Let's face it--the Heights is filled to the brim with nail salons! But Raquel's remains our go-to spot. Just came back from there with my mom, and it's a consistently good experience. We've been going since I was in high school so that's, what? 14+ years? Throughout the years, I've also seen many of the same clients, and I think that's indicative of the quality and customer care. Cindy, the owner, is good, but our favorites are Stella and Betty. My mom particularly loves Stella for eyebrow waxing. I think I've had all of the others as well and haven't been disappointed. Maybe a couple of "eh" moments, but not enough to knock off a star. And they're all very sweet and know my family (me, my daughter, sister, and mom), and will ask if one of us goes in without the other. They're also quite good at doing different gel nail art. I made the mistake of going to a place in Newport Mall once for nail art and it was a DISASTER. At Raquel's, they can handle the bling. I mostly do gel manis, regular pedis, but even when I have done regular manis they last like a week and a half...that's a lot in the world of a mom (or any woman actually). Go, go, go! Read Less

I have been going here for a little under a year now and I can honestly say the service and work the staff do is impeccable!!!  After trying a few salons in the heights area (central ave), this has become my definite go to spot!  They do awesome pedicures and manicures (gel included).  If you want professional and undeniably great nail service this is the place to go.  All of the ladies are so attentive to detail and their work is so clean.  They always remain professional, happy and courteous no matter what.  They are also great with children as well, my 9 year old daughter loves their service as well:-). Read Less

Ive only been here once but had probably one of the best mani pedis I've ever had! A cousin of min recommended the place and I am in her debt for it. In terms of service seems like everyone is friendly. And they have a lot of regulars which is a good sign. The prices are standard, 10 dollars for mani and 20 for pedi, but I was lucky they were running a special that included some more pampering with a cucumber lotion and scrub. It also included hot stone massage which was devine. Not only was the job through and they took their time with me, but the paint job was amazing. My nails literally lasted 5-6 days in pristine condition. They have a wide variety of colora from the major brands including essi and OPI, the place is clean and well maintained. Highly recommended! Read Less

I began coming here about 5 months ago after having repeatedly sub-par service from the "luxury" nail salon across the street. Since coming to Raquel's, I've probably seen just about every technician and they're all incredibly sweet and provide exceptional service. The salon is clean, staff is friendly, and there's even a points system you can join to rack up points from every purchase toward a free service. Still disappointing that this salon isn't open on Sundays, either, but other than that I've for sure found my neighborhood mani-pedi spot! Read Less

I had such a great experience at Raquel's Nail Salon. I came in on a Friday afternoon and was able to sit down right away for a pedicure. The woman who gave me a pedicure paid so much attention to detail, she massaged my feet and calves then followed with a hot stone treatment. This salon is very clean and professional. I will definitely be coming back. Thank you. Read Less

I went for a shellac mani and a minor waxing service. The girl that took me for the manicure really paid little attention to detail. I waited until after she had put on the top coat to ask her to, please, clean out from under my nails. I thought that maybe she would have done that from the beginning. She seemed annoyed that I asked her. She also acted like I was giving her a hard time When I went into the waxing she laid the first wax strip on my lip that was perfect. However, she blew on the wax. I'm not really excited about that. The second strip she laid on my face went down to my jaw line. I felt like that was odd and then she added that I have really sensitive skin and was red. I have had some spiteful mistreatment from passive aggressive service providers before but c'mon. You WANT people to keep coming... right? Management/Owner: Update the relaxation area. The dirty sofa and pillows are not attractive. Read Less

Great service! I don't usually get mani pedis, but when I do, I come and see Cindy! She really takes her time (massages legs, scrubs soles, massages arms and hands) and makes sure the polish is perfect. My mani pedi lasts quite a while without chipping! And I usually put them through the wringer! My last mani pedi lasted through 7 scuba dives before it started chipping. Talk about long lasting! Read Less

In dire need of a manicure and pedicure I got fed up with my talons and headed over to Raquel's Nail after perusing their acceptable Yelp reviews. This seems like a no-frills type of place though I was surprised how big the place actually is. Right on Central avenue in JC Heights, a few doors down from my favorite fruit shop (which was my original destination). The owner, Cindy, greeted me and asked what I needed then told me to choose a color. Their collection of colors was blasé and overall unappealing so I settled for an out-of-season dark plum Essie and waited... and waited... and waited. I couldn't even be upset, they were ALL busy but geez do they work slow! This does not bother me much as I like when manicurists take their time and pay attention to detail. Eventually I was in a big massage chair (about 20 minutes later). An Asian lady seats me, turns on faucet to soak my feet and walks away. Literally disappearing and leaving the faucet on until I alerted a worker near me to turn it off as it was about to overflow. WTF? -1 for negligence. Turns out the lady I alerted was the lady tackling my talons. She was a seemingly nice hispanic lady though she kept sucking her teeth while doing my nails, like in an annoyed manner. I'm not really sure if she was annoyed because I possibly stopped her from going on break or she found it annoying at how difficult it was to remove my glitter nail polish (which I agree can be such a pain in the ass) but bottomline is that sucking your teeth is just rude... and weird. But she made up her rudeness with a smile and small-talk in Spanish. The one flat screen they had was playing Watch Mojo on repeat and everyone was really quiet, working diligently. I have to admit this lady took her time, really worked meticulously and certainly cleaned my toes well (I hadn't gotten a pedicure since leaving for my Eurotrip 3 weeks ago! Yikes!) and at the end gave me a much needed, relaxing massage with lotion and hot stones which was a pleasant and much appreciated touch. The 2 stars are for the pedicure & the pedicure only. There isn't much to say about the manicure. They made me wait again (wtf X 2) and it was nothing special. No massage either. Also, the color chipped same day. A few hours later. Total damage: -$30 (excl. tip) This is pretty expensive for the heights. I mean, I live in the Upper East Side and often get a manicure/pedicure (especially in the afternoon in the middle of the week) for $20. How are you charging $30 in the Heights? Don't think I'll be returning. Read Less