Happy Nails and Spa

Amy is the best! Just found this place 2 weeks ago. Im super hard on my nails and not one broke or lifted! Im here again for a fill! They took me in right away! Thank you Amy

Not friendly!!! When I pay $ 100 for nails I don’t what to be rushed and fell like I am an inconvenience wen I made an appointment a day in avens. The quality of the manicure and pedicure was quite poor overall it was just a not so happy experience.

Giving three stars because they are now under new ownership and will need to earn a higher rating on subsequent visits. I arrived and my regular manicurist/​pedicurist was off that day. Sat down and chair with massage was unusually uncomfortable. I asked for a pillow to support my back and was provided a clean and comfortable pillow. It may have just been a bad chair. There were not very many customers which also surprised me, probably because of the new ownership. I only recognized one of the staff. Usually I am immediately asked what service I would like and shown the pricing list. The little voice in my head said I should tell them what service I wanted. I was shown a pricing sheet that was labeled June (odd since I was just there in Nov/​Dec). I was last there in either late Nov/​early Dec. when it was the old ownership. All the prices had increased and the service decreased. The service I got was previously $ 30 with a 10 minute leg and foot message. New price is $ 35 which is a 17% increase. (My wages have not gone up 17% over a 6 year period). I mentioned I noticed the changes and then asked how much was the waxing which was not on any pricing list. It was $ 10 which was the same. The staff did take note of what I said and only charged me the $ 30 and provided the 10 minute message without me asking. I will give another opportunity but I would strongly recommend that they put their prices (hopefully the old price) in a visible location and train their staff to review the prices and services which each customer before they begin. This also may be why the shop was nearly empty. If you find a staff member you like than be sure to ask for them. The new staff member I had was making me nervous with her clipping of my nails and sure enough she cut back to far and it hurt bad, not sure if it bleed because I did not want to look as it would probably hurt more. I told her to file from there which she did but then went back to clipping thankfully more carefully. The person who did my eyebrow wax did a great job and took care; regaining my confidence and getting me in a relaxed mood after the clip incident.

John is wonderful!!! Always accommodates my crazy schedule and is very professional.

This was absolutely the worst experience I have ever had at a nail salon. To begin with my nail tech was extremely rushed even though there was no one else waiting. I came in for a stiletto shaped fill, a simple straight forward request I assumed. After the powder was put on she began shaping my nails, they were perfectly symmetrical to begin with and after they were extremely crooked and uneven, I asked her several times to fix them and each time she filed they seemed to get worse. She did not buff my nails and skipped several steps that normal nail salons offer with a standard fill. My nails are thick and uneven. When painting my nails she didn’t wait between coats and they are still wet to the touch and hour later. There is polish all over my cuticles and the sides of my fingers. If I could give this salon a zero out of five stars I would.

I was hesitant to go here because of all the negative reviews, but I didn’t have great experiences at the other two places I’ve tried locally – moved here recently so I’m trying to find go-​to salon – and I thought I’d give it a try.
I had a good experience. I had a unique request and the woman at the front desk was careful to make sure that the nail technician understood what I wanted. The technician did exactly as I’d asked. She also took her time with my cuticles and set a timer for the massage which meant it was longer than at some other places. My nails are short and hard to polish but they looked great when I left.
I don’t have my nails done often, but I’d go back.

I’ve been coming to this Happy Nails and Spa off and on since I moved to Aliso almost three years ago. What keeps drawing me to this nail salon is that it’s the closest one to my home, so close that I could walk here if I want! It may not be the best nail salon, but the next closest salon to me is about a 10 minute drive from my place. I keep coming back here for sheer convenience honestly!
The girls that work here know me by now, some even remember my name, and what pedicure package I like. I usually don’t get a manicure since I use my hands so much and the polish doesn’t last (unless I get a gel polish), so I only get a manicure maybe twice a year. I do frequently get a pedicure, usually going in once a month. I usually opt for their «Please Me Pedi» for $ 30, which offers an exfoliating foot scrub, 10 minute massage, and nail polish.
For the most part I think the girls who work here do a great job. Once in a blue moon do I get someone that doesn’t do well, but that is rare. The last time I did come into this location, it appeared that they had some change in staff and management. They seemed more professional then they have in the past, they don’t sit around talking in Vietnamese while people are getting a mani or pedi, and if they’re on break I notice that they go in the back instead of laying around on the pedicure chairs. They even offer water now! They also replaced all their pedicure chairs to updated ones that are more comfortable. I like that.
One thing that annoys me A LOT about this place is that when you go to pay, if they see any cash in your wallet (regardless on how much you have), they will repeatedly ask for you to pay in cash instead of a credit or debit card. I always pay with my debit card, but will leave the tip in cash. They always get annoyed with me that I won’t pay the full amount in cash. If they wanted me to do that, put up a sign that says «cash only.»
Overall this place is decent and I’ll keep coming back!
Cheers!

Worst!!! Worst fill I have ever had! No joke do not waste your time or money at this place. My pedicure chipped the next day and my acrylic nails look like crap.

&50 gel mani & reg pedi! $ 35 for regular mani & ped. Worth it if u get an amazing mani-​pedi. Polish selection is great. They have all the brand names.
I was seated to get my mani w Jennifer, and Pedi w Tina. About ¹⁄₃ of the way through, I started getting plus-​sold on additional services which I declined. What bothered me was as I would decline, the two ladies would speak to each other in their language. They could’ve been talking about the weather, but naturally I started feeling like they were talking about me. I just think it’s extremely rude to speak another language in front of a customer — this applies to any establishment.
As we went on, all I kept hearing was how dry my cuticles/​fingers are, how I should buy the foot scrub, buy this, that, followed by what felt like gossipy chatter as I’d say no. Annoying!
As Jennifer was cutting my cuticles, she kept showing me how many cuticles I had. Great — cut them and move on. But instead she was either needing acknowledgment or wanting to hard sell me on the conditioning treatment. Truthfully speaking, I know I have cuticles. I also have very dry hands. I don’t need you to tell me about it. And don’t call me HONEY!
I paid with credit card before my nails were polished, and entered in a tip. Jennifer asked me if I have cash, and quite frankly I wanted to respond with «none of your business!» She told me that cash was better than cc. If that’s the case then put up a sign that says «cash only» and I’ll pay in cash. Anyways Jennifer thanked me for the tip but Tina didn’t even acknowledge it.
As she started to polish my hands I could already tell that this was going to be sloppy. After the first coat, I tried telling her nicely. Her response was it would be better with the second coat. The second coat was worse! So sloppy!
The owner Katie overheard this and came over to see. At this point Katie took over. She apologized which I really appreciated. She told me that it’s a hard color to paint evenly but she would take care of me. And she did! THANK YOU KATIE!
Overall, I’d say my mani pedi was ok (I still have cuticles that weren’t all cut) and my overall experience was exhausting. If it weren’t for Katie, I’d drag this rating down to a 1. I’d say go somewhere else but if you do try this place, ask for Katie.

This place is AMAZING!!! I was in desperate need of a Gel manicure & pedicure for a meeting so this was the nearest nail shop to me. I went in the afternoon and the place was busy but I was welcomed by a lady named Yvette (I think she was the manager) I explained to her I was in a rush and needed a Gel manicure and pedicure, she then promptly sat me down and got two girls to work on me. I’ll have to admit, I’ve been to several nail places and had some bad experiences but the service was exceptional at this place. They go above and beyond, not only was I serviced right away but I was also offered some beverages while being worked on. I will definitely be coming back!!!

Very good service

I don’t often write reviews, but I felt like I had to pull out the Note stylus for this one. My wife took me here last weekend for some birthday pampering and even though folks describe me as a man’s man, the unmanly experience was pretty awesome. I was welcomed by the owner/​manager with the biggest smile you’ve ever seen, I think her name was Yvette, it set the tone for the session. I was promptly offered water and happily accepted. I swear, it seemed like I had just twisted off the water bottle cap before I was seated for my manicure + pedicure set. Gotta tell ya, I already felt like a winner before I sat down but when I got up, I felt like a champ. Walk in and give this place a shot, you won’t be disappointed.

Had a nail emergency so I decided to run over here on my lunch break since I work right next door. I called ahead of time to see if they accept walk ins.(they do :)) got in and out in an hour with a full set with gel. Lu, the male nail technician did a great job and was great with asking questions to make sure he was doing everything the way I wanted it. He even helped me choose our a «natural» color. Would return!

Jennifer is my favorite. She is the sweetest and very good at nails. She always does my pedicure, I have been going to her for years. Amy and Wendy are also wonderful at Gel Nails, I only use them as they are really good at Gel application. I rarely wait and they take care of me like a Queen. Love them!

Today was my second visit here and I was NOT impressed and couldn’t wait to get out of there. Jennifer was annoying. Called me hunny and baby… kept telling me to look at what a great job she was doing… told me to look at all the dry skin she scraped off my heels… then the worst happened. She freaking cut the side of my big toe nail like you are NOT supposed to as it will cause an ingrown. She was VERY proud of herself and I’m already having ingrown issues. Ughh. I just wanted to read my magazine. Are you married? Where do you live? Shut up! Then she puts on the polish and to correct the polish on my skin she uses her ultra sharp nails to clean it up. It literally hurt like a knife. Never going back here. I’m worried I will have an infection when I wake up tomorrow.

Horrible. Came here for a mani with my mom since my regular girl at Cosmo was booked. They pulled a stool for me and sat both me and my mom at one nail station with one girl. she had a cold and while doing our nails she kept wiping her nose with a tissue from her pocket. Took out some lotion to massage our hands and we said no since she had been wiping her nose, so she put the lotion directly back in the container. Oh boy. This place is pretty gross. Not going to consider this place again.

I went here because I was desperate to get my nails done. I’ve lived in the area for 3 years and have only been here one other time. I don’t understand why aliso doesn’t have any decent nail places locally. What gives? Ladera Ranch has a nail place on every corner. Why can’t Aliso just have one great one?
Anyway, this place was ok. Not great. Not terrible. But, the chick who did my nails was super aggressive and it was painful! My hands still hurt hours later. She also didn’t get polish on the edges of any of my nails. That’s kinda a bummer. My pedi looks ok. I’m nervous about how these nails will hold up for the next few days… even thought they are gels…

I had an hour away from the fam and jumped at the opportunity to get my nails done. I dropped my husband and kids off at the park, drove by here, then the hair and nail place down the street, then to the shampoo bar (which was closed), then bit the bullet and came back to this happy nails despite the bad reviews. The reviews are so bad and I didn’t want a bad experience for my hour if relaxation. My experience was actually ok! I was greeted and sat right away, I didn’t feel rushed or like I was being up-​sold on anything. It was Kimberly on my nails and Cindy (older gal) on my toes. The polish on my toes wasn’t perfect but the rest was pretty decent. She was old and the lighting sucks so I’ll let it slide.
I did observe some interesting behavior from the other patrons though. This really got me thinking. The gal across from me was reading a magazine and totally paying no attention to the lady doing her toes. No «thank you, oh that feels good, or how’s your Sunday going?» The lady next to her was on her iPad held up to her face and texting on her iphone. The lady next to me was bitching about her dry feet and yelled at them to not touch them or they’ll get worse! Really lady? They can probably take a jack hammer to that mess and you wouldn’t feel it… chill! And a lady down the way was sleeping. No wonder this place has bad reviews… I would probably treat you women like bitches too! A women walked in with her daughter and yelled, «she needs a fill and nothing more!» How impersonal can these customers be?!
All and all, it was really hot inside and the music was 20 yrs outdated but I feel like customers have zero grace. It doesn’t matter where you are. You don’t treat people badly or like they’re slaves. Say «hello» or engage with a smile… it’ll go a long way.
I would come back.

Worst Nail Salon EVER! Nothing «Happy» about this place!!!
My regular nail person moved out of the area so I thought I’d give Happy Nails a try. I walked in, sat down immediately which was the best part of my experience. I had one person working on my pedicure while simultaneously had another person working on my fill.
Pedicure: The gal giving me the pedicure clipped one of my cuticles and drew blood. Afterwards, she looked at her co-​worker who was sitting beside her and they both started to chuckle. I found nothing funny about it… She finally stopped the bleeding and carried on.
After the pedicure, the pedicurist packed up her utensils and walked to the back room, closed a sheer curtain behind her and proceeded to clean her utensils with a DRY towel. Yes, the same utensils she used on me… Yes, the same utensils she used when she cut me. I never saw her use any type of sanitizing cleanser or anything, just a DRY towel. I then watched her take the same dirty utensils and place them in a bag marked «cleaned and sanitized» I had said something to the manicurist and he just pretended not to understand me.
Manicure: The guy was just «ok» … not that energetic and could care less about doing a good job. After he finished, I looked at my nails and they looked alright… but when I got to the car in different lighting, the nails were super thick and looked faker then fake… it was awful.
The experience left me jaw dropped… I thought about the entire event for days to follow… I finally drove back to the salon, talked to the owner and explained to him my observations while showing him the terrible job his employees did… The owner did offer me a re-​do but after thinking about it, why torture myself!

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?
No, nope, never, and other synonyms thereof.
The absolute WORST manicure I’ve ever had, including drunk manicures I’ve given myself at 3am.
I have been to Happy Nails before (various locations), and haven’t been in 4 – 5 years because of how shitty they are, but this location is convenient so I figured I’d give them a shot. I was just getting a polish change on both my fingers and my toes, so I thought, how could they possibly screw it up? They figured out how.
I was seated right away and one gal started on my toes and finished fairly quickly and did a great job. The girl who was doing my nails did a nice enough job shaping them, although she sliced a pretty dip gash on one of my finger tips with her nail file. When it came time to paint them I was absolutely baffled at how novice she was. First of all, she was using the same exact bottle of polish that was used on my toes, but she kept complaining that it was the polish, not her, that was making my nails come out drippy and uneven. She kept painting the center only and leaving a VERY obvious gap of color on both sides of almost all my nails. I was looking at her like she was nuts. I told her nicely that my nails looked awful so she got someone else to finish them… same problem, actually worse. Like how hard is it to paint my nails evenly?!
I was at the chair closest to the front where the manager was standing, I showed him my nails, and I said «can you please look at this?» and he was apologetic and agreed with me that it shouldn’t be that hard to slap a coat of polish on my nails and have it be smooth, even and completely covering then nails. Finally he grabs Kimberly who was able to finish painting them even enough, but when I got in the sunlight I noticed they are TERRIBLY uneven. Drips on the sides, the second coat didn’t cover all of the first coat, just really awful. They nails chipped significantly by day three although the pedicure is holding up much better.
DO NOT BOTHER with this place. Trust me.