So it's my birthday! For a special treat I went to get a gel polish manicure. HUGE MISTAKE. Manicure was terrible. I've never had such a shoddy manicure in my life. Polish up on my cuticles, messy and uneven. Should have turned around and left... Called to talk to the manager, not in of course. Read Less

This is Holly second shop and this one thank odd, it's closer to my house. I have been going to Holly for quite a few years now and how work is perfection and the staff is great and everybody is hospitable and quite professional. Thank God not thank odd. Read Less

I was in need of a pedicure before my beach vacation, so I decided to stop in to Star Nails in Bellevue. I've never had a pedicure before, mostly because I'm super-ticklish, but I felt like it was about time.The salon looks quite nice inside; wood (well, laminate) floors, clean decor, and four pedicure chairs up on the platform on the right. I didn't have an appointment, and waited about ten minutes on a Wednesday evening.Nancy was my nail technician, and she greeted me warmly and helped me over into the pedicure area. Pro tip: Don't wear a past-knee-length skirt, as it can make straddling the foot bath to get into the chair slightly awkward. Nancy helped me out like a pro and I was all set.The pedicure chairs have a massage feature that reminded me of the Migun massage tables. They don't just vibrate; they knead. The controller is right next to you, so you can stop and start as you like. I just made sure the thing kept running the whole time. The foot bath was nice and warm. I'd brought a book to keep myself busy but turns out all my attention was occupied by relaxing.Nancy guided me through the steps and the slight language barrier isn't much of a problem. She completely understood that I was super-ticklish from the flinching involved, and somehow managed to be very careful about it. It wasn't at all unpleasant, which is what I'd kind of expected.This is the awful TMI section, so avert your ayes if you are at all sensitive. Since I've never had a pedicure and I tend to walk around either barefoot or in thin-soled shoes, I had quite a lot of callus built up. The removal was kind of disgusting, so I just didn't look, but it didn't hurt at all. I also tend to ingrown toenails on both big toes, and she dealt with them gently and quickly. I was a bit concerned about having that done at a salon, but it's a week later and my toes haven't turned gangrene, so all's well that ends well.END TMIEven though it wasn't the spa pedicure (not sure what else THAT involves), I got a full foot and calf massage. Polish on and all done! At which point I thought I might as well get a manicure, too.The manicure involved heated mitts and a hand massage, and was very nice. Total cost was $37 plus tip (I gave her $10 for having to deal with my nasty feet). I had some fun conversations with other patrons, and overall a great experience. I'd go back once a day if it were in any way reasonable to do so, but this is getting placed on the once-a-month schedule for sure.The polish from the pedicure is still holding up like a champ after a week. The manicure was pretty well shot after a couple of days, so I'll probably just stick with doing the polish at home, although I can't complain about the massage and cuticle care.Again, I don't have other salons or spas to compare with, but it seemed like a good, basic service with a few little extras. The staff were all friendly and remembered the repeat customers who came in. They do take credit cards, and you can put the tip on the card as well; I brought cash for that as I am not used to salons taking tips on cards.They also offer acrylics (which I don't do), gel nails (which I'd like to try), and nail art. I'm not sure if they do waxing. I am sure that it's a friendly place, that it's clean (important!), and that they made me feel relaxed even though I was beyond nervous going in. Read Less