My old salon changed hands and was going through a rough patch finding a reliable team of techs, so I needed a new salon, QUICK! I'm very picky, as I'm sensitive to pain and have extremely thin, pape... Read More
My old salon changed hands and was going through a rough patch finding a reliable team of techs, so I needed a new salon, QUICK! I'm very picky, as I'm sensitive to pain and have extremely thin, paper-like nails. I had had acrylics for a couple of years so my nails would stand up to tearing, but I was curious about SNS. Through Yelp, I found Luxor Nails.Bebe has done my nails twice now, and I am devoted! She is very thorough, gentle, and gets the color right down to the cuticle line so the grow-out time is maximized. In other words, where many salons will have you looking like you're at 3-weeks' growth when you're really at 2 weeks, Bebe has you right on schedule at a true 3 weeks! Also, her lengths are even, nail-to-nail, and her shaping is consistent (no slanted tips). She asks periodically if it's how you like it, and if you want to change something, she does so until you are happy. You will LOVE her! Also, her dremeling is very precise! I trust her implicitly!By the way, they have a gajillion SNS colors (this is an exact number)! And you can add sparkle to something you like that doesn't have it! Also, they have matching toenail colors (regular polish) for just about every SNS color, or so it seems. I haven't looked closely, but it appears they have about a gajillion colors in acrylic, as well. You've probably read in many other reviews about how clean the pedi tubs are, what with the tub liners. It's all true. I've had 2 pedis there, and I only know Brian's name; he's fantastic! He will abolish your calluses to the netherworld they came from-- he's a dreamboat with the pumice, I swear! They have different "levels" of pedi for a reasonable upcharge, far more reasonable than many salons, and the most wonderful scents. Also they offer hot rock massage with them! Mmmmmm....Now to the latest and probably my best news about Luxor. I developed an ingrown nail on my thumbnail, which I had thought was some sort of infection. It was well over a week after my mani, so I knew it wasn't the salon's fault, and I'm kind of hard on my hands, so I just figured I'd done something stupid. Turns out, I did; I had done it with a nail grooming instrument, a hangnail shaver, which I used to think was such an awesome tool! If you have one at home, toss it out! I made an appointment with my doctor for last Monday and an appointment with Valerie at Luxor's new location, where Palm Nails used to be on S. MacDill, near the Brunchery and Pane Rustica. Well, let me tell you, Valerie took one look and said it was just an ingrown nail, and I could have hugged her! She got to work, and while she was working, Bebe, who was working on another client next to us, basically said that I had the right person working on me.Remember how I said I was extremely sensitive to pain? There I was, doing breathing exercises, covering my eyes with the other hand, and Bebe said, "You could never do this to her. Valerie can't even get a pedicure! She's too sensitive!" Just knowing that, I KNEW she was the right person for this job. She was SO gentle, my ridiculously painful ingrown nail never hurt once while she was trimming away. She spent 45 minutes on it, finding that I also had ingrown skin (caused by that tool I had used, which is how we figured out what has caused it all), and all I ever felt was more and more relief. I had no idea that it was possible to trim out an ingrown nail and not cause ANY pain and also not cause the nail to look worse in the long run. I fully expect that my nail, once it grows out, will look normal. It looks practically normal now! The tenderness in my skin took a few days to go away, but that is nothing compared to what it would have been had I gone to a doctor to cut it away at the root. And then my nail would have been permanently disfigured.I cannot say enough wonderful things about Luxor Nails and the terrific ladies who take care of their clients there. If you want to be treated like a VIP, look fantastic, feel relaxed, have a great time, and not break the bank (somehow) in the process, please go to Luxor Nails. And don't forget they now have 2 locations!! The new location is super convenient!! Sorry this was so long, but I hope you managed to read it all to take in why I love my new-and-forever nail salon SO MUCH! Read Less