May’s Nails Salon

This is a great no fuss place to get your nails done. The women are very nice and I ve gotten some of my best mani pedi here. This is not a fancy place if you want great décor and a spa setting go elsewhere. But if you want great nails at a great price do come.
They are also the only place I ve found that does gel pedi. Its $ 30 but I ve only had to get two pedicures all summer it stays on forever.
If you are going on weekends or after work hours I d say make an appointment they get busy.

My nails came out great but I didn’t like the cleanliness. The things used for my nails like the nailclipper and pusher back were sudsy so I had then re wash it. And then they took away the paper towel my hands were resting on and the table was dirty.

Never again… tried it here twice and I’ve had enough. Nice staff but if you want a sloppy mani then this is the place to go to.

MAYS NAILS ARE THE BEST NAILS. Would never go anywhere else. May is the sweetest lady. All the woman work very hard on your nails and do a superb job. I left my rings there one day, went back the next day and she had saved them for me. They are very hospitable, kind, and my nails always look flawless when I leave May’s. MAYS NAILS 4 LIFE

May was great! She took me just as she was closing when every other nail salon was closed because of the snowstorm. She took her time and had me double check each nail, she had no problem wen after a few nails I asked to change the color. Can’t wait to go back! (Plus, $ 30 for a new set of acrylics is not bad at all for the city)

I’ve been hesitant to review May’s, because I don’t want more people going! May’s is around the corner from me, and I’ve been going there for 6+ years. I do very natural acrylic nails, and May is AMAZING at them. I won’t go anywhere else in the city. She implemented a two-​month strategy for getting them perfect before my wedding day (permanent French, but with enough time that my little stubs would grow out enough that the white didnt’ take up half my finger). It’s not a fancy salon, but they do a great job on nails (i’m sure everyone has an off day, so it’s unfortunate if someone went there and didn’t have a great experience).
There are also a handful of celebrities that come in to get their nails done — which is crazy bc the salon is small and not fancy, but May really is that good.
I’ve done a little waxing w/​her, and that was good too — I can’t handle paying 20+ for a lip wax at places like J Sisters. A 30 second job should not cost more than $ 10.
Anyway, May, you are the best. See you tonight!

My wife and I are visiting from Minnesota and these gals were absolutely funny yet professional. These gals are gentle like lambs but have the hand strength of Hercules! I’m more of what you would call a guys/​guy but this pedicure/​massage is almost worth losing my guy card over. My wife and I would highly recommend. Awesome value for the money.

Will never go anywhere else. Mays is the best. Fingers and toes always come out perfect.

May’s Nails is located on the second floor in a building that is also occupied by other businesses. It’s very small, equipped with about 4 pedicure chairs and 3 manicure stations– a very simple venue.
As cheap as this place is, it’s going to take more than that to get me to return. The service isn’t great. If you’re going to spend money, whether it’s a lot or not, don’t spend it on anything mediocre.
The service is so quick that it almost seems rushed. They apply about two thick coats of polish which then takes 10+ minutes to dry (nails should not take 10 minutes to dry). They, for whatever reason, don’t thoroughly clean the pedicure tubs between customers which is enough to keep me from even dreaming of getting a pedicure here. If a salon doesn’t mandate something as simple as cleaning the work stations between customers, then it’s most likely nasty.

For $ 20 for a mani/​pedi special, believe me, I am not complaining about price.
The credit/​debit card machine has a minimum of $ 15, and they only accept tips in cash.
I had my mani/​pedi done (mostly) by Lucy. The reason I say mostly is because my pedi started out by being done by this young fellow, followed by May (the owner I presume?) taking him out of the way and showing him how to REALLY give a pedi, and lastly, Lucy came to my rescue and finished off my pedicure and proceeded to give me a sweet manicure.
All in all, very simple and I am a happy camper.
My only complaint was the fact that the tub where I put my feet in to soak for the pedicure was not properly cleaned before hand. There was still a dirty, used paper towel on the inside that was carelessly thrown in. I was a bit turned off by that.
Again, for $ 20 mani/​pedi, you get what you pay for.
I recommend it if you live/​work/​are often in the West Village/​Meatpacking District area. Otherwise, not a MUST-​GO nail salon.
The two pictures of May with Gwen Stefani are quite a decoration piece, though.

I’ve never gotten my nails done before so I don’t have anything to compare it to, but I think for my first time it wasn’t bad. I went with a friend who has gotten nails done before and she said it wasn’t bad. She was pleased with the results!
A manicure is just $ 9. File, cuticles, lotion, massage, and nails. They were really nice and offered everyone watermelon because it was so hot outside.
*$ 15 minimum on card, tip in cash.

This is a review from someone who never goes to nail salons… and now I realize the importance of actually finding a good one. I went to May’s because of the ratings on Unilocal to get french tips which I later learned were arcylic nails (see how rarely I go?). So I went and was pleased to learn that May, the manager, did my nails and she told me openly about how she did Gwen Stefani’s nails so I felt really lucky that she was the one working on my nails.
I noticed about four days later that the white part of my fake nails were kind of yellow. At first it was just my thumbs, but now all of my nails have this icky yellow tint. I have only had acrylics once in my life, but I have never seen that happen to one’s nails. Well, I googled it and while some wrote that it is because of tanning or smoking, neither of which apply to me, another reason is because of CHEAP ACRYLIC POWDER. UGH! I paid $ 55 for these and now my nails look gross and dirty. :(
Honestly, I should have known something was up because when I was about to pay, I saw that another customer had a rewards card and I asked her about it and all I got was, «Yes, we have one» with no offer to get one started for me. Maybe she could tell what a newbie I was and didn’t bother with me because of that, which is too bad for her because I would have come back as I liked the look of my nails when they were white. I guess I’m back to Unilocaling for another spot and crossing my yellow-​tipped fingers…

Worst manicure ever.
A woman named Anna (table in the back) threw on the base coat, two coats of polish and top coat as if she was trying to finish as fast as possible. Polish did not have time to dry between coats, and was applied thickly with lots of streaks. Spent ten + minutes in the hand dryer. I asked another woman, Is it ready? Yes, go!, she implored, which worked for me.
Not two minutes out the door, there were dents and scratches; an hour later and it still hadn’t dried. And how could it? It was like expecting frosting to dry to a hard finish. I peeled it off easily. And I’m out $ 10.

I work around the corner and was badly in need of an eyebrow fix-​up so I decided to stop here and check it out. The thing that really drew me was the sign advertising threading services. I came in on a Thursday around 10:45am. The place was totally empty except for two employees. Obviously, there was no wait time.
The threading itself was as painless as threading can be. The shape was good and the woman worked efficiently and was taking her time to ensure her work. Overall I was pleased with her technique and the appearance of my brows.
I would definitely come again during a busier time to check out their other services and update my review. Cost for the threading was $ 7 so it is very affordable.

This review is for acrylics. Because I love the porn star look.
May herself did my nails. I didn’t even know a celebrity was working on my grubby nubs until I saw a picture of her with Gwen Stefani hanging behind her desk. Which I asked about and didn’t really get a firm yes or no answer to whether she does Gwen Stefani’s nails, but I digress… so she did my nails up, regular french acrylics with nude fill. She painted on the white french tip herself and I was quite impressed with how steady her hand was and how perfect she got it. In the end my nails cost $ 35.
I got home and immediately started worrying about when they would start chipping and take me from glam pornstar to cracked-​out hooker. But they didn’t chip for more than a week! I was so pleased! Thank you, May! I will be back. I need to follow up on the Gwen Stefani issue.

I am not giving this place 5-​stars for getting my manicure/​pedicure right for $ 20, but I will say that I will probably be back.
Like the other reviewers, I will have to say that it is good to know, if you are a walk-​in like I was, who is working and who to ask for.
First, I am pretty sure that Brenda came over to me, but I asked for the other woman to do my nails (I will check on her name and re-​post an update), and it was a good decision.
I went in this past Monday and my pedicure has held up fine. My nails lasted until Thursday, which is OK, nothing special. The salon is not fancy — it is just ¾ pedicure chairs (some of them work as massage chairs) and 3 – 4 manicure stands. They did not/​do not wax your heels, but my technical did not cut me or hurt me, so I am not complaining. Since the UV lamps seem to be pretty weak, make sure to use the spray enamel finish while waiting since that is what seemed to harden my toe polish enough to put my closed-​toe shoes back on.

Ladies! A word from the wise: PLEASE include who did your nails. And if you don’t know, ASK. Nail salons are about being social!
I would like to say, yes, props to May’s for having an all-​week round $ 20 mani/​pedi special. I’m going to do a quick plug in for Annie Ji’s in Gramercy for their Mon-​Wed $ 15 special, otherwise $ 18. But we’re not talking Annie Ji’s.
I moved from the east side to the west side so was looking for a new spot. Because of its relatively cheap special and the high reviews, I decided to try May’s. I made a same-​day appointment for 5:30pm on a Wed– a very popular time to get nails done. They told me, no problem. I got there 15 min early or so, and didn’t want long. I recommend you do this because once 5:30 — 5:45 rolls by, it gets REALLY busy. I bet 15 – 20 min waits at least.
As for the establishment, it’s not special, but it’s clean and big enough. It’s on the second floor. About 3 pedi chairs, 4 mani desks? Lots of magazines. I think some private rooms for massages/​waxing. They have a medium color selection– not the worst I’ve ever seen, but not the best by far. They have Essie, no Opi (I don’t think) and some other boutique brands I didn’t know (and thus didn’t trust).
Now, I didn’t know who to go to because none of the Unilocalers recommended a girl! Just like with any salon service place, it’s about the person, not the establishment. I started off getting nails done at Young Choice in Murray Hill when I first moved to the city, which I left eventually to my dismay because all the good girls left.
The person who did my pedi was NOT good. Her name was Brenda. The foot bath wasn’t hot enough (I know, she was airing on the side of caution), so that wasn’t the issue but she HURT me a few times. :(Went too crazy with pushing back cuticles, cleaning under the corners, cut my little piggies everywhere! :(. She did apologize when I said «ow» but still. I would say the worse part sadly was the paint job and cut job.
Firstly, I told her to cut the toes but she went went too short. now my toes look so stubby!!! LOL. Sorry if this is TMI but I’m just saying. She downsized them by half at least. I was blithely unaware reading Vogue so I guess it’s my fault but if you have any sense of beauty in you, you KNOW toenails shouldn’t be that short.
Now the paint job. It was terrible! She felt marks of nail polish over the corner of my newly stub toes. And yes, it was a busy time but I felt she rushed. She didn’t paint the tips going across. Ok, I will tell you that I am very particular about nails. If I feel like I could have done the job myself, then that’s pretty upsetting to me.
Brenda did most of my manicure too (I mentioned to her I DID not want short nails so to go easy on the clipper) and several times I needed to point out to her that my nails weren’t filed straight. Again, she pushed my cuticle back way too hard and I Unilocaled. On one hand, Brenda was a nice person, bad manicurist/​pedicurist.
Fortunately, Brenda was sent to do another pedi and a new woman came to do my pain job on my hands. That person was May. I guess they needed to speed things along. She did a good job– she was fast but took care when painting– she painted methodically included the tips!
Then I sat at the dryer for about 15 minutes (3 rounds) and used the finishing spray on myself. Total was $ 20+ $ 3 tip.
I am willing to try May’s one more time, but I am going to make sure May does it and won’t accept any switch-​a-​roos. I’m not sure if I would recommend 5:30 because it’s just so crowded and everyone is rushed. A few times I had small scuffs while drying but was too afraid to ask anyone to correct them because they were running around. I guess I should have just asked.
Massages on hands and feet were weak but they were not great at Annie Ji’s either (man I miss the freebie shoulder massages at Young Choice while you were drying).

Had a $ 20 mani/​pedi here today and I couldn’t be happier. The space isn’t much to look at but it’s clean and the a/​c works great!
Everyone was very nice and I was in and out in 45mins. This place is great for guys… no frills just a nice, clean straight forward shop so if you’re looking to be pampered find somewhere else.
In fact, I liked it so much I’ve decided to treat myself twice a month!
Side note… they take credit cards but make sure you have cash for tips.

I’ll be going back here because it is the least expensive place closest to my apt in the West Village. The salon is pretty standard, massaging chairs, tables, etc. Besides Essie, they carry a different polish and the name of the line escapes me. Like other Unilocalers, I was excited for the $ 20 mani and pedi and the fact that this price is available throughout the week, unlike other places that only have this special Monday — Wednesday.
The woman who took care of my hands and feet tended to take quite a bit of time, this both pleased and bothered me as I was running to an event. Going forward, I’ll set aside a longer time for my treatment here. I’ll be going back for both the convenience as well as the price.

Thank you, Unilocalers for saying great things about this place! I was in need of a pedi after work but had only an hour and half before my class started, so I was looking for nail salons nearby, and this one got decent reviews so I checked it out!
Luckily they had room for a walk-​in, but I think they do take appointments. They do have the $ 19.99 special for mani-​pedi, which is pretty impressive, considering it’s slightly higher in Queens! Unfortunately, I only had time for a pedi ($ 17) so obviously the mani-​pedi is the best deal! But my technician was fine, working pretty diligently on scrubbing the calluses off my feet and etc, so I thought it was overall a good experience. Oh yeah, bring your own flip-​flops if you want to walk home in them, otherwise they sell some for $ 3.
The nail salon is on the 2^nd floor and while it’s not the fanciest, cleanest place ever, it is great for the price. I’m definitely coming back for my mani and for future mani-​pedis — you can’t beat this price + tip, especially in Manhattan!