, so don’t go here thinking you are getting a bargain basement cut and run mani/​pedi. What you are getting when you go G is an experience! You get your own room, with your own TV, people doting on you in peaceful meticulous silence and above all clean. If you don’t know that I love clean, then you haven’t been paying much attention to my reivews. Everything is so elegant: from the VEGAN pedicures to the custom gel manicures! It is truly amazing. The nail art they do is actual art. When I say they paint your nails they actually paint them ritualitically and methodically with a brush.
Again G, apparently has some time on her hands in between Academy Award wins and goop and living in a macrobiotic home, so she can easily spend 2.5 hours for the full Mars enchilada (which I am sure G never eats). It is such an experience and so clean and beautiful. If you have the dough (which G never eats, obviously), I would give it a go.

Mars in one word: sugoi (incredible). You get your own private room here, with a huge tv and headphones should you prefer. It feels minimalist, chic, and amazingly luxurious the moment you cross the threshold, though you certainly pay for what you get here. Gel manicures run $ 80, and standards $ 50. However, it’s best to keep in mind that their standards are much higher than your average nail chop shop. My service and experience was pretty much flawless.
Everyone in the salon is Japanese and the entire feel of the space is also Japanese. I was really pleased to see hojicha and genmaicha as options for beverages after my nail service was through. I would visit next time I’m in town.