Review based on my first appointment.First, let me preface this by saying I have patronized MANY nail salons in Santa Cruz county; from Scotts Valley to Watsonville and everywhere in between. And yes,... Read More
Review based on my first appointment.First, let me preface this by saying I have patronized MANY nail salons in Santa Cruz county; from Scotts Valley to Watsonville and everywhere in between. And yes, I am a persnickety and high maintenance customer. Meaning, I know and take note of when I receive a quality experience combined with quality work: Straight polish lines, evenly applied polish layers, nails that are equal in thickness and length, etc., etc. However, this does NOT mean I am a rude, condescending, or difficult consumer. My M.O. for poor quality work is to typically say nothing and not return to the business. That being said, I am extremely pleased with my gel extension nails and found Lona to be outgoing, charming, and friendly. She was very transparent with her prices and kept the conversation going in a very skillful and entertaining way. Personally, I found her charming and hilarious because she is genuine and authentic in her interactions and I am so HAPPY with the results of her work!!!!I had been searching for the look that the process she uses provides and had tried acrylics, acrylics with gel overlay, fiberglass with tips, and plain gel and none worked to give me the look I was searching for: The ability to wear the nails natural, as in NO french manicure or to wear a bold dark color. I have finally found what I had been looking for!The only reason I did not give 5 stars is because my nails are a tad bit bumpy (uneven in thickness) but they are so far beyond my expectation even with this minor flaw. I imagine they will only look better as Lona gets to know my nails. They look BEAUTIFUL...I have already received THREE compliments from random strangers and they haven't even been on for 24 hours!!Lona knows her craft! She's one of the few manicurist to actually give me the length I have always asked for :). Her polish lines are straight, the nails are filed to the SAME length, the nails are not too thick (hate that look) and the salon is CLEAN! In fact, as I was walking into my appointment, Lona was cleaning/sanitizing her equipment----Hallelujah!Again I have patronized MANY nails salons in the county based on YELP reviews and this is the ONLY place that has all the components I am looking for:***Clean and sanitary environment (5 out of 5)----if the salon is dirty, can you imagine what is on their tools!?!***Nice and outgoing technician that appears to enjoy her work (5 out of 5)***Quality polish job--neat and clean in appearance (5 out of 5)***Uniform length and thickness of nails (4 out of 5)***Excellent color options (5 out of 5)***Genuinely kind people who seem to enjoy interacting with others and do not exclude me from their conversations---That's so awkward! (5 out of 5)If it's within your budget, this is the place to go! Worth every penny...See you in 2 weeks....Thanks Lona! Read Less