Nail Care By Allana

My blood is boiling! I went to get my nails done with a friend and the mani/​pedi was $ 30! She charged me $ 130!!! I reported it to the bank and she actually some how came up with proof for them to support the charge??? I highly doubt that. I’m going to the bank to see these supposed documents. I have the receipt lady! It says $ 30! After I’m through with the bank I’m going to the cops!

Allana’s Nail Studio is a great place for manicures/​pedicures. She did such quality work and owns her own business, which I always love supporting.
Plus Allana was wonderful to chat with. So much more personable than a crowded salon where I most of the time feel like they are rushing me in and out.
It’s affordable and easy to get to especially for those of us living downtown and walking everywhere. Plus, her salon has a great city view. I truly enjoyed my time there and will most certainly be a repeat customer!

I purchased a 3 gel manicure groupon from Allana. At first impression, I was a little taken aback by her location inside of a barber shop. However, after talking with her, she explained how she was moving to a new location on the 14^th floor of a different building. She is the sweetest person you will meet and she definitely tries her absolute best to make sure you leave happy with your nails. I went back for my second manicure today and saw the new place. She seemed so happy and excited to show me the studio and the view was gorgeous.
Overall I was very happy with my experience and the price for the groupon was spot on! She’s had clients coming to her for 10+ years and I can definitely see why! I’ll be making myself a regular because being at a salon with 10 – 15 other people is not the business (not to mention the person doing your nails never seems to be interested in having an actual conversation with you). That one on one experience is what I’m looking for!

Making an appointment was fairly easy. Allana is a nice person; however, I can in no way recommend this nail salon to anyone. Hygienic practices are below average. I felt Allana rushed my manicure possibly because I had purchased the Groupon for her services. My gel manicure was uneven and lasted 2 days. I had nail polish on my hands and cotton stuck to my manicure. My husband couldn’t help to laugh at how awful it looked. I should have said something but I just wanted to get out of there. I was going to cut my losses with my two remaining gel manicures I had already purchased on Groupon when I noticed on my credit card statement I was charged 20x more the amount for the pedicure i purchased on my first & last visit to Allana’s. Eventually after constantly calling & texting Allana she did apologize. She only answered her phone when I had called from a different number though. Please save yourself the hassle and do not ho here.

allana tried to write that i tipped her $ 20 (see «tips» section). untrue. i tipped $ 5 (30% tip off the groupon price) because she was nice. not based on her skill, cleanliness, or end result. the gel nails looked like sh*t and then peeled off completely within a week.

I’ve been getting my nails done by Alana for years. She’s always introduced me to new colors and styles. She’s opened the shop on a Sunday to fix my nails between appts. I was a French Nail style for years. She’s used different types of acrylic and now I’ve been getting gel nails. I have a new pink color i would have never thought to wear but its so nice. I really love it. The gel lasts a couple of weeks & this time while I scrubbed my floors and walls. I live in East Village now so I walk 3 blocks to Allana to get my nails done. Thats so convenient. She’s personable and we’ve shared stories for years and become good friends. Thanks Allana. I’ll see you soon.

I want to start this review by saying Allana was very nice and it was easy for me to make an appointment with her. I checked out some of the other reviews, and people had said this was a problem. Even though I too was a groupon person, I had no trouble getting her to make an appointment.
Also, she came recommended by a friend of mine who goes to her regularly.
So what are the factors that bring my experience down to two stars?
I just got a gel manicure. Now gel manicures are supposed to last. It was days before the color started fading at the tips.. Not sure if this is her fault or the quality of the paints she is using, but if I am going to go through the trouble of getting gel polish and getting my nails professionally done then I expect them to last at least a little longer. All of my previous gel polish experiences last at least two weeks and usually result it me peeling them off before they chip or fade away. (Yes, I know I’m not supposed to do that.)

Another factor that brings my rating to a «meh — I’ve had better» is the Location.
The shop is in East Village, so sometimes you can find street parking, but if not there are pay lots around. If I’m already paying for services, I don’t want to pay for parking too. I know this is just how it is, but it’s a little annoyance that builds for me. I could walk too, but I don’t live in that neighborhood anymore. The shop itself kind of skeeved me out. It was closed at the time and open just for Alanna’s customers. Which was good because if there were barber shop patrons in there at the time I think I would have been more uncomfortable. The shop looked dirty and the nail area disheveled. I don’t even know if pedicures were a possibility here and I certainly would not want to try.
When I take the time to get my nails professionally done, I want a clean, relaxing environment with nice people who do a good job. The whole package was just not here.

so far… not so good. I’m leaving this review specifically for those about to purchase the Groupon.
I’ve called 5 times (over the span of 3 days) and left 2 voicemails to book an appointment (required).
On Unilocal,Nail Care By Allana was listed as «open» all day Saturday. After calling multiple times and leaving the voicemails, I finally decided to drive to the address and see where the Salon is and if it was, in fact, open. It was not. The salon was very hard to find (had to circle the block twice) and I finally saw the «closed» sign. Pretty disappointing, considering it was a Saturday afternoon… the day I usually have time to get my nails done.
I am willing to change/​update this review if I ever get a call back or an appointment. I can’t speak to the quality of the nail work… since I haven’t gotten past paying for a Groupon and calling a phone number with no answer or response. Maybe there is something going on in this woman’s life preventing her from taking appointments right now… but I can’t read minds. pretty disappointed and I hope this isn’t a complete waste of my money with the Groupon purchase.

I love my silk nails Allana. Thank you! Allana is personable and easy to talk to! Can’t wait to visit you again for my fill!

Really bad experience with this place, I called 2 times to make an appointment, the first time when she knew I was a groupon she said there was no space for that weekend. The second time i was 5min late because his is downtown San Diego, parking here sometimes takes longer than expected and when i called her because I could not find her location with my gps she said she had already taken a client because I was late, this was 7min after my appointment, I drove all the way here for that!!! Outrageous. Do not recommend this place at all, I don’t know how her work is with nails but def she thinks she is better than a doctor since she does not take appointments seriously and obviously has a really bad work ethic. Why does she list herself in groupon if she is not going take potential future clients seriously. I lost 1 hour of my time that I could have chosen any other salon…

I love my nails! I’ve been getting my nails done by Allana for years and I love the new location. Parking is easy, and my nails look amazing as usual. I get gel and they always last for weeks, which is why I have come to Allana for years. I don’t have time to deal with breaking nails and frequent trips to the salon. She’s efficient and always accommodates me if I need her in a pinch. Her pedicures are the best, and her prices are unbeatable for the quality of work she does.

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Very personable service! The salon is small, clean and reasonably priced. I enjoy getting the gel polish which lasts up to 3 weeks without chipping. There are a lot of color selections. Allana also does nice pedicures. I’ve been enjoying her expertise for over 5 years.