Nails Paradise

I’ve been coming here for 5+ years (with Amanda and the new managers/​owners). I still receive the same quality service as before. In addition, I like the improvements the new owners have made. Example, they have placed cloth towels in bath room to reduce the amount of paper that the salon uses.

My third time coming here because I live near by. Every time I say I’m not coming back, I think I’m gonna stick to my promise this time. Poor costumer service and careless.

Had a pedicure by Lena (Le Thi Nguyen) and she was wonderful. I saw some bad reviews on Unilocal,but I could not have asked for a better experience. I am from out of town so I won’t be back in the near future, but if I lived here I would be a regular.

I agree completely with Debi R., who just rated this place.
I used to come to this place growing up since I was a little girl. My first manicure ever was here. Amanda (the old owner/​manager) used to know my mom, my sister and I so well. She was so sweet and I remember hating going to anywhere else but Nails Paradise because it just felt like home in there.
HOWEVER, I went away to college & now am back in Irvine 4 years later and it is a complete 180. Amanda is gone and you can definitely tell. I walk in and the atmosphere is so cold/​hostile. The new manager girl is so rude. She even did my nails herself once and didn’t say a single word to me. What? So strange.
ALSO– side note on how bad their customer service is. I went in last week and two of the workers (one was the manager I mentioned earlier) got into a yelling fight from two ends of the salon. They were literally yelling at each other things like «shut your mouth» and «if you don’t want to work here then leave right now, walk out this door» while the whole salon was silent… It was extremely awkward and unprofessional!
TIP note– they do not allow you to tip of your card. Cash only. There are no exceptions. That was another very rude encounter I had with the manager dealing with that. Ugh…
I am going to follow Debi R.‘s recommendation and try Esprit Nails on Portola!

Service was ok. But my nail polish only lasted a few days

I’ve been coming here for at least 10 years. The service here has gone downhill since Amanda left.
I came in for a pedi this morning (Sunday) at 10am when they opened. The man (manager/​owner?) was doing a customer’s nails. He told me to have a seat in the spa chair… which I did for almost ONE HOUR before another tech clocked in for work!!!
I wasn’t offered water. I wasn’t offered a free service. I didn’t even get a thank you when I paid AND TIPPED 20%!!!
I am local and wanted to give this place my business, but I will now be going to ESPRIT NAILS on Portola where my other friends are going… and I will tell my remaining diehard friends to follow me.
I’ll miss you Queen, but unfortunately you work for people that don’t value their customers.

Second time here, and my actual pedicure this time was better than last time. Gloves for every pedicure are a plus. But I asked for no cut, file only, and she cut a couple with the cuticle cutter anyway. Shorter than I usually go, but whatever.
Spa chairs are too close together. You wouldn’t think that matters until the lady next to you is getting acrylics done. The tech was literally a foot away from me, and I got a face full of acrylic dust. And I didn’t get the benefit of the medical facemask. Now I see why the previous reviewer talked about the chemical smell. The place is just too small, so there really isn’t enough ventilation.
I asked if they took credit card, and they said yes. However, they didn’t like that I didn’t have cash for the tip. They said, «Next time, bring cash!» I ended up writing a check instead, while thinking, ‘there won’t be a next time, lady!’ Cost for the pedi was $ 20.
After my pedicure was done, the tech told me to sit for a few minutes to let my polish dry. But they take away the towel, so your feet end up on the bare chair. ick. Then she cleaned the chair while I was still in it. That annoyed me because I got cleanser splashed on me.
So then I whip out my phone and start leaving my negative review. Unbeknownst to me, the other tech saw what I was doing in the mirror’s reflection. Well, then I promptly got ushered out to the waiting area instead of the chair. Lol, busted.
I sat in the waiting area under the UV dryer for a little bit, then I left. Probably won’t be back even though the location is conveniently located near my home.

Love what they do here! And it’s affordable too. My favorite? Amy! She is very good!

I am a huge fan of Nails Paradise. They are open everyday but Sunday. Their prices are great and they have a huge selection of beautiful colors. The massage chairs are new and comfortable and they treat everyone like family. I highly recommend Nails Paradise!

Went there today with GF for mani-​pedi but the chemical smell was so overpowering we had to leave. That can’t be legal or healthy. No ventilation at all.

Love it! Thanks for the beautiful nails! Make sure to make an appointment on busy weekends!!!

I went in here a few days ago with one of my close girlfriends. I’m pretty skeptical going into a new nail salon, but this was by far the worst one yet.
I’ll give the lady that did them credit for how social she was– I got a regular fill in my acrylic and she was oh so unbelievably sloppy about it! I figured okay– maybe she’s so good at this she’s faster than anyone that has ever done them before!
The shape came out wonderful, but she left pieces of the previous paint on the bottom.
When she did my paint job it was uneven and sloppy. I couldn’t bear to look at it any longer so I went and had it removed. First time going and it will most definitely be my last.

I was in town on vacation. I normally do my own nails but due to the fact that I didn’t have any of my polishes with, I decided to get my nails and toes done. After parking, I had this gut feeling to not go inside. So I sat in the car for about 10 minutes before heading inside. I walked in the door and all eyes in my direction. But… crickets. No one acknowledged me at all, a few seconds later another young lady enters. She must’ve been a regular, because they greeted her by name, then decided to acknowledge me and ask what services I’ll be needing. I told the young lady what I wanted done. Here’s where things completely went left. She then told me how much it would be for my service, then asked that I pay her before she starts. For a moment I thought this was protocol, then a lady who waiting on her nails to dry was finished the nail tech THEN asked her for payment. Even after this I still allowed her to polish my nails, but at this point i changed my mind about the pedicure. She never spoke another word to me while doing my nails, I had to let her know how I wanted my nails. She kept speaking to her colleagues (in her native language) which I found rude. After finishing she pointed to the chair she wanted me to sit in for my nails to dry and had me carry my things to the seat whilst my nails were wet. I knew I should’ve listened to myself and went in the other direction. She was still tipped. And my manicure chipped the next day. Looks like I’ll stick to doing my own nails. I wish I didn’t have to give them 1 star just to type this review because they don’t deserve it. More like hell than paradise.

Love this place! Girls are amazing. very nice always smiling. .
Will always come back.

because of the mostly negative reviews about customer service I was skeptical going into this nail salon. however I didn’t experience any poor customer service at all. the nail technicians were all so friendly, pleasant, & approachable. also I didn’t think the chairs were dirty or dusty at all. it was exactly like all the other nail salons I had been to. I went in for a French tip pedicure with my mom & both results were mediocre. I wasn’t THAT pleased with my pedicure but because it’s the most inexpensive nail salon (that I know of) in irvine, I didn’t really feel like it was worth complaining about. every time I pass by it there’s a ton of customers and it isn’t dirty or run down at all. all in all, I would say although the customer service is excellent, the quality is mediocre. that’s the main reason for my for star rating.

Customer service is EVERYTHING to me. And oh-​so hard to find in a nail salon which is a real shame. I came in with a girlfriend of mine to use a gift card that was given to us by her amazingly sweet fiancé. The certificate was for 2 manicures and pedicures. I went in with the expectation that we’d split the certificate in half, and each have to pay extra out of pocket for whatever services were not covered by the certificate. We informed the technicians we were splitting the card in half. I did get the callus remover gel (which was not properly applied I still have HUGE calluses on my toes) and I got gel on my manicure only. I expected to probably have to pay about $ 15 with the gel addition and $ 5 for the callus, plus tip.
The technicians did a nice job… my nails do look lovely. I especially liked the woman who did my manicure. The lady who did my pedicure made me a little uncomfortable and wouldn’t really speak to me… and she wore a short dress giving me a lovely view of her bajingo the entire time LOL. The massage part was iffy but then again I didn’t pay for a great one so I’m not surprised.
Now the customer service issues. First: We called ahead to see if we needed an appointment. We were told no. We got there and every single chair was full and we had to wait-​which was ok because we could pick out our colors etc. We had another girlfriend with us so it was fun to chat. The biggest issue was the manager, I think she said her name was Amanda. She was sweet as pie… until I asked her why I was charged $ 40.00… I decided to ask her about the charges because per their menu it said it was $ 26.00 for a manicure/​pedicure combo (what a steal!) She charged me for the $ 30.00 package instead (big whoop…$ 4.00, I was ok with that) But due to my girlfriend’s relationship with the manager (they know each other as her fiancé works next door) she wanted to take all of my girlfriend’s cost out of the gift card which she stated was $ 48.00 leaving me with only $ 12.00 to cover my services. When I asked her about it and mentioned that we were splitting the gift card in half ($ 30.00 each) she went on a long-​winded rant, told me «If you want me to do the math for you since you don’t understand I will» and proceeded to show me each individual charge to each of us which I clearly understood. When I attempted to explain that I understood the charges and that the gift card funds were used incorrectly she put her hand in my face and said «Let me finish! You don’t understand! I gave you a discount! I saved you $ 6.00! I don’t appreciate this!» went on and on about how she is a good business owner and that she would never over charge for her prices as they are stated on her menu… full on chewed me out. When I was finally able to explain that we each wanted to use the $ 30.00 each + the cost of extra services she told me that this was my fault and that I should have explained that to her and also that she didn’t think that was fair because my friend is a wonderful person and she didn’t understand why I didn’t know that or why I would expect her to have to pay for her services. «Why should she pay? it’s on the house! You don’t want her to get this for free? Why?» I told her not to make the mistake in thinking that I don’t FULLY understand what a wonderful woman my friend is, and that I appreciated that they wanted to comp her for the services «on the house» but that the gift card was a shared thank you gift to myself for just us girls to get a manicure and pedicure combo. She went on again about how I never told her that and that I should have said something. My friend, poor thing, was put in such an awkward position and I felt like a total B**** because I was trying to make sure I was not over charged. My friend ended up giving me $ 20.00 and I paid $ 45 and everything was fine in the end but I was irritated that a relaxing trip to the salon turned into a bashing session about how I’m a bad person and don’t appreciate my friends. SORRY for the long-​winded review and I realize it sounds catty, but being that I work in customer service, poor service really upsets me. I will not be returning again. Prices were nothing spectacular and I’ll be headed back to my regular salon where I have a much more pleasant experience.

For my facial today, I give them a 5 stars review! I had the pleasure of meeting Corey and she was sweet, strong and personable. I was referred by my co-​worker to give Burke Williams a rest and stop by here because it’s close to work and I can see myself coming back for just the facials. From reading the reviews, yes… I can understand a little bit of Vietnamese and if they talk about an Asian on front of an Asian, they will talk about you if you’re not… believe that! smH!!!
It was slow when I walked in and they seemed upset that I didn’t want any mani/​peni. Hell, my 40 mins facial turned almost freakin 2 hrs. I have no idea what happened but it was the best $ 40 I spent. I also had my eyebrows tinted for 25 and feet wrapped in honey wax for $ 5 (never again).
And yes, they charge 1 dollar to use credit card, kind of lame if you ask me. I have my own business and I don’t charge people using credit card… you just suck up the merchant fees and smile. I mean, how are you going to charge someone using a credit card and not give a discount using cash?
If I am lost in Irvine I will stop by but I love my «little more» upscale spa where people don’t talk about you, at least not on front of you =P

Nope. Been coming here for 2 years. She just charged me $ 1 for those cheap flip flops that I used to get for free after a pedicure (and they probably cost 1 cent for 50 to make!). She did not tell me about the charge before she ran my card. Thanks.
Plus I get an extra $ 1 charge for using a card.
Mediocre pedicure (wait time of 20 min) plus $ 1 card usage and $ 1 flip flops = $ 20 plus tip.
Never coming here again. I would rather pay more at Happy Nails Fashion Island where my pedicure lasts forever than come back here where it lasts less than 5 days.
Manager could care less, btw.

This place is cool. I came in desperately needing a pedicure and found this salon near my place. I didn’t have to wait at all and was seated right away. The ladies here are SUPER nice which I like and it’s creepily quiet in here. The ladies rarely conversed with each other in another language which was a nice change since a lot of nail salons tend to do that.
One thing that was kind of unfortunate was that they didn’t really have a big selection on OPI. I really like the OPI brands bc I feel like it lasts way longer than any other nail paint. After selecting my color, the whole pedicure process was good. The lady did a great job on my toes and I really liked how she gave me polka dot toes. They are very thorough during their process and takes their time and doesn’t try to rush you or haggle you for anything. They definitely do a good job on making your wigglies look super nice.
During my pedicure, I noticed there was a couple of the salon workers taking a nap in the corner bc there weren’t any customers during that time. HAHA I thought it was pretty funny how they just had no shame in just passing out like that in front customers. Classy~
Other than that, it was a good experience. Maybe I’ve just been going to over-​price salons bc $ 22 for a pedicure with design just seemed like a STEAL! What a great price! The place is clean and the ladies are friendly. It’s not like extravagant like some other salons I’ve been to but for the price and convenience, it’s a place that I like. If you’re near the area and are in need of some nail service, definitely give this place a try.

–1
I got the gel nail polish a few weeks back and it was great. $ 15 on top of the regular manicure price ($ 47 mani/​pedi/​gel) and they had a really nice hot pink color that I loved.
Fast forward to two weeks later and the nail polish needs to come off. I walk in to get the nail polish taken off and the lady took me right away.
Then a flood of old ladies from (I’m guessing) the neighboring retirement/​trailer/​double-​wide community come over to get their nails and hooves done.
So the woman who’s attempting to get off this gel polish starts to rush. My fingers weren’t even in the acetone (or whatever freaking chemical it was) for 60 seconds before she tried to strip the polish off my fingers with a variety of tools. Then she got this attitude, like it’s my fault that the polish isn’t coming off.
She is ripping the polish off my nails, then scraping, then back to ripping. What is she doing to my natural nails? The worst part is that she didn’t get it all off. I’m still looking at little spots of hot pink and the adhesive glue stuff as I’m typing this.
Was I supposed to make an appointment to get the polish taken off? A 6 – 7 minute job turned into a 15 minute thing with a woman with a scowl on her face the whole time.
$ 5 to get the polish taken off. Plus a tip.
Look, the nails looked great and the services are normally decent. But the freaking attitude was ridiculous.