Akua Nail Salon

I think this was the worst experience at a nail salon that I’ve had, and I’ve gone to many many nail salons.
First, they don’t honor appointment times. I’ve experienced that before elsewhere and 100% understand if it’s a peak time, they got slammed unexpectedly, etc. but this was the middle of the afternoon on a Wednesday with only two people in there.
They started my mani 30 min. late and because they weren’t honest with me when I asked if I should come back later (even though I’d made an appointment), I was late to the next place I had to be.
They also scammed me on the price. When I called to make my «appointment» I was quoted $ 25 for a gel mani. As I’m leaving, she swipes my card and hands me the bill and says «it’s $ 30 because we took off your old gel.» Wtf? Maybe you could tell me it’s going to be extra before you take off the gel in the first place, or at least before you swipe my card so I can argue that you told me $ 25 and never a word otherwise. I was in a rush at that point so I didn’t fight it and just left.
They were nice but you should be nice to your customers. Otherwise it was an awful experience and I will not be back.

Pretty good. Love their service, very nice ladies.
Their wax is on the «sloppy» side. Not bad, just not the best.
Nails are ok

Very comfy place, good atmosphere. Ladies are very sweet — doing very good job with nails. Clean place that smells really good.
What els you need ?!)))

First time getting shellac nails and 2 weeks later French tips are still unchipped! The bottoms are peeling off fast though, and if you look super close you can see flaws in the French tip too. $ 30 for French tip shellac, and I think regular shellac is $ 25. $ 5 more for French tips hmm… Oh well still stoked this manicure is intact for so long!

Asked for the classic pedicure, mainly because on their website it says it comes with a hot stone massage… but they skipped that, so I have to minus one star. The chairs were very comfortable and they offered tea, coffee or water when we walked in. I wish they took a little more time to exfoliate my feet… it felt a bit rushed. But I guess you get what you pay for. $ 20 for the classic pedicure with no design and regular polish

I really like this place! I always go here for my wax and the staff is super friendly!!! I get my nails done here too and I love it. They take their time and don’t rush even if they’re busy. The seats are really comfy and they offer complimentary drinks to make you comfortable. This place is awesome!

I really love this place! I went for a deluxe mani/​pedi @7:15pm (they close @8pm) and they still really took their time and did a great job. They never for a second made me feel rushed and they encouraged me to stay to allow my nails to dry before leaving at 8:30pm. I have been here just a couple times before but am definitely going to be a loyal client after this experience.

I moved to the city about 2 months ago and I’ve been desperately trying to find a good nail salon since.
The atmosphere is calming, the salon is very nice inside. I was given as much time as needed to pick a color. Offered water. My pedicure was amazing. My shellac manicure looks great, they even did a design from a picture I had in mind.
They took plenty of time to do it right and the end result was exactly what I wanted.
However the gel did chip within a week. I gave it a second chance without a design, still chipped
:(nevertheless, still have pretty good customer service.

Came here a few weeks ago with my girlfriend, we were searching for a nail salon. We were getting desperate this was a 3^rd and last stop. they saying right, 3^rd times a charm! We walked in and it didn’t look like a nail salon more like a comfortable lounge! The seats were cute and way comfortable, the recline. I got a manicure which I loved. the lady was really nice and she sat next to me and did my nails while I enjoyed the complimentary tea. it felt more like a spa and not a corner nail salon. It was really open and I could definitely see being able to plan a nail party with girlfriends here and being comfortable. the service was great at the prices were not bad at all. loved it we will definitely be coming back

The décor of this place is very nice and classy. I love how open everything is compared to other nail salons.
I read reviews before coming here and people said there was a wide range of selection of colors here, but when I got here, I was quite disappointed. Some nail polishes were on a shelf, while many others were just put on a table in front of the shelf and we’re just very disorganized. If your looking for OPI or Essie or any of the bigger brands, this probably isn’t the place to come, there aren’t very many colors to choose from with these brands. The OPI nail polish with the silver cap on it is an extra $ 3, but they don’t have any sign saying it’s an extra charge. They pretty much only have shades of red here if you’re not planning on getting a gel manicure. I was looking for a more coral summer color, but there was literally none that could be found.
They do offer you tea or water when you sit down which is nice.
My sister and I were here for about 2 hours. She got a gel mani &regular pedi, while I just got a regular pedi. It wasn’t very busy inside, but there were only 3 people working. My pedi was pretty good, but my sister’s gel mani was way too thick and her nails weren’t even shaped evenly. We were tired of staying there so long and didn’t want to wait longer to get them fixed, so we just left. But we probably won’t be back, we just thought we’d try some place new by coming here.

I love this place! Very clean and great services. $ 30 mani and pedi! I don’t think I can find this price anywhere in SF, plus the great detail services! Even with the regular mani and pedi, my colors could keep up to two weeks for my fingers and one month for my toes! This is the place I will keep coming back! Oh, I almost forgot to mention, they close at 8pm! All the ladies are very nice and friendly!

I came here for a bikini wax. I had never waxed my vagina before, but I hear that the first time always hurts the most. To my very pleasant surprise, this experience was relatively painless! The whole experience lasted about three minutes!
The woman who waxed me is the owner, I didn’t catch her name, but she was kind, comforting, and very sweet. She works quickly so the pain is barely there! She asked me what I wanted, and kept checking in with me throughout the process to make sure that I would walk out with what I wanted!
Also, five stars for how clean and nice the place is – no one wants to get waxed in a nasty ass place!
I highly recommend this place! I know there is another review on here that gave one star for waxing, but I gave this place the benefit of the doubt, and now I’m a loyal customer!

Preview:
Pros — aesthetically appealing, nice atmosphere
Cons — poor customer service, dirty floors, bad gel manicure
We made appointments for 6:30, but arrived at 6:25 and expected to wait a little. Clearly they forgot that we had appointments because all 3 of the employees were in the middle of servicing other customers. I did the math, 3 of us, 3 of them — what happened here?
About 10 minutes later, one of my friends was assisted to a chair. By 6:55 my second friend was being helped. And I was finally helped at 7:15.
I wanted a gel manicure and they convinced me they could get it done in 25 minutes. About 25 minutes later, I’m done but the tops of my hands are burning because they didn’t put sunscreen over my fingers and knuckles.
Also, the floor was covered with toenail clippings.

I came in Sunday with my boyfriend to get pedicures. They sat us and started on my pedi but didn’t start my boyfriend’s. The woman who was working on my feet was super rushed and hurried. Every part of the pedicure was hurried and sub-​par. No one ever came over to help my boyfriend and finally he said he’d just get one another time and left to wait for me outside. My nail technician gave me the shortest, worst foot massage of my life. The whole pedicure took under 20 minutes — not a relaxing or luxurious experience at all. Later my boyfriend said all the staff were giving him the evil eye the whole time.
If they didn’t have time or didn’t want to help us, I wish they would have just told us to come back instead of wasting my money giving me a short, hurried, poorly done pedicure. I had a good experience the first time I went here but I won’t be going back.

My cousin brought me to this nail salon and it’s pretty great the ladies are always nice here and accommodating. This is my second time back and I am not disappointed! Parking can be difficult depending on the time you come so make sure you come a little bit early. Make an appointment and make sure you bring cash for tip!

Everything is cheaper out in Sunset. Akua is on my way home from work; I got off the bus and got a regular mani pedi. Usually I don’t get mani pedis unless there’s either an occasion or a deal involved. I was taking another set of engagement photos the next day and wanted nice nails for it.
I was the only one there when I arrived. I liked the big comfy space and that it’s clean. The ladies were nice and two of them were working on me until someone else came in. I got two coats of color to make my nails pop out while still keeping it a neutral pink (almost French style). It was only $ 30 pre tip & I asked if they allow tip on card since some places don’t. They said they prefer cash, which is always a given but I dislike when people say that to their customers. After eating dinner at home (mind u I didn’t cook or do dishes because my fiancé was making me a belated bday meal) I noticed that she didn’t get very close to the cuticles at all, as you can see in the pic. There was a significant amount of my bare nail showing. I don’t think she was rushing either, so I’m not sure why it was a sort of sloppy job.
I really hope this isn’t a usual occurrence as there’s not much on Taraval and would like a great nail shop to thrive in the area. I guess you do get what you pay for, even way out on the outskirts of SF.

REDEEMED.
They’re actually pretty nice when you get service. I was seriously super lazy to drive too far out and gave this place another shot. They’re 5 minutes driving distance from me. Plenty of free street parking.
Clean facility and cushy chairs make for a relaxing experience. The lady who helped me was gentle but efficient. They also toss in a scrub to help exfoliate after cleaning your cuticles.
Color application came out good. She made sure to remove the excess around my nails.
$ 20 for a pedicure. Cheaper than most places.

I don’t get pampered often, but my experience here was great! I came in last week with a friend. We were a little late due to traffic, and by the time we arrived, it was already close to 8:00pm, their closing time. The two ladies working still gave us great service (no signs of annoyance), offered us tea/​water, and worked with us beyond the closing time. We felt terrible :(They definitely went above and beyond and were super sweet. I got a french tip pedicure for around $ 23, and my friend got a French tip mani/​pedi for around $ 49. I think it was well worth it. It’s been exactly a week, and my nails still have not chipped! *Knock on wood* I would definitely come back.

This review is for Amy Hair Design! After I found out that she left Modern Design Salon on Irving, I was panicking because I only let her cut my hair. A kind fellow Unilocaler informed me that she has rented a studio place at Akua Nail Salon.
Personally, I like it here better because she has her own room, much more quiet than the other place (no television blasting in the background, no more harsh chemical nail smell while I’m getting my hair cut and better parking!!!)
She’s pretty busy so book an appointment with her if you want to get a haircut with her.

I came here for a gel mani because I read good reviews on Unilocal,they had a good rating, and a friend of a friend recommended it! Needless to say I went with with his expectations.
To start when you walk in, it’s a little oddly et up. It’s basically just a big room with chairs set around. All the mani/​pedi chairs are in the front and then the waiting area lounge is in the back.
The manicurist I worked with was very nice and sweet, not like as some places.
When I sat down I was offered tea, and I gladly accepted. When my tea came I wish I hadn’t. The tea was hot yes, but it also smelt a little like coffee. The taste, was mediocre, but they’re not a drink spot so what do you expect?
Now for the nitty gritty, what I’m really grading them on, my mani. Horrible. I asked for almond shaped nails, which my nails were already close to that shape and I got all misshapen and crooked stiletto nails. When I told my lady that one of my nails was crooked, she looked at it, looked confused, filed it a little more and said, «where? I don’t see it.» It was clearly crooked. I just brushed it off and said: ehh, it’s only one nails that’s okay.” Later when I left the salon, and got a better look, more than half of my nails were crooked! Now I am a bit nail OCD and I hardly ever go to get my nails done unless I want a nice gel, I normally do them myself, this taught me a hard lesson.
To top it off, the gel started peeling after only 4 days. I don’t work with very much water, so it’s not like I’m soaking them and trying to have the gel come off.
I won’t be going back.