Nailuxury Belsize Park Review

Now, I'm not usually one to go off on a complete anger rant about a company or service I've had a run in with, but one of my New Years resolutions is to review products and services as honestly as I can.  My first review of the year is unfortunatley a negative one.

I live in in the Hampstead Heath/Belsize Park area and there are not many places to get your nails done. You'd think that with all the trendy ladies living in this area there would be, but there is not a lot to choose from.

From what I've seen there are 3 places to choose from: Palm Reflexology in South End Green (opposite Hampstead Heath station), The Pharm and Nailuxury. There is also another lady who has a little room at the back of a hair dressers in Belsize Park  (I went once to get my acrylics taken off) but I won't include them in this - only actual salons.

The Pharm has two branches, one where I live in South End Green and another up in the Hampstead Village. Although the atmosphere is always calm and quiet they are always fully booked and a little over priced for what I go for (£35 for shellac). 

I've never had an issue with Palm Reflexology, the people who run it are lovely. However they don't accept card and that always seems to put me off from using their services. It's a bother and finding a cash machine that works in Hampstead is always a hit or miss, so I prefer finding a salon what accepts card payments.

Nailuxury is a new salon that opened a couple of years ago in Belsize Park. It's interior decor is fresh and clean a stylish nail bar and seats for pedicures - It invites you in! It's a tiny salon but looks like a trendy environment to go relax and get a mani! Up until recently I have NEVER had a bad experience with this salon - I want to express I used to love using their services and ALWAYS walk away happy. However one bad experience is enough to ruin a good thing for fear it might happen on the regular.

Here's my story.

I walked in on a rainy Saturday morning dressed in a raincoat hat and scarf - all mismatched. I had a suitcase with my as I was taking some old clothes to the oxfam clothes bank to donate. I was greeted by a very sour-faced lady sat behind the desk who looked me up and down. She did not seem happy at all to see me walk through the door. Was it the way I was dressed? I didn't know. I had seen this lady before working in the salon and she seemed very cold but had never dealt with her. I asked her if I could please be fit in to have my nails done (the place was nearly empty) she half rolled her eyes and looked around and said "yeah what do you want?". I said I wanted acrylic nails. She looked at me and demanded to see my nails and told me that "gels we better". I said thank you but I think I wasn't acrylics. "No" she said, "gels are better for you". As a customer I found that incredibly rude! I am paying for a service that is offered by this salon and she is telling me no! I go on to explain that I wanted "ombré French tips" and that's why I wanted acrylics, to which she replies "no". That word again. "We don't do that here."

Right, I said, in that case I will go for the shellac French manicure then, but I'd like to pay upfront (to avoid ruining my nails rummaging in my bag for my purse). So she charges me, I pay and sit down.

A different lady tends to my nails, who may I say was perfectly polite and made conversation with me. She even offered me a drink when the other mean lady failed to.

She offered me the colour chart to pick a colour. "Oh, I've asked for French tips". She explains to me that French tips are £5 extra and I've only paid for a standard shellac manicure. The other mean lady had gotten it wrong. And I can't pay the difference because there is a minimum card spend. I loo at her in disbelief. Not only was I not getting the service that I originally came for I had to change what I wanted entirely. I was so angry. Grudgingly I picked a pale pink which I didn't even want and let her start on my nails. 

I questioned the lady as to why I couldn't have the ombré tips - she explained that the lady who did the acrylic nails was not in today. Why couldn't the sour-face lady say this to me instead of rip my head off and say "no" to me. 

This woman needs a lesson in customer service - what happened to "the customer is always right". 

The only time I saw that lady take the lemon she was sucking on out of her mouth was when an obviously rich  customer dressed to the nine in a fur coat and diamond earrings with rings on every finger walked through the door for a manicure. She actually smiled and greeted her properly, offered her a drink right away and laughed and joked around as if they were old friends.

I couldn't wait to leave the place.

I've never been so disappointed with a service before - and that includes the time my cuticles were ripped out by a nail technician from Blow Ltd (still waiting for my response to my complaint email guys!)

Would I recommend this salon? No, not now.

Would I ever go back? Maybe, if I was rushed for time and had no where else to go...

Does anyone else have any reviews for Nailuxury?

Let me know...

Gem x