Azure Nails

I hadn’t been here since the new owners too over… and YAY! It was terrific!
I went in for a no chip mani & pedicure on Dec. 14^th, and it looked great thru today when I decided I wanted to switch colors. The team was very nice when I came in, and they even offered to let me stay to enjoy the wonderfully decadent massage chair while letting my toes continue to dry — post no-​chip. We all knew it was completely unnecessary, but they indulged me by letting me stay to soap up more massage chair. ;)
Overall: Excellent attention to detail *without* any missing spots or sloppy cuticles; perfect color; super friendly; and I feel like they really value my business. They’ve definitely earned a new customer.

I have been coming here to do my nails over the past 7 years. This place is under new management and the new owner has done ALOT to make the place look nicer. I always felt like I got a good mani/​pedi for the price. However, I think the result is the prices have increased. The problem is for $ 40 you can go elsewhere in the area. I suggest they go back down to $ 30 if they want to keep their business. I say stop expanding your services and keep costs down so you can keep doing what you do well.

I was lost when the nail salon I went to for 17 years closed. So on my way to the hardware store I saw Azure nail salon. It’s was a beautiful place so I stopped to get prices and was very surprise as how reasonable they were. I have been going for a couple of months now and always received excellent friendly service. I’m surprise when I read the negative reviews as I have never received anything but great service and always felt like a valued customer. My expectations are always meet.

I’m honestly surprised by the bad reviews. I’ve been here many times and never had an issue. I only get a simple mani/​pedi and I’ve always been happy with the results. The staff never says anything to me unless it is related to my nails, so I’ve never had a problem with rudeness.

So this place gets two stars bc you can drink here and it’s close to my apt like right across the street. The owner Clark is an asshole but so I am so it works. But when it comes to his work it’s not the best. Now I realize why I don’t come here often. After a week my no chip mani started peeling and my pedi was chipping when I called in he said come in and I’ll fix it for you. I didn’t come in that exact day and I guess that was a problem but hey people work and this was my only day off to come in. So when he did my no chip over he didn’t even file my nails! Only buffed them! One of my nails is crooked and you think he would’ve fixed it but no! So this is when him being an asshole doesn’t really work. I mean how does he have an attitude when I’m the one who nails were all messed up? But I say they are better places in the Gold Coast than this place.

I wish I had read reviews before coming here. The only reason it gets one star is because the actual outcome of my manicure was great. HOWEVER, the experience was awful. I honestly wanted to cry when I left. I’ve NEVER complained about a service and typically only review when it’s positive.
I came in for a gel manicure. First it was very rushed, the filing, the cuticle cutting, etc. I was bleeding, didn’t stop and the technician kept rubbing my finger, making it worse. When I asked to go to the bathroom to wash it, he just continued wiping (I mean looking back I should have just gotten up and left, but I think I was just in shock and how horrible this was). Just felt unsanitary, I was bleeding and he kept painting and using the brush. Also as a whole the salon felt dirty. Definitely would not recommend this place.

So im sitting here writing this review cause im more than confused…
I live litterally 2 min away so i came here with a friend but the lady in the front couldnt speak english nor understand basic pedi and mani when i walked in… what? The same girl was doing my pedi and made the water literally BOILING hot. So i told her and yet she still dunks my feet in… wtf…srsly. i told her i have ingrown toenails… umm she just kept cutting my toenails shorter and filing. The job was obviously not done. Also who slips on slippers before its painted… To top it off she now handed the job over to another technician. If you dnt have anyone available to do the job decently… i couldve waited. This lady is finally doing a decent job. But i honestly will have to be desperate as hell to come here again and now im not looking forward to how much itll come out to cause its not worth it. But if you do decide to come. Get it done by the only non asian lady here. Two stars cause they are actually painted nice but im not satisfied with the experience nor the shape of my toes.

With this being so close to my home, I really hoped for a better experience.
The salon itself is nice/​clean and the staff has is always friendly, but there seems to be a lack of management.

This place is AMAZING! The staff is very nice, friendly and accommodated our picky nail needs. They stayed late past their official closing time and made sure we liked our special additions.
The atmosphere was super cute and very relaxing too! We felt like we were in a relaxing colorado spa in the middle of downtown Chicago. Another huge plus was that a no chip manicure was only $ 30!
We will definitely be coming back here again as a regular! ~ and they have a frequent customer punch card :)
Ps: IT’S BYOB!

BEHAVIOR: Yelled at and threatened by owner.
QUALITY: Bleeding, dry and old polish manicure
TIME: Took and hour and half and still unfinished.
I just left Azure and had an unfortunate experience. I write this not to defame the owner, but to give clear insight into the conditions I experienced.
I scheduled a mani/​pedi appointment based on a gift certificate from several years ago which had no expiration date. I called to ask if this was still New York Salon and Spa and the owner who answered say «yes.» I was pretty psyched to spend my midday off getting a needed nail clean up.
The pedicure was ok, but the manicure after was a bad experience. The technician did not know how to remove no-​chip and two of my nails are damaged. She cut my cuticles to bleed on two fingers, left other cuticles ratty, and my hands were extremely dry. I was concerned my nails were getting damaged, although no irreparably, just not healthy. I was concerned she didn’t seem to know how to do it so I asked for her to stop.
The biggest disappointment and frustration came from the time when I went to pay with the gift certificate. The owner told me no, and when I asked questions to understand, he got very angry and began yelling. He told me that they were now Azure and would not accept old agreements. I understand that BUT what would have been judicious is to be honest about NOT being New York Salon and Spa and honor the gift certificate OR tell me up front that they are no longer honoring those agreements. I would not have chosen this salon’s location or quality at full price.
He went into an emotional meltdown, explaining in detail about his attorney and problems taking over a new lease. I understand he is frustrated that in taking on a business; I do not think it was appropriate to share that information with me or expect me to seek a different solution AFTER he misled me to believe he was honoring the New York Salon and Spa agreement or failed to share the information with me otherwise.
He should not wait until services are rendered then guilt or shame the customer into paying when there is a misunderstanding. I wanted to gift certificate honored because I had no other reason to believe it would not be but I was willing to split the difference since his technician did spend time. When I made that suggestion, he told me it was tacky. Wow. I ended up asking for a peaceful solution and insisted I pay half. I wasn’t willing to pay for the manicure but did want to put something toward the pedicure time, even if my gift certificate would not be honored.
Clark has the frustrations any small business owner would have. I get it, it’s tough out there and nail salons are a low margin business. I can imagine that this is a frustrating and on-​going issue. It’s one he can manage by setting his customers expectations before service and not after. That’s an easy fix, unfortunately one he thought was «tacky.» I don’t write this to defame him, but say that I walked away being tiraded and questionably threatened, and when I asked what he thought was fair and offered to pay half, I was insulted.
I’m a little nervous about him having my name and card info given his level of rage. I’m guessing he’s a decent guy just trying to make it. Everyone gets emotional. So Ok, water under the bridge But It was unacceptable to yell at me, force me to pay, then tell me to leave without paying and vent for 10 minutes about his business issues. I hope he can fix the issue with his attorneys and settle this stress in his life. I now have to go get both mani and pedi redone and have lost out on time and money that are valuable to me.
When I mentioned that I would review on Unilocal,he told me he would take it down immediately. I hope he doesn’t. I hope he finds some peace. My cuticles hurt.

HUGE selection of no chip brands & colors. My only complaint is the colors aren’t on display like they are in most nail salons, so it takes a little longer to find the color you are looking for, but if that’s the trade off for such a good selection then I’ll take it
My manicure started with Sarah (?), she applied the soak off for my gel & started the removal process, then Clark took over once he finished with his client. He was efficient and did a good job. I was surprised at all the negative reviews and comments about Clark because during my manicure at least 3 customers came in and were on a first name basis with him, which showed me he is either friendly enough or at least does a good job to keep recurring customers.
This isn’t a salon to go to if you want a pampering spa treatment, but if you are just in the market for a good, quick, manicure, they are a no fuss, no frill option. $ 30 for a no-​chip manicure is a great deal & as long as it doesn’t chip I’ll certainly go back.

It’s a cheap & perfectly decent Asian nail salon, which is pretty much what I was used to living in DC & exactly what I’ve been looking for since I moved to Chicago. How do you even complain about a $ 38 mani/​pedi in Gold Coast? What kind of spa-​like service are people expecting at that price point? If you want someone to kiss your ass while they do your nails go around the corner to Oak St & drop $ 100+ for the privilege next time.
The woman who took care of me was polite, professional & quick. I have no complaints about her or the mani/​pedi. I did take off a star because they didn’t offer water or tea to drink & because the polish selection could be improved.

It gets 1 star for nail polish selection. I was very disappointed that this was my neighborhood nail salon. Being the Gold Coast I expected more. First I was made uncomfortable when I walked in told to pick my colors, so I sat down in the front when my selection was over. After a few minutes a man sitting down doing nails very rudely told me my chair was ready and made me feel foolish like this was my first time getting my nails down.
Pedicure: the water was cold and my massage chair was broken. The women doing my toes did a very poor job at cleaning then up and barely pushed my cuticles back. I get pedis about every month so feet are very well taken care of, but they were still rough feeling on the bottom upon my departure. The paint job was poor as well… I had color on my cuticles. All my toes were chipping within a week.
Manicure I had asked her several times if she had a no chip color similar what I was wearing she nodded yes. We sit down in the station I asked again she nodded but never got up and started doing my no chip with the color I original picked out. I said nothing because I just wanted to get out. My polish was chipped on my nails by the next day which was amazing cause I was leaving for vacation in Mexico.
I did read reviews, but I always give the benefit of the doubt… well this place is really bad and I will not return. Also the other customers were awful to listen to they were 30 something’s talking as of they were 18 and discussing how messed up they had gotten the night before. The whole experience just made me uncomfortable and disappointed I didn’t find a great place close to my house.

I had to create a Unilocal account just to write this review. I don’t think I have ever complained about a manicure or pedicure in the 10+ years I’ve been getting them. DO NOT waste your money here. I had by far, the most disgusting and horrible experience known to man.
First off, I had a scheduled appointment. I waited at the front of the store for about 20 minutes… mind you, it was a Saturday afternoon and there were two customers in the entire place. The blasting techno music was hardly relaxing as I waited. When I was finally called over for my pedicure, I was told to put my feet into water that seriously looked like it had little chunks of dead skin in it. This started the experience off on a bad note.
I had the roughest, most ridiculous pedicure possible. I felt like a 3 year old child could have done a better job. When the employee was finished with my pedicure, I felt skeptical considering it looked like there were 10 coats of chunky polish on my toes. Considering how dirty the place looks, I didn’t even say anything. I wanted to get my no chip manicure done and get out of there.
We moved over to the manicure station at this point. The actual no chip experience wasn’t all that bad. Seemed pretty standard compared to other places I’ve been to. The manicure took at least 35 minutes. During this time, I figured my toes, which had been baking under a heat lamp, were most definitely dry. The employee who did my mani/​pedi, proceeded to tell me to put plastic bags on my feet before I put my shoes on to protect my freshly painted toes.
After I signed my credit card receipt, I was never once thanked for coming in or even said goodbye to.
The icing on the cake was when I got home and took my socks, shoes and plastic bags off, that I realized my pedicure was a disaster. There was paint all over my skin and goopy nail polish everywhere.
Because I had such a gross experience here, I didn’t even bother going back and getting them fixed. It is now 11 days after this, that my no chip manicure is completely done for. It started chipping after 4 full days!
Bottom line– this place is bad news. Please don’t waste your time or money with them!

If I could give this place no stars I would. Came in for a mani/​pedi this evening and was the only one in the place. Started off with a pedi and it was mediocre. When it came time to polish, the girl was TERRIBLE. She got nail polish not only all over my toes but on my sandals as well. Then tried to take it off with nail polish remover but the nail polish stained. I was so pissed that I just skipped the mani all together. When I mentioned to the manager when I was paying he just goes «Do you want to leave tip on card?»
Seriously? Your employee did a sloppy job and ruined my nice pair of sandals because she wasn’t paying attention. I’ll keep the tip, thanks.

Like other customers here, I wish there was a zero.
My nails look nice, I will say that, but I also include atmosphere and customer service when I review nail salons. The «owner» is a mean man and doesn’t know anything about communicating with customers. My roommate had a groupon for two mani/​pedis, we missed the point about one person using it twice. Fine. The man begins to get angry with us saying we are making this difficult for him. We agree to pay for one only, after he said he would take the groupon even though he is «suing» groupon.
Basically it sounded like he was making stuff up just to get us to pay full price. He wasn’t really making sense and his story wasn’t adding up. I don’t really know what is going on at Azure, but I know it isn’t worth anyone else’s time. It was a horrible experience and I will never go back.

**UPDATE**
After writing my review the other day I received this message from «clark» the owner
Clark B. has sent you a message on Unilocal:
Your Review
«Do you realized what you wrote about our business which is not even truthful and honest. Why are you write something which is not even true about our salon. How could you describe our place smell like rotting sewage. Who are you really work for? Do you even know the difference between upscale nail salon and low end nail salon like those you have been to??? I already report you to Unilocal and I will put a public comment about your review, so that every can see what kind of a person would write something like this. Do you even know what you are writing? I think you need to get yourself to an anger management class. Please don;t express your anger by going around and pouring negative on people businesses! Have some class P. S. By the way, do you what they are saying about blonde?@#$@#$@bs@#!@#!@ :)»

The management is extremely rude. I called to make an appointment for 6pm on a monday for a manicure and pedicure. She insisted that I come in at 5:30 and when I got there accused me of setting up the appointment at 5:00 and proceeded to raise her voice at me telling me I was wrong.
My nails are streaky and although their hours are until 8pm they could not get me out of there fast enough. I would never go back.

So I always check their website before going in because they have daily deals. Yesterday I went in and got a no chip mani and a pedicure for $ 46…pretty darn good.
Anyway, I have to say that the pedicure was about a 2. They barely scrubbed, clipped, trimmed anything. It was almost a mini pedi. Overall, it was ok, but the reason I go for pedicures is because I NEED them… not just to have pretty polish on my toes.
The no chip mani is pretty good. I give it a 4. They have about a million colors. They do a good trim down of the nails and cuticles. Pretty standard and cheap!
The no chip is definitely worth it, however I really dont think I will be going back for a pedicure.
I think I had the manager guy, who definitely seems a little crabby. However, we got him talking, etc and he is actually nice. A little cynical, but nice. :)
Great for a cheap no chip… not so great for a much needed pedicure. All of the other stuff… tanning, etc. I have no idea on.

I have been going to this place for about 4 years. In that time, there have been 3 different owners. The previous two were fantastic, but this new owner has been sub par. I went in for a mani/​pedi a few weeks ago, and it was definitely not good. I use self tanner, and the man who did my pedi scrubbed so hard on my legs that he scrubbed my tan off, and in a weird pattern. When I said something about it, he mentioned to me that they now offer airbrush tans. Oh, thanks? The paint job for both my nails and toes was sloppy.
For whatever reason, I decided to give them a try again. This time, a few days ago, I wanted a set of Gel Nails. The woman didn’t even remove the nail polish I had on, she just sanded it away with the sander. She didn’t push my cuticles back, nothing. The nails themselves are the same as my first experience there — sloppy. They are not filed properly, and they don’t look like a professional did them. For as slow as they are there, they certainly rush their customers out of the door. I will be finding another nail salon.