Ruby Nails

Its my first try at this salon. Overall great experience. The lady doing my nails took her time and was very detail oriented. I got a mani pedi — and my fav part of course are the massages — I was very pleased. After my nails dried she helped me get my sneakers on, and took preemptive measured not to ruin the pedicure. Lastly the salon gifted me a holiday gift, a nice tube of hand lotion. Really charming place, I would definitely return.

I have always had a great experience here, my nails are never less than perfect and this picture of my manicure is nearly a week old– after days of scrubbing dishes, doing laundry and running around and NO chips. I also loved the classic red they had and the super short style of nail I got. So glad they’re in my neighborhood :)

Cash only. NO signs anywhere that they don’t take cards. The salon was EMPTY. Pedicure wasn’t anything to write home about. She held my feet delicately like she was scared to touch them idk. I wasn’t impressed. For four stars I expected a little better. Oh well.

You don’t go here for gel, for good Essie colors, or for the interior design. It’s a hole in the wall that you go to for the lovely friendly four employees that are are always welcoming and for the AMAZING job that they do. My hands and toes are whipped into shape at Ruby. Here they pay attention to detail and I have never had a bad experience. If you want a certain color bring your own. A hidden gem. Best mani/​pedi in all of NYC.

It’s not the fanciest place and you might want to bring your own color because they don’t have the biggest polish selection, but the women who work there give THE BEST Manis and Pedis I’ve ever had. Better than any of those schmancy places that give you cocktails and charge you twice as much. Better than any Manhattan spa. You get an actual massage with your mani pedi and their polish is meticulous. Only downsides are they are cash only and they are closed on Sundays :(

Hesitant at first-​this is a sleepy, convenient, solid no frills nail salon. The staff was pleasant and helpful and genuinely kind. A massage chair Foot massage was great and longer than usual. A broken massage chair, not a lot of polish choices, kinda cluttery, but what the atmosphere lacked was made up for in attitude and service. $ 22 pedi when you’re around Ft. Greene with time to kill.

I have been a patron of Ms. Lee since she was on Fulton St in Bed Stuy over 20 yrs ago. and now on DeKalb. Great service here. They remember your face. Its a neighborhood place. Very authentic people here. Great pedis! Cash only.

I get gel manicures regularly, usually at Mega Nail Salon & Spa on Myrtle Ave or Butterfly on Fulton or in lower Manhattan. A few days ago, during the first snow/​rain storm of the year I was unable to walk to either salon mentioned above and so walked into the closest salon to my apartment, which was Ruby Nails. I looked at their posted prices, under manicure it said gel $ 20, which I assumed was correct since Mega Nail Salon & Spa on Myrtle Ave charges $ 20 as well. Butterfly on Fulton charges $ 30.
I came in and sat down with a woman who barely spoke English. I asked to see the colors they had for gels and it was VERY limited, there were about 15 colors compared to the 40+ I am use to at every salon I have been to for gels, I should have known at that point I should walk away, but I told myself it’s fine it’s only $ 20, and chose the best of the lot of colors.
Needless to say, I got a very sloppy gel manicure. The worst I have ever had. When I got ready to pay I was informed they don’t take credit cards so was off to the closest ATM. When I returned the woman who did my nails suddenly spoke perfect English, and told me that I owed $ 36. I said, «what, you mean $ 26 your menu says under manicure– a gel is $ 20», the owner who was sitting nearby pointed to the very bottom of the menu that nobody would ever see to a special price for a UV gel manicure for $ 36. WHAT again? If I had asked the price before (which i should have) I would have walked away, I have had gel manicures done at nice salons in soho, the upper west side, fort greene always for $ 30 or less, but at this place where the woman barely knew what the hell she was doing and no colors to chose from, and a terrible gel manicure, I am expected to pay $ 36, really???
I said that was expensive! And the response was that they didn’t charge me to soak off my previous gel, even though I only had 5 fingers left with a gel.
My advice to anyone is not to go here.

Best hand massage ever! I have never had such delight in having my phalanges stroked and pulled! I’d go back just for the massages.
The only reason they are being marked 4 and not a 5 is cause their polish was either old or it was not good quality. My tips started chipping about 4 hours later. Granted I play rough and was catching a flight that day but the color on half my nail was gone by the time I slung my carry on into the over head cabin. I take partial blame but all 10 nails were chipped by the next shower.
The ladies are super nice! They all speak English. They give killer massages! They don’t judge me for not wanting my cuticles cut. They also have fantastic advice on nail care. When I’m back in Brooklyn, I’ll be going back!

I came in for a mani/​pedi and was not too impressed. They don’t have gel polish… They only have essie and other off-​brand polishes. They aren’t very friendly and don’t speak good english. The atmosphere is MAJORLY lacking. They don’t take credit/​debit cards. The paint job on my toes was meh. I agreed to get a mani but was informed that they don’t have gel, so I had to go to another shop nearby to get my manicure. It was a pretty thorough pedicure, but I won’t be coming back.

I was drawn to check this place out based on the reviews since I am a consistent manicure needer and a cheap place close to home seemed like a fantastic possibility. What really interested me was the tell of low prices and exceptional, drawn-​out leg massages. I was mildly, but not majorly, disappointed.
I called ahead to find out how late they were open (8pm), and was told it was no problem if I got there by 7pm. The place is indeed no frills; the carpet reminds me of the horrific excuse for carpet in my very first apartment in college. The rest of the place was equally worn, taped over, cracked, and long past it’s prime, but their tools and work stations did seem clean and sanitized. The nail polish selection is extremely limited (no OPI as far as I could tell, and many of the Essie were just several bottles of the same color). I had a little wait, but nothing major, and the ladies were nothing but exceptionally friendly, helpful, and kind during my entire interaction. I ended up with a very sweet technician who looked a little like Paula Abdul. The pedicure was fine. I appreciated the intensive scrubbing she did on my heels, and the massage was pretty good; I didn’t find it exceptional though. I was disappointed that she cut my toe nails pretty unevenly, and despite the fact that I asked for rounded tips only to get something between round, square, and totally misshapen. I had to re-​clip them myself.
The manicure was better, she did a nice job with my cuticles, my nails are well shaped, and it was a standard, but enjoyable process. My only complaint would be that the polish lines right near my cuticles are just a tiny bit uneven in places. That last bit is just a particular pet peeve of mine. The dryers were the old yucky kind that you have to restart, and most of the buttons were worn off. Still, despite my being one of the last customers, they in no way rushed me and took time and care with me. I can see why this place is loved, the women who work here seem utterly lovely, and I’m sure that brings folks in the hood back. I, on the other hand will stick to Garden Nail and Spa. Despite the fact that this place is listed as being cheaper, it’s actually $ 2 more for a mani-​pedi than Garden Nail and Spa (Ruby Nails is $ 32, Garden Nail and Spa is $ 30), which is not a big deal, but Garden Nail and Spa offers a bit more, like a spotless, roomy, fancily equipped facility, a heel treatment with your pedicure, perfect polish lines every time, and a nice shoulder rub while your nails dry. I swear, I have no affiliation with Garden Nail and Spa, other than as a happy customer, I’m just saying that it raises my bar for what I expect.

There is a serious deficit of good places to get a good eyebrow wax in Ft. Greene/​Clinton Hill. This place, while a basic shop, does great waxing (by the owner). Fantastic prices!

This place gives attention to detail! Excellent mani/pedi’s for a decent price. Wouldn’t say they are the cleanest or most luxurious place, but the ladies do a great job and do it with a smile! If I’m ever back in the area, I would go back!

when i recently went to Ruby for what used to be a nice, long, relaxing pedicure (with massage) I was in and out in 30 minutes — and there was no line or wait. what’s up with that?
while they have upped their nail polish selection over the years (believe me, it used to be even worse than it is now) i still went with a boring old go to for lack of inspiration and paid $ 24.
meh. won’t return.

I got a good manicure here today. Nice hand massage and the polish looks good. (I brought my own after reading other reviews — their’s is limited, although there are many greens to choose from.) My one issue is the ambiance. I guess I’m used to going to places in Queens (this was my first mani in BK), but the place could use a little updating, vacuuming, dusting. Other than that, it was fine. I’ll prob go back when I need a quick mani in my hood.

Great prices and the women who work there are wonderful! Very thorough and skilled. Plus, they gifted customers with a gift wrapped bottle of lotion for the holidays! So sweet.

Like others have noted, the nail polish selection is terrible, and it’s annoying that they don’t take cards. With that out of the way, the quality of the service is great. The manicures last forever, and it’s hard to beat an $ 8 mani. They do a great job and I will continue to visit!

I just had a lovely mani/​pedi at Ruby. For $ 28, you really get a great value. The ladies spend time massaging your feet and legs, and the paint job was fantastic. I brought my own shade because I had just purchased an OPI color I love.
Cash only. Tip well, ladies! A nice independent business with women who work hard for the money (RIP Donna Summer).

Best nail salon in Fort Greene, with great service, for an incredible price. I once walked in twenty minutes before closing (not realizing they were closing) and after I realized, I offered to come back the next day; instead, they sat me in a pedicure chair and set two people to work on my nails and one on my feet. Now that’s service.
The only complaint is that the nail polish selection is terrible. But I always bring my own polish (something I like doing anyway so I can fix my own chips), so it’s not really an issue for me.

I’m a dude so my expectations are a little lower than the average client. I go here strictly for pedicures. The women here are very friendly and attentive. The woman who did my pedi did a very thorough job, made small talk with me, and didn’t rush (which is one of my pet peeves). Good prices too cause I’ve noticed in Brooklyn that they usually charge men higher for pedicures when they’re actually doing less and this place does not do that.
I do wish they accepted debit/​credit cards though.