Nail Salon Koko

I have been going this salon over 10 years. I believe this store is one of the top quality Japanese nail salon in Hawaii. They have clear/​reasonable price settings and you should be able to find your favorite design from their many original designs!!! I always get complement from my friends after I got my nail done from Nail Salon Koko! Their original gel brand «kokoist» is awesome. My nail is shinier than regular gel nail and also keep it very long time. I highly recommend this place if you cannot decide which nail salon to go to. Definitely worth to try!

wir haben für 4 personen (je 2 und 2 nacheinander reserviert). manicure…
die eine sprach nur japanisch, gab sich aber mühe und machte ihre arbeit sehr gut…
dir andere (halb jap. halb hawaii) hetzte im eil tempo auf unsere nägel und hatte keine geduld! ich fragte die ob sie in eile sei, sie meinte aber nein…
feilen war schlecht, schnell schnell… häutchenpflege gar nicht recht, zwar klimpste sie häutchen weg, aber bei mir pro nagel 3klimps, teils in der luft… also auch schlecht
eine riiiiesen auswahl an nagellack, alle farben. mehr als die hälfte war alt und hart…
die lackierung war auch schlecht (von der einen) unregelmässig und auch wieder im hetz tempo
schade, der laden wäre so hübsch

My first pedicure so I don’t have anything to compare it to but I was happy with it. I walked in with no appointment and was seen right away. Price was very reasonable ($ 25) and she did a good job.

Went here to get pedicure done. Very nice stuff, super quick yet detailed job. Very efficient and they also offer a parking space in the back. Enjoyed my experience here, will probably go back if I’m in the area :)

This is definitely THE place for gel nail art designs and not your everyday regular mani/​pedi. A great place to get that special wedding, ball or prom designs for your nails. They have highly skilled nail art technicians and the salon owner Koko has a Nail School in Japan. I usually book with Yuki, Yoko or Koko when she’s in town. One of the reasons I come here specifically is because they use their own brand of Kokoist gel which has been specifically formulated for durability, color and shine. I use my hands and nails a lot in my line of work and my gel nails lasts for a month. I get tons of compliments on my nail designs and I have been coming here for years and I have never had the same design twice. For gel nail colors they can custom blend colors to match your outfit and copy designs you find on-​line and in magazines which I have asked them to do. Yes, their prices are somewhat higher than some other salons but they also offer monthly specials, stamp cards and kama’aina discount for those on a tighter budget. For the time, expertise and money I prefer getting one great gel manicure for $ 80 than 4 regular manicures at $ 20 a pop each month.

Pricey and not what I expected from a pedi. No massage no wax just a wash cuticle trim and polish. The manicurist was very meticulous though. She took her time shaping and trimming my nails. From my experience the pedis suck the manicures are great! The chairs are uncomfortable with no massage options.

Unless you like to pay dearly for getting a mani-​pedi ($ 80+), and they seem nice, but it also seems fake.
I guess if you are in town and want to make a reservation (yes, they will be doing nothing but won’t take you as a walk in if they don’t think they have time, which works out for some people, just it is strange since I stopped in a couple of times with this happening) soooo… If you are in town for a wedding, want to make an appointment or a wedding party nail appointment, and have copious amounts of cash, THIS IS YOUR PLACE!
I however, am simply a resident of Waikiki that lives around the block and gets frequent nail spa services elsewhere.

I moved to Honolulu in 2012 and finding a new nail salon was super difficult. Ive been to Salon Koko about 6 times now and everytime is a different experience. Ive had great gel sets that have professional designs and Ive had gel sets that look like I did them myself that come off while doing simple things like typing or locking my bike. Overall the «you never know what your going to get» nature of this salon is not worth the price, Ill be taking my business elsewhere from now on.

This Place Is Shitty ! I will not go back there.
I was there and I just had a one color pedicure today.
Their color application is great, yet I was alone and I was not able to decide on what color because they didn’t even give me a color sample to choose from.
I am Japanese and They are Japanese too but no conversation till I started to talk and ask them some question so It was not fun at all… Maybe she had bad day?
They didn’t take enough time to do a foot scrub either. It was super quick…
After everything was done for my pedicure they asked me to pay and it sounded like to me that they wanted me to leave from the salon (for whatever they had planned for saturday night) Excuse me! I am their only paying customer so what the f**#! I will not be going back to this shitty salon anytime soon.

I dunno, unless you’re a tourist with plenty of cash to throw away, I don’t see any valid reason to spend your time or money here.
I live right around the corner so I’ve gone there in a pinch a few times, and each time I leave I feel like I’ve been robbed. The people are always pleasant, which is why I’m going 2 stars, instead of 1.
I came in wearing a pair of sneakers one day, wanted a pedicure. I’ve worn closed-​toed shoes to a nail salon plenty of times. It’s not ideal but usually it’s not a big situation… I just have to sit around waiting for my toes to dry longer, or they’ll push me out of the salon wearing those weird spongy slipper things or whatnot. But none of that here, instead I was told I could buy a pair of $ 15 sandals or get a gel pedicure instead.
No big deal, I decided, I’ll get a gel pedicure. Immediately I was handed a book full of «style examples» ranging in price from $ 85 — $ 130. For a pedicure. I dunno what I was expecting to pay for a pedicure upon walking into this place, but it definitely did not come close to triple digits.
Somehow I manage to talk myself out of styles, and into a solid gel color, which still cost me a small fortune. I was expecting a dope foot massage or SOMETHING to make it worth the price. What I got was a foot rinse and dry… and a toenail painting. None of that other good stuff that makes a pedicure feel nice and relaxing like, oh I dunno, lotion or oil, cuticle trimming, callous removal, sea salt rub, or hot stones.
Anyway I got a manicure too, but it was weak. It was supposed to last two weeks minimum, but I had to have it replaced at a cheaper, better place 4 days later.
I’m not a picky person, I don’t often leave bad reviews, I wouldn’t consider myself a needy customer… I just call it like it see it. I won’t be going back, not even if they gave me ten free filers or buffers, or whatever they’re offering if you check in on Unilocal

What a great place! The ladies there are so nice, and the services we received were perfect. He got a pedicure and I got a gel manicure. I’m very picky, and my girl was as good or better than my girl back home. It was a little pricey but definitely worth it!

This salon is very peaceful and clean. The staff is very nice and do not chatter back and forth with each other. I just got the manicure/​pedicure. I only have my nails buffed so that part was Ok — she was done in 15 minutes. The pedicure was adequate. I admit that I have callouses on my heels, but she did not spend any extra time working on my heels and pretty much gave me the standard 2 minutes per heel. She did a nice job on polishing, but at these prices I was expecting more.

Rip off! I went in for a gel manicure for the first time at this salon. The service menu stated $ 40 for this service. I sit down at the table, she starts to file my nail and says «it’s $ 15 to soak of your gel polish». I said «huh? On top of the $ 40?» and she acted like she didn’t know what I was saying and proceeded to say «no $ 15 to take off and $ 50 for gel manicure». What!!! How did the gel manicure just go up $ 10 from what the menu in the window states? I am not some stupid tourist, and plain just not stupid enough to pay $ 65 for what costs me $ 40 in LA, Boston, NJ, Vegas and everywhere else I’ve had gel manicures. Too bad Koko-​your greed lost you a potential regular business client. Frankly I wonder just who around here can afford a $ 65 gel mani?

Overall, I enjoyed my experience here. I came in right when they opened so it was not that busy at the time. They prefer appointments but I just walked in.
The price was above average, I received a manicure and pedicure ($ 49 for the combo and does not include a massage).
The atmosphere was nice, not your typical spa massage chairs, rather they have a large leather chair with pillows and a wooden sink/​bowl for your feet in which they put either an orange or milk, your choice.
I really liked the fact that it was quiet compared to typical nail salons. The ladies weren’t chatting away to each other, rather they were focused on the clients and had relaxing music in the background.
Oh and FYI the Unilocal check in ad (free cuticle oil for service over $ 50) does not apply to the combo.

The receptionist is an idiot. I called to inquire about prices and book an appointment and she scheduled me for 10 am. Thirty minutes later she called and said she had booked me when they already had appointments and wanted to reschedule me for 2pm. Messed up our plans, but what ever. Another 30 minutes later she calls back and whoops, she quoted the wrong prices this time. As a previous spa employee, any decent place would have just kept their word after this many fuck-​ups and given us a discount. They were unwilling so I decided to take my business elsewhere. Hope their customer service improves for future guests.

I am so happy that I got my manicure at Nail Salon Koko and not one of the questionable nail places in Waikiki. However, I’m not sure that I can go to any other nail salon now!
My BF treated me to a birthday staycation in Waikiki, and I mentioned that I wanted to get a manicure. I read all about Koko, but was slightly hesitant because I am not a Japanese tourist, and I didn’t want to be treated badly or ignored all together. So, we walked here and scoped it out a bit before going in. As soon as we walked in, we were greeted, and asked to have a seat in the waiting area. In just a few minutes, I was escorted to the nail station, and had the opportunity to look at all the different nail designs available for both gel and natural nails. If you are a fan of nail art, and I mean NICE nail art, this is definitely the place. With so many super kawaii designs, I had a hard time choosing. A word of warning though… the designs are not cheap, but are very professional looking… these are NOT your strip mall nail salon designs! I ultimately decided to just get a regular manicure with pink gradation polish. The manicure was wonderful. Yuki did a great job on filing my nails and cleaning up my nasty cuticles. She was kind of quiet at first, but then we started to talk about Japan and our other travels, and she quickly opened up. I was surprised when she busted out the airbrush machine to do my gradation… I thought it was only done by hand. It looked amazing, and I was so happy. What a wonderful birthday gift!
I will definitely be back to Koko with my Mom. We normally go someplace else to get pedicures, but I think I’d like to bring her here next time. And, I also want to try gel nails instead of a regular manicure. Don’t hesitate to come here, you will not be disappointed!

I thought the prices were a bit steep for a pedicure but given the good reviews and convenient waikiki location I decided to give it a try.
I had been trotting along roads and beaches all day and when I went in there, my feet were leathery, sand-​filled and atrocious. I was actually ashamed. The milk bath and heel buffing my technician gave me made them so soft for a day straight! Also, they have a really good selection of high quality polishes (ie. essie, opi) and combined with their attention to detail, this was the shiniest, longest lasting pedi I’ve had in a while. She didn’t talk too much, the salon is very pretty and she made the water very hot just like I wanted. I was relaxed and off to my flight with feet I could actually bear to show in public.

Worst. Experience. Ever.
Where do I begin…
I stopped in hoping that they would be able to fit me in. Luckily there was only one patron in there, but I still had to wait a long time before the front desk even acknowledged me. Then she made me sit in the waiting area for another bit. No idea why, but I’ll try and trust they needed some time, despite having quite a few people working and only one customer.
I initially wanted a mani and pedi. Just one color each. I figured if they can do all the fancy designs, gems, gels, etc. than this should be a breeze. Wrong.
I had to scratch the pedi because they didn’t have flip flops for afterwards. Or so they said. I said I would buy a pair, like all other salons do, but they said they didn’t have any I could buy. But there was a wall of flip flops on the back wall by the waiting area with a few signs than said, for sale… hmmmmmm
So mani only it is. I had a really nice dinner planned and needed a touch up. I pick a color and she gets to work. I notice the color is VERY opaque and I can still see my nails under. I ask for a third coat. No third coat I’m told. «Two only. Top coat». I couldn’t believe it. She finishes up and then tells me to wait a few min while it dries. So I sit there, unhappy with my color and she asks me to pay. But my nails are still wet I say, it hasn’t even been 5 min since you’re done. Don’t you have a dryer? No dryer she says, even tho I see one one the nail station RIGHT NEXT TO ME. She helps me get my wallet out, charges me $ 26 (almost exactly double what I pay in San Francisco) and send me out with wet nails. I spend the rest of my time before dinner letting me nails dry and drying them with my hair dryer. Unable to do my hair and make up before going out. The job is horribly uneven to boot. The second coat of the color polish doesn’t cover the entire nail, creating ridges. So now I get to go to my nice dinner with nails worse than when I went in. If I had remover here where I am staying I would take it off. Clear nails would be better than this. So. Upset. Will never return.

I’m not one of those people who get her nails done every 2 weeks, so going to Nail Salon Koko was really worth it. I’m not a fan of nail art on my own nails, and don’t like fake nails, so my bill was relatively low I guess? It came to around $ 40 after tip. I got the Hot-​Stone Massage Manicure. I think it was around $ 30 – 35. TOTALLY WORTH IT!
So my friend and I had an appointment for a Wednesday evening. It was nice since there was nobody else there. There were two workers so they were able to start both of us at the same time. The inside is beautiful… its better than any other typical nail salon I’ve ever seen. They do a good job with their décor. It has a warm and cozy atmosphere. The best part is that when you walk in, you don’t smell any nail polish fumes! There’s a big manicure section and pedicure stations too.
If you want something simple, then go for the Hot-​Stone Massage Manicure. It was so meditating and the massage oil used smells amazing. The only thing I didn’t like was that the hand/​arm massage was done at the manicure table, so you couldn’t really sit back and enjoy it, like those getting a pedicure can. But what a difference the hot stones make. You’ll like, I promise :) You can purchase their massage oil there if you like it that much.
The ladies there were so nice and made it feel very comfortable. It was nice with just my friend and I there, as it felt like a private appointment with no interruptions.
So basically, I would recommend spending the money here if you are like me barely goes to the nail salon. But if you are a regular, then maybe go here once a month if you’re on budget… and if money is no problem for you, well then lucky you! This may be your place to spend if so!

I came here last June to get my nails done. It was the first time I’ve ever tried cal gel as I previously tried acrylic.
I love the local vibe they have in the salon but still keep it comfortable for there Japanese customers.
It’s VERY clean and decorated well! It’s the best looking salon I’ve been to and it doesn’t stink like most places do with all the nail chemicals.
I really like that they hand buff and file your nails. Other places I’ve been to use all those machines to do it, but they actually take the time and make sure your nails are perfect before they do it.
Unfortunately I don’t remember the name of the lady who did my nails, but she showed me lots and lots of samples so that I could find a design that I liked. She was really friendly and helpful.
I even decided to get a 3D bow on one of my nails. She did such a good job and spent a couple hours working on my nails. I absolutely loved the end result!
The only thing that keeps me from giving them 5 stars is that they are a bit pricey. There are a lot of other Japanese nail salons that do great jobs with nail art that don’t charge as much as they do here, but I would still recommend coming here! :D

WARNING: GETTING YOUR NAILS DONE IS VERY ADDICTING. YOU ARE ABOUT TO CREATE A HABIT THAT WILL COST YOU THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. My Japanese girlfriend took me here one time and we got our nails done here. man oh man is this place the bomb. But man it really cost me way too much money and its kind of obsurd if you think about it that these nails only last for 2 – 3 weeks before you have to get em done again.
The reason I am giving this plae 3 stars and not 4 is that I feel discriminated because I am not Japanese and I dont speak Japanese and you can tell that they are way more friendly to their «own» kind so to speak. I always feel so alienated when the staff dont speak much english.
I would only come here if I had a lot of play money to blow or it was my birthday or if I was getting married because its so expensive here. This place is top notch in service and selection but be willing to blow around 100 or more bucks on your nails! Can you say BLING BLING?!
HUGE SPLURGE if you decide to come. They charge 1 dollar per rinestone… yes. each plastic rinestone costs $ 1…so if you have 40 sparkly stones on your fingers thats $ 40 in just bling… You should just go home and add the stones yourself if you want to save some money. Just ask them to air-​brush the decorations and then go home to add your own stones.
They have thousands of choices and you can create any combination your pretty little heart desires. Such a splurge but the experience is really fun!
Also I got to see Dog the Bounty Hunter huntin some people and his whole family across the street when I got my nails done. That was nice… I saw the episode on TV too. Apparently they were filiming right across the street from Koko Nail Salon!