Serenity Nail Spa

Been to this salon several times as its only a few blocks from my office and always leave satisfied. Can’t beat the good, cheap (pricing-​wise, not quality) service.

This is my first Unilocal review and i am writing it with tears in my eyes. I walked in for a manicure after everyone in my office told me NOT to go there even though its down the street and only 12 dollars. I walked in and made an appointment with Ann Tran the manager. She greated me very nicely with a smile and took me right away because the salon only had 2 customers in it. She kept trying to sell me on a no chip and after i said no she was going on and on on why i still should get one. I politely said no again and then just stopped talking to her. I asked her to cut my nails short for my vacation because I didn’t want them to break while I was in FL.
I noticed she was filing them so roughly and it hurt so I didn’t say anything until she was done and I told her to re-​file them because they were stringy on the edges? she gave me a dirty look and kept filing. When she came back with a wet towel I asked her to please file them so they are smooth and not jagged on the edges, she filed them in 7 seconds and said «they are good». Ann asked me to pay so I gave her 15 dollars (including the tip) and she painted them. After she was done with the absolute CARELESS job she did I looked at them and I ASKED her to clean the remaining nail polish off of my fingers. I was not pleased but I tolerated it and walked back to work.
As I walked back into the office I realized that my nails kept getting caught in my hair and clothes! This was literally the worst manicure I have ever gotten! The girls at worked warned me not to go there and the ones that had appointments canceled them after seeing my nails!!!
I decided to go back and ask her to at least file them and take the nail polish off my fingers. She looked at me with a dirty look on her face and started getting loud with me saying, «you didn’t have a problem with them when you left!». I asked her to please keep her voice down because there were 2 other customers getting their nails done. She DID NOT CARE about how unprofessional she was being. She then grabbed my hand dragged me to a customer and had them examine my nails! the girl was as in COMPLETE SHOCK as was I. I politely asked her to let go of my hand and at this point I was so furious with the way she was treating me that I just asked for my money back. She treated me like I was SCUM!!!
She said that she will not give me my money back because of her «time» My manicure took only 15 minutes! of her just doing a horrible job!!! I started crying and walked to CVS and unpolished my nails myself. The uncleanliness of this place and me spending 15 dollars on a horrible service doesn’t bother me. What bothers me is the way I was treated by ANN.
At this point it was not about the money anymore it was about how RUDE and DISRESPECTFUL SHES WAS!!!
Do yourself a favor and check out any other nails salon in Evanston but this one!

Not so good. Nails done in 15 min without much care. Another manicure had to help make them look better after the first one finished.

Worst pedicure ever. The technician who worked on me was rough, even after I told her I had sensitive toes. The entire pedicure hurt. The water was scalding. And, the massage chairs were equally rough (and I like intense massages). It was so bad, I felt like I was in a Saturday NIght Live Skit. Yikes! I cannot say enough how bad this experience was.

I give three stars for the lovely ladies who work at this place, and I am hoping they try to improve their service.
I had gel nails put on, as I normally do when frequenting my old spot in Vancouver, and this is the first spot I have tried since moving with my husband to Evanston, and I have to say I was sadly disappointed.
The woman who did my nails was very kind, and friendly, but a bit too aggressive. It hurt having them put on, and I haven’t had that issue prior. They were also sloppily done.
I hope that it was just a bad day, but I would like to caution any lady or gentleman who regularly gets their nails done, to be careful here. It’s affordable, but I don’t know that it is entirely worth the pain for even the lower price.

I thought the location and store were inviting. The staff is very friendly however, I doubt I will be back. I didn’t realize how expensive this location was until I went elsewhere. My nails for some reason where always made very thick (I have to get nails as I bite mine). I try to tell them to make them small and thin and somehow end up with longer thick nails. I was paying $ 55 for a set and no chip. When I went somewhere else the price was $ 37. I feel bad for not wanting to go back as they are really nice and sweet but I don’t want to pay for work that I don’t like.

4 not 5 stars because my technician «pedi — shamed» me! I don’t feel like explaining to anyone why I haven’t had a pedicure in 3 weeks!
All that aside, I like the vibe, the techs and clientele mature and relaxed.

I was initially so impressed with the service of this place but here I am 5 days later with no polish on my nails. Why? Because even though I got my nails done on Sunday afternoon, the polish was already chipping by Tuesday. I am by no means rough on my hands so I am very disappointed that I basically wasted my money. I’m only giving two stars because the lady was generally friendly, let me charge my phone and gave a really nice hand massage. $ 12 for a basic manicure is clearly too good to be true. Back to gel polish for this girl!

quickest pedicure ever (not complimenting it) I make a better job at doing my pedicure! Stay away! Expensive, the owner is cero professional, angry,
Really bad attitude !! She needs to learn that the client is always right! It feels unhygienic! If you want a relaxing experience go to trendy nails!

The ladies here are absolutely wonderful. They are very inviting and super friendly. Customer service is everything. Prices are very affordable. Overall, it’s just nice to walk into a place and be greeted with a smiling face.

A quick jump off the Davis L and Metra in Downtown Evanston, the location couldn’t be better. Seldom a wait. Never turned away. Fine selection of services and all at local or well-​below prices.
I report all that to enthusiastically report – I go here for the staff. Warm, welcoming, and tender, the ladies at Serenity put me at ease and always make me laugh, especially at the end of a long workday (mine and theirs).

I have been coming to see Ann and Natalie at Serenity for the last 3 years for manicures, pedicures, and no chip. They are both excellent. Ann always does my nails, has a warm, friendly, and genuine demeanor, and does an excellent job. I refuse to go to anyone else since she stands by her work, and takes the time to tell me about new colors and products. There is never any hard sell to do anything either. The salon is extremely clean, and they are constantly making improvements. I recently moved 25 minutes away, and still come every other week. Her pricing is excellent, and she does not cut corners. I highly recommend this Serenity.

GREAT SERVICE!!! AND ATTENTION TO DETAIL!
I LOVE when people take pride in their work! Natalie and Anne were very, very nice and personable. They have a lot of nice colors and wide price range. Gel and no-​chip does add up quickly. I spent more than I planned but the work was top notch! AND she did a great job on my eyebrows, which is a feat for anyone particularly on the first time because they grow differently.
In a word, IMPRESSIVE!!! I’ll definitely be back! :)

Awesome place. they really take their time. i wanted a particular color so she helped me to combine 3 colors to get it. :) definitely one of the best manicures ive had. i had Anne (the manager).

It’s ok job but too fast! And why the buffing is more expensive than nail polish and time was shorter. Don’t get it!

This is a fantastic nail salon. I stopped in on a chance to get a much needed manicure. I got the French and at $ 17 it was awesome. It lasted nearly 2 weeks. It wasn’t the no chip either. They take their time and I felt they did a great job. I also treated myself to a neck and back chair massage. The best $ 20 I spent all day.
It’s a great place to go. I have been back twice.

Rude, rude, rude. Steer clear!
I’ve tried coming in twice in the past month for a manicure, both times at 10:30-ish on a weekday morning when the place is relatively empty, and the women working there very abruptly (okay, rudely) tell me to come back later… like they must have a big rush of reservations coming in soon. I’ve never encountered a nail salon of this caliber that doesn’t welcome walk-​ins.
I’d be happy to sit with a magazine for half an hour and wait. And, there was no one else waiting and only two customers in the place ! Thusly snubbed, I walked west to T-​Top Nails on the same side of the street across from the Post office, which was lovely and welcoming.
Oh Serenity: I’m done trying. Never again.

This update makes me sad. I don’t like taking away stars and I really don’t like taking away two stars. But Things have changed here. Prices have gone up, quality has gone down. I felt like hygiene may have gone down a little too, but that may have just been the woman doing my nails today. Sad.

I came here with my bridesmaids to get nails done the day before my wedding. Frankly none of the places in Evanston have stunning reviews, and I have yet to find a place that I would really go back to, so we figured we’d roll the dice and give this place a try.
Definitely would not come back here, and definitely would steer everyone I know clear of this place. Our nails looked ok when we left — but nothing much better than anything I could have done on my own for much less money. The pedicure was the most disappointing because the water in the basin for the chair I was in never actually got hot. I kept telling the woman about this and she tried to fix it twice, but never actually had me get up and move, and even after she could feel how not hot it was, just kept doing my pedicure. My feet were really bad, very very dry and cracked. I’ve had amazing pedicures where all of that is gone by the time you leave, and that was not the case with this place. It was as if their filers were worn down completely.
The other really odd thing to me is they had us all sit under the dryer FOREVER. Like literally for at least 30 minutes. I have never had to dry my nails for that long to have them stay. When I got home my polish was already smushed on 3 of my fingers, and completely ripped off one of my big toes. I have had some sub-​par nail jobs done before, but nothing like that has ever happened to me so quickly after leaving a place. It was disappointing especially because I was getting married the next day and felt like I might have to take it off right away. I luckily had a similar color at home and touched it up so that it would at least not be completely obvious to a casual observer that my nails were completely jacked.
Moral of the story, this is yet another place in the pile of Evanston nail places that I will never go back to.

This is a fabulous nail salon. It’s not high-​budget — it’s very down to earth, in a welcoming kind of way. Owner Anne has helped me get my previously brittle and flaky nails to lengths I’ve never had, and they’re stronger than ever. She does gorgeous no chip manicures, flawless pedicures, and gorgeous nail art. Each time I get my nails done I have such a fun time chatting with her, and I get a ton of compliments from people about how lovely my nails are.
I can’t recommend this salon enough. It’s got a nice level of service, nice staff, great location, and it’s in my limited budget. Hooray!