Ivy Nails & Spa

A week after my Pedicure from this venue — I know have an infection on my left big toe.

I feel much as Amanda did on here. I wanted a local salon that I could enjoy my experience in, as I recently moved over from Georgetown. I actually went in on a Thursday evening, had called before and requested an appointment and stated that I wanted a solar set. Came in and said my name was Shannon and I called in for an appointment. They sat me down and the man immediately started on me. First thing: he didn’t wash his hands before. This is standard practice anywhere else I have been, not sure if that has changed but all I could feel was sweaty hands which was not enjoyable. Second thing: the blue towel they had laying on the nail station still had nail clippings on it from a previous customer. I looked at the station next to me and saw that one did too. So, anyways: the man was taking off my shellac that I already had on my nails. Now, for a long time I would get a solar set, then go a few weeks with nothing, repeat. I had tried shellac for a few rounds and had never went from shellac to solar, this was my first time. So anyways, I said I wanted colored tips, I picked out the color and all from the board of nails they showed me. Well I thought it strange when he started to open a bottle of shellac. I said, sorry but I did want a solar set, not shellac. The guy look so frustrated and a woman came over speaking feverishly to him and the other two girls in there in their native tongue, I couldn’t really understand what was going on. Finally she turned to me and said «You want a fake nail?» I said, I asked for solar, so technically yes, there is a fake nail in all that. She said yes that’s what she had thought I said when I called earlier. I told her she was right, I did say that. So at this point the guy gets up and walks off looking pretty frustrated and she takes over. She kept saying that we would already be done if they «had known». (Side note: I admire anyone who speaks English as a second language, but I had the absolute hardest time understanding them due to thickness of their accents and overall broken English.) I asked her pointedly, what didn’t you know? She said that I «wanted a fake nail». What does that even mean? At this point I really just did not appreciate being told constantly that this was my fault, I mean WTH!!! I told her that I had asked for a solar set on the phone, and when I walked in. I also asked her if there was a different word I should be using or if I should have said it a different way going forward, honestly I was trying very hard to be nice and respectful and helpful. Even despite frankly being grossed out initially and a little insulted. She said what I said was fine. ??? Another thing: she was so busy looking over her shoulder and talking to the guy behind in whatever it was that she was saying that she actually rubbed off the color tip on one of my fingers and had to start over on it. Oh yes and: when she started doing the solar set she immediately started to put white on the tip. Which I had to ask if they had color, because I wanted color tips. Come on! I feel kinda bitchy writing all this but I have been to many nail salons and have not had problems. Yeah some are better than others but this was just on a whole new level of, did-​that-​just-​happen. Weirdly enough I tipped her very well, $ 15 on top of $ 40, because I did feel a little bad about the man doing additional work – did he actually do additional work? This is what they were telling me – and because it was bigger of me to do so and to ultimately kill with kindness. So, hopefully other people have a way better experience than I had but I cannot go back to that place. I’ll keep driving to Linda’s Nails in Georgetown before I find a good place a little bit closer.

I really wanted to like this place and make it my salon since it was local but I just did not enjoy my experience. When I went in on a busy Friday they asked me to come back, no problem I was a walk in and live only 2 miles away. I came back at the time she said and didn’t have to wait long but as the girl started doing my nails she flat out said usually people won’t come back in a way that insinuated she hoped I would not. I didn’t like that they moved me more than once for really no obvious reason while doing my acrylic nails and she complained the entire time about how busy they were. I have worked service jobs and I understand busy days get tiring but don’t complain to your paying customers about it, I come to a salon to relax and feel pampered not like a chore to you. They also upsell more than other salons I have been to recently, I ended up somehow agreeing to pay $ 5 for a gel top coat others do not charge for and was asked more than once if I wanted waxing too for my brows which do not ever need waxing. My biggest complaint though was 5 out 10 cuticles were bleeding when I got done so my manicure didn’t look great. I have never had more than one cuticle bleed after a manicure and usually don’t have any. I will be going to another salon.

As a guy I probably don’t have the expertise to rate all the services that Ivy nails offers but it sure ain’t poison Ivy. Nor poison Oak since the setting is a little bit outside of the urbanization! There is a BBQ place next door that just remodeled and they serve good Texas style BBQ. The waxing price is a little higher but they do a better job than regular nail salons. They also do massages but the Chinese lady had her house taken by the tornado so I don’t know when they will resume! She has different styles of massages but sometimes needs to ease on pressure points. I woke up one morning with my whole shoulder and neck paralyzed for three days which was good in a sense because that is just where it was hurting, but another time she kept using pressure points where nothing was wrong and it just hurt for no reason and I didn’t feel relaxed at all.