Kali Nails

Very quiet place, good location, street parking. Luckily I found parking out front.
Decent color selection. Friendly staff.
The lady who did my manicure was rough cutting my cuticles and then some. She didn’t ask what shape I would like my nails filed so she chose square (which I don’t like much). And some of my nails are unevenly shaped. A man then painted my nails. He didn’t use base coat and seemed rushed while painting my nails. The color ended up even but between coats looked messy.
$ 10, +1 service fee for card. For the price, I can’t expect much more than what I got.
Don’t know if I’ll be back, I guess it depends if I find myself in a similar situation lol

I know my profile says I do more than eat out, get massage and have my nails done, but I DO those things quite a bit. If you search my profile for the word «nails» you’ll find lots of reviews of salons. Most are either 5 stars or 1– because when they do a good job, I’m thrilled and when they don’t, I complain. I don’t think I’m asking for anything fancy, but if they can’t understand my simple requests, they don’t stand a chance of fulfilling them.
In this case, I asked for a Manicure and Pedicure. I was promptly led to a spa chair and started to soak my feet. A pleasant, competent lady (Kathy) started the pedicure and did a good job. The one star is a credit to her.
Soon, a younger woman came to work on my nails. I asked if she could even out my natural nail length and file «Square with rounded corners.» initially she agreed and filed my pinky nail square. I said, «With Rounded Corners, So the Edges Aren’t Sharp.» She kept saying «square!» and showing me the pinky. I asked several times for the edges to be rounded off and not sharp. She kept insisting that she’d already done the job. Finally, I asked for the file, rounded the edges myself and repeated– SQUARE WITH ROUNDED EDGES, like this!” Oh, OK, she says and goes on to file the rest of my nails as I chatted with another client.
Soon she was on my second hand, filing away. I looked up from the conversation and looked at my nails. She had filed all of them into pointy ovals of various lengths. I stopped her. «Hey, we agreed you were going to file them all the same, evenly, like this one– a ROUNDED SQUARE.» She is puzzled. I repeat and she is flustered. Now I have asked at least 6 times for what I want.
The man in the shop asks what I want and I explain. He speaks to my nail tech in Vietnamese and she starts again. She continues rounding these pointy nails and shows me her work. «NO, that doesn’t match this one. This is the one that is the correct shape and length. All of them should be like this.» I’m not talking loud or getting mad, but I keep asking for what I want. We were alone in the shop except for the patron next to me, Debra, who told me earlier this is her second time in. .. last time she got a manicure and would be doing her hands herself from now on, because they filed them in a shape she didn’t want and couldn’t get them to correct it. Uh-​oh. This is how the shop operates– their way is the way it works here.
The man started yelling at me. «TOO MUCH!!» He yells! «You are asking too much!!»
«Seriously?» I say. I was baffled that a customer could ask repeatedly for some simple service and when they don’t get it, the customer should just shut up? Do they think that is a good business practice? «OK, No problem. I don’t need any additional attention and I won’t pay for the service, «I threatened. He comes over to see for himself. I explain several times as he tries to file my nails into pointy-​er ovals. I pull my hands away, ask for the file, do another nail and ask if he can copy the shape and length on the next 8 nails. «Of course!» He spits, and goes to work.
He finally got the job done; I paid, tipped the pedicurist and left. Here are just a few of the reasons I hope you avoid this place:
1) Competitively priced but not a deal; Convenient like so many other places.
2) Limited supply of polish colors in cheaper brands that chip quickly.
3) 3 people working and no one really understands English or can handle questions.
4) If you don’t automatically get what you want, you will be stuck with it because they don’t believe in honoring simple requests.
5) If you continue asking for what you want, they will yell at you and tell you to stop asking. You get what they want to give you; now shut up.
Asking for my nails to be the length and shape that works for me seems like a standard request. Expecting them to understand within the first 5 (or 10) requests and demonstrations seems completely reasonable. Not having them respond politely, quickly and correctly is weird and deserves zero stars. My experience there was like going into a nail shop that insists you use the polish THEY want you to use. Bad business strategy to say the least.
I won’t be back. Why would you?

I have been coming here for years on and off and Kathy is the only person still left from the original workers and is still able to do a pedicure like no bodies business which is why I rated the shop a with 2 stars. However, I allowed the other lady in the shop to do my pedicure and not only was she rough she also cut my toe really bad and when I informed her that my toe was burning her response was «ok.» I couldn’t believe her disregard for me as a customer, if I could I would rate her with a zero star.

I am regretting my choice to come in here. This lady tried to do my pedicure under the table and still charge me a whole pedicure price. I didn’t get to sit in the massage chair, i didn’t get lotion or a massage, how are u Going to charge me full price?! And like most of the places on this block, it’s disgusting. It doesn’t look like they sanitize their tools and they use the same file on everyone! I will never come here again. I usually get my nails done in the city after work but I recently got sick so I missed a week of work but my nails needed to be done. I have yet to find a clean/​sanitary nail place in oakland. Does anyone know of one?

China glaze ask for Kathy

I got a full set here and I did like it for the first few days, but then they started coming up a little bit — you know how when the glue sort of starts to get old, and around the edges of the acrylic nail you can see how it’s lifting off your real nail? I felt like it started doing that really quickly.
Plus the first girl that started doing my manicure didn’t understand that I wanted acrylic nails, because first I said I wanted French tips, so she assumed I wanted a regular manicure just painted like French tips, but then over the next few minutes as we clarified, I said «acrylic» at one point and «full set» at one point, and I guess she just wasn’t listening or didn’t hear me or something… because she still thought I wanted a regular manicure. so by the time I realized that she hadn’t understood me, she’d done all the prep work, and then when I stopped her, it turned out she wasn’t trained on full sets, so I had to wait for the guy who was, which added about 15 minutes onto the whole experience. I wasn’t really bothered at the time because I wasn’t in a hurry, but just knowing that communication has the potential to be difficult there makes me hesitate to go back.
The guy who ended up doing it was really nice though, and seemed to really care about his work. And my nails did look great, until they started coming up less than a week later.

I love Kali nails, where else can you get a spa chair pedicure for $ 15? The ladies are all very sweet here. The massage chairs are so nice I’d pay just to sit in them, let alone get a nice pedi to boot. This is not a «posh» spa type place but the location is clean enough and great for a standard mani pedi.

Best pedicure in the Bay Area! I go to Cathy every two weeks and she makes sure you get the full pedicure treatment. I walk out literally with new feet lol.

This place use to be cool i live so
Close to it and the people were so nice. I havent done my nails in about 5 months i finally come back to get a full set and the dark viet guy helped me. He gave me a acrylic set and i was not happy with the shape or how it came out cause his hands were shakey the whole time but i didnt say anything just paid for it. But i walked out the door in less than 5 min my thumb nail lifted and i went back to ask him to fix it he said no he wont fix it. I was in shock like ARE U SERIOUS? I always come here back then now he is a dam ripp off dont ever get your nails done by this guy if u are going to come to this place go to the ladies. Never go to that dam Dam dark vietnamese man he takes your money and don’t fix his mistakes. JACK ASS!!!

I’ve been to other nail places in this Diamond district neighborhood and been less then impressed. Kali Nails is great! Wonderful massage of my legs, careful and nice pedi and sweet ladies.

I have been going here for years for my pedicures. Kathy does the best! She takes her time, doesn’t rush and is very good! Its too bad David left, he does very good nails. But I will continue to go to Kali’s as long as Kathy is there!

I cannot believe no one has written a review yet!
This place is amazing. When I use to get my nails done, I would always come here. No other place has been better!
+ Go to David, he is the number one BEST! When he does your nails, they stay and last for what seems to be forever. His airbrush designs are always beautiful, and unique! He always went out of his way to give me designs no other girls would have in town. No other nail artist beats him!