Essential Salon & Nail Spa

Really nice place and $ 10 more expensive than others. My nail tech, Tina, however, was distracted and hardly said 2 words to me. I was a new customer and she made no attempt to make a good impression. Hopefully if I return I will get a better tech.

They do excellent work here however, to get a really good mani /​pedi by someone good you’ll have to make an appt during the week. They don’t take appointments on Saturday and they are very crowded ! You really don’t get as good of a service on the weekend as you do if you make an appt during the week. I had a bad experience the time before however they did make it up to me. Too bad the customer service cannot be good all week long

I love this salon! I go for nails, and mine gel mani usually lasts around 2 weeks as promised. I have and will only go see Jimmy or Christy for services. During rush hour, please under that you will wait if you have a certain person that you want to see.

Excellent color selection
I’ve had two nail techs here and both were amazing. The salon was recommended to me by someone who said «they’re all good at that salon». That sentiment was echoed by staff and other customers alike. This is hands down my favorite salon (and I’ve been to Blanc and Buff).

I am a regular at this place. Won’t go anywhere else. Through trial and error I’ve determined Mai, Tan and Johnny are the best.

I’ve been getting my paws pampered for years at a variety of establishments across the South, and this by far is the best! They are extremely quick at getting you in, even on busy days near peak hours. The ambiance and décor is stellar and slightly upscale. They have a very large range of polish and gel colors. I go to Jimmy every two weeks and I’m never disappointed!
Also, not a huge dent in your wallet!
Treat yourself!

The BEST service I have received at a nail salon in New Orleans! The staff is friendly and speaks to you by name. Their service is top notch. They have a variety of menu options for pedicures and the place is CLEAN. You can tell the nail techs take pride in their work and it showed on my nails. I highly recommend this place. I will most definitely be a regular here.

I went here because of my normal nail salon is under reconstruction. Turned out all the girls from work went here!
I liked the place a lot. It was very glamourous and it was like a salon you would see on TV, lights and glitter everywhere and they had hundreds of gel polish options! they’re super efficient too!

Really nice place. Super relaxing. And the friendly staff make you feel right at home.

I love coming here, Jimmy is my go to guy. absolute perfection! I have never had a ripple and/​or flaw in my gel nails. He truly is a perfectionist. the salon is very clean, friendly and the staff makes you feel comfortable.

Jimmy is amazing. I don’t care that I have to wait an hour to have him do my nails!!! They always have a place to sit and wait. They have a great, large, selection of nail colors! Did I mention Jimmy is great!!! My nails have always been flawless from him. ABSOLUTELY zero complaints! Whether you want acrylic or gel or just a plain olé’ manicure-​he is your man!!! His hand massages are also on point!

Great gel manicure by Lucy! It was my first time at this salon & for a gel manicure. Lucy was meticulous!
Unfortunately my pedicure was a bomb with a different person and she cut 2 toes while trimming my cuticles. Then she tried to hide the bleeding with a cotton ball with alcohol on it… OUCH! I get pedicures every 2 – 3 weeks and have never been cut. It ruined my experience & the relaxation.

I recently moved to the area and gave this place a try. It is definitely not your typical «hole in the wall, kinda dirty but gets the job done» kind of place. This is a very nice, clean, and organized spa experience place. I have since been several times, never had to wait very long, and the work exceeded my expectations. I can only comment on your basic acrylic nail/​refill. Tan is the technician I always get and he does absolutely incredible work. My favorite place to get my nails done.

Over the past year I have been coming to Essential for my eyebrows and my nails. I have built a friendship with my eyebrow tech; Rose. Who is always smiling and ready to greet me with a hug when I walk in the door. We always talk about our current events and she even let me know she was going on a cruise so I could get my brows done before she left. When Rose is unavailable I always go to Johnny who is basically an eye brow warrior. He is wonderful! The environment of Essential is very modern. The techs are friendly. I’ve never had a single problem. I would 100% recommend!!!

Sheesh ka bob! I may need to downgrade every review I’ve written at every nail salon bc this is hands down the best one I’ve been to for a gel manicure!
Picture it, on a Friday evening there were tons of ladies trying to get ready for the Mardi Gras balls. With so many people I actually didn’t have to wait that long which speaks to their efficiency and plethora of workers on deck. Unlike the typical nail salon this place has a full house in terms of nail techs doing manicures and pedicures so one doesn’t have to wait that long. By the time you use the restroom and pick out your colors from the large display of colors you’re ready to sit down!
Lynda did an excellent job on my manicure (see my pic). In fact here I am over two weeks later and besides my nail growth the gel manicure has not even chipped! Lynda was very patient when I explained that I needed a color that was neutral (for my workplace) but also not transparent so it could hide my fractured fingernail (don’t ask).
I kind of wish I could get my nails on a regular basis but alas a mortgage precludes this indulgence. But anytime I have a special occasion I know exactly where I’m going! In fact, the lady next to me drives all the way from Chalmette to Elmwood to get her nails done by her lady. Yeah, now that’s some customer loyalty!
Happy pampering!

My friend and I came here to get pedicures and I was impressed. The nail salon still smelled like all nail salons do — but I think the building was better ventilated than most places. We were able to get our pedicures next to each other — without booking an appointment — and the two people working were very nice and we all had a conversation with the four of us. Not once did the two people working ignore us and just talk to each other without including us in the conversation.
The pedicure was $ 33 + tip. I even got some oil for my cuticles as a Christmas present.

Very happy with their service, didn’t wait longer than 5 min for someone to start with my nails, it didn’t take Kay longer than 20 to get them done. Very happy with the results, definitely going back!

Leslie was my nail tech. We came to essential for a group service. There were 7 of us and we each received two services. I don’t think we were all in there for more than 1.5 hours. The shop looked like it could be in New York some where. Modern yet cozy. (No offense but…) Everyone was easy to understand and very down to earth. Leslie took great care in my mani and pedi. The way the techs talked about the latest trends in nail colors showed me that they took pride in knowing what’s new in their field. I’ve always wanted to come to essential but always took my business elsewhere. I’m now looking forward to bringing my daughter and my husband.
Thank You Leslie and Thank You essential Nail Spa.

I usually don’t step out on my uptown girls BUT I was in the area (don’t shoot me). Kay recognized me because my twin sister is a regular. They were super slammed buy Kay got me in and out. I can appreciate that. They also have nice, neat, new colors for gel nails.

You will be pleasantly surprised once you walk in and see the open and airy atmosphere. The girl at the front desk will greet you with a smile and ask what service you came in for. I almost always opt for the gel manicure since it lasts so long compared to traditional polish. One of my favorite things is you pick your color from nail samples so you get an accurate judgement of how the color will turn out on your nails.
If you have ever walked up to the wall of nail polish bottles and selected a lovely shade of pink only to realize it’s actually clear with a hint of pink once its on your nails. Then forking out the money for a color you now have to settle for. Oh the agony.
Once you have the color you love you will enjoy a top to bottom thorough manicure and walk away with your new gleaming hands. The nail techs are all very friendly and professional. The gel manicure is $ 33 (not including tip) and lasts me 2 weeks or longer.
The pedicure stations have little privacy dividers which I thought was a nice touch.