Retreat Nails Studio

Not quick at all. Very chatty with customers (while not working). Went so slow. Sat in the pedicure chair for over 30 minutes until the water went cold. They never even gave me an estimated wait when I walked in. Finally I said that I had to leave. Then and only then did they acknowledge me and then did a complete rush job on my toes. I won’t be going back.

I used to love this place. It’s in a quiet area and the interior is warm and inviting (not your typical nail salon). I think they have a new owner. The last two times I’ve been in I was disappointed. The first time I had a male tech and the second I had a female tech. The male tech was in such a hurry and was rough with me. The female tech was so slow I thought I was going to scream AND she did the worst job. AND they went up on their prices. Two tries is enough. I hate it but I’ve got to find a new place.

So I was a regular customer here (like for 7 years), but the business has changed now. Here’s what I used to like about it: quiet/​calm atmosphere, modern décor, no acrylic nails so no strong smell that gives you a headache, professional and kind nail techs/​owners. The old owners left and things were still great for a while; but now, it smells like acrylic nails (just like every other salon), the manager is loud and thinks he’s funny, but to me he’s kind of disruptive and rude. He also did a rush job on me and was critical of my color choice and personal nail care maintenance (obviously I don’t do a good job myself, hence coming here). + they were only accepting cash that day, which worked fine for me but kind of strange. This place has lost it’s uniqueness and is now just like every other nail salon… so sad, for me.

The nail tech was kind of rough. The polish application was wildly uneven. Too thin on a couple of nails. On others, there is this blob of hardened gel polish on the tips of my nails.
The worst part? This gel polish cost me $ 30, which is $ 10 more than I pay at Midtown Nails. I was really taken aback when I heard the total. I mean, that is a huge difference in price. And let me be clear, this was for gel polish only, not a gel manicure. Even when I ask for polish only at Midtown, they’ll still rub some cuticle oil on my nails at the end. Here, it was bare bones. And not even done well.
I’ll stick with Midtown Nails, even if means driving out of my way for it.

Since my last visit, the woman I had do a splendid job is «no longer there.» I gave the next person a try but she drilled drilled on my natural nail multiple times after I had asked her not to touch the natural nail. And then my acrylics had lifted within 3 days. Bummer. On the lookout for a new spot.

Leave yourself a lot of time. They take forever for pedicures.
I stopped by Retreat Nails Studio after visiting my aunt and uncle in Decatur for the day. I seriously found this place just by checking Unilocal for nearby salons. I desperately needed a pedicure, and this place got decent reviews.
First of all — as a drop-​in I did have to wait for about 25 minutes to be seated at a pedicure station. That happens. But the woman who did my pedicure was THE MOST THOROUGH PEDICURIST EVER. She scrubbed my feet for about 15 minutes, along with using a ped-​egg type of metal grater to basically clean every shred of dry skin off my feet. She was also really exact with the nail polish application.
This pedicure lasted about 2 weeks straight without needing any touch-​ups. I don’t treat my feet nicely – I ran almost every day after the pedicure and even that didn’t rub or chip my polish. Not that I am in Decatur very often, but I’d go back here!

Do you remember that scene from the movie Legally Blonde, Reese Witherspoon is having a terrible day, out of her element at Harvard, lost without her friends, heart broken and alone. She jumps into her pink convertible, tears streaming, perfect mascara running down her face, on a mission to find the nearest nail salon.
That was me, when I moved to Atlanta a few months ago. Uprooted, following my husband on Army orders. I was alone and without friends, and one sad, lonely afternoon, I jumped into my Honda on a mission to find my own little slice of «comfort» … And found this nail salon and haven’t gone anywhere else since.
The ladies here are sweet, remember my name, chat with me if I need it, let me sit in quiet reading trashy magazines if I need that, too, and always make my nails look fabulous.
Inexpensive, family-​run, a chair is usually always open for me to jump into, an hour of pampering to make everything feel just a little bit better. This is my little corner of the city that makes Atlanta not feel quite so big, so scary, so unknown.

Ah, I love it when I drop a large amount of money for a gel mani and they mess it up.
So, the first time with a groupon was fab. They’re awesome folks.
The second time, I went with a gel mani — not fab but still cool. I enjoyed the chatter and the random dogs.
The third time, I was left with ALL finger nails (with expensive gel polish) peeling like a bad sunburn. I didn’t even bother going back.

I decided to have a solo pampering day and get a mani-​pedi for my birthday last month. This was my first one since moving to ATL in July, so I randomly picked a place near my house that looked reasonably priced.
The place was very clean and the ladies who worked there were very nice. The pedicure was great, but the manicure on the other hand left a lot to be desired.
I’ve never had a place do my manicure WHILE I was having the pedicure done at the same time. It was such an incredibly awkward and physically uncomfortable experience. Also, the manicure was incredibly messy and not precise.
Long story short, three stars for a great pedicure and a pretty crappy manicure.
Also, I wasn’t a huge fan that at the end while I was minding my own business at the nail dryer that one of the ladies was trying to pressure me into getting gel nails the next time (I’m an au natural gal). She spent a good 10 minutes trying to talk me into making an appointment for it.
I probably won’t go back since there are so many other places in Atlanta with great reviews to try.

Not bad, but not excellent.
I will return, but that is if I dont find «my spot».

AWFUL! I took my Mom here as a special treat because she is special to me. I too hadn’t treated myself to mani/​pedi in almost a year. The owner was nice at first, but started to sell us really hard on her new gel treatments raving at how long they lasted (up to a month). I finally gave in and said if it is truly all she is selling it to be, we should give it a shot. I got a mani pedi and Mom only the mani with gels. The best parts of the typical pedi were totally missing for me. The water was barely warm, there was no massage or thorough job on the feet, it was very fast and I felt like I had my 12 yr old doing the work. The mani for both my Mom and I looked like someone just painted our nails with a top coat. Man! I was so disappointed. I spent $ 100 on the whole deal and I kid you not, it looked and felt like a $ 10 deal. I tried to explain to the owner that I felt disappointed with the outcome and she wouldn’t even listen, instead threw a price sheet in my face and said that she told me how much it was. Wow! I have no prob paying for good service and quality, but this was the worst nail salon I have ever been to. Please don’t waste your money.

My toesies are happy — I took them to retreat today and they can’t stop smiling. I’m a cheap mani/​pedi whore, just when I think I’ve found the «one» I’m lured in, usually by google maps, to a closer more convenient spot to whatever errands I happen to be running that day. Today it was Retreat who popped up with all 5 stars… just 1.3 mi away… so I called and they got me right in. I went with the signature package just because the lady next to me was knee deep in a hot wrap and I refused to be left out of all that steaminess. Worth every penny and highly recommended. The mani was equally as devine. The place looks brand new and is super clean — I’ve definitely found my «bottom» spot.
Ask for Holly — she did a great job.

I love this place! They do a great job on my nails. They are also really nice and most of the people who work there live in the neighborhood and remember you when you come in.
Yes, it is somewhat hidden and they need better signage, but they know what they are doing!
Keep it up!

Let me start off by saying that I would have never tried this place had I not had a certificate for a Mani/​Pedi from Living Social.
The pro’s: clean, nicely decorated, very good communication, which is hard to find in a nail salon in Atlanta, fast service, although I was the ONLY customer.
The con’s: I didn’t feel as if they were as thorough when it came to removing callus’s and dead skin, and making sure the color was even on my nails. I have some spots on my nails where the color is lighter than the rest.
Will I go here again, probably not, because there are 15 other salons closer to my home that do a better job.
Can you beat the 19.99 pedicure they were offering? Probably not!

I’m sorry, Miss Nails Decatur, but Retreat Nails is where it’s at. Being located in the Medlock shopping plaza deterred me from trying out their salon (no offense, Melton’s App & Tap!), but the $ 19 mani-​pedi LivingSocial deal brought me in. And boy, and I am glad it did: I got a fantastic mani-​pedi *in 45 minutes*! The salon is extremely clean, they don’t play creepy Asian music (or Enya) and have the radio on instead, and their chairs give a great massage. This is definitely going to be where I’m getting my nails done from now on!

Super clean, brand new massage chairs, gentle décor, nice people and 5 mins from my house=good.
20% off for new clients, so made for a deal on my pedi. They did a good job on the nails. (Didn’t last through a weekend at the beach, but I am fairly active.)