Cindy’s Nail Studio

While you can get an appointment quickly (I got an mani within 10 minutes of my call on New Year’s Eve) and they are reasonably priced, the actual work they did was sub par. I went in and told the woman I wanted to copy the gels I had on — with a silver stripe across the party nail. She said «later» and then took off my gels. Then, when another woman came to do my nails, I no longer had the reference to show her of what I wanted and the firs girl did not help communicate it at all. So even though I did my part to physically show what I wanted, it was erased before it could be copied.
I have gotten many gels before and never had a problem with how they look. But at this place when I put my nails underneath the UV, the polish started wrinkling. I pointed this out to the woman and she said it was because the nail polish was old and not to worry because it not be wrinkly once she put the top coat on. She did open a brand new bottle, but it came out almost clear instead of the dark color it was supposed to be so we had to stick with the old wrinkly one. When it was done, of course it wasn’t perfect — you can see the wrinkles underneath the top layer.
Lastly, their UV machines gave my hands the most ridiculous, ugly looking fake tan! I have never had that problem before and I have known some nail salons to lotion my hands with spf beforehand to diminish the UV results. The tan is so embarrassing and noticeable!

Not the «nicest» place I have ever been to, but for a $ 23 mani/​pedi what do you expect? Honestly-​the BEST manicure I have ever received. The polish lasted for two weeks which is unheard of! Great deal here!

I waited 30 minutes to get my nails done. No one notified me that there was going to be a wait. Instead, I sat in the pedicure seat while no one tended to me. I spoke with the manager and she was very rude to me. I will not be coming back here and I do not recommend this nail salon.

5 stars for Cindy’s! I went in here with my mom last week and was very pleasantly surprised. The service was fantastic. Even though I just got the regular mani-​pedi I was taken care of like I had purchased a larger package. I will certainly go back! So glad I ventured up the block a bit and found this gem.

Everyone at Cindys was lovely, I was greeted at the door with a smile and the woman who did my pedicure was extremely nice and gave me a massage for no extra charge. But when it comes to the service I paid for– a pedicure– I was left wanting. I got home to discover I had skin peeling off my feet and the nail polish I sat for half an hour waiting to dry had been ruined (presumably by the extra top coat she put on after I sat under the dryer 3 times and proceeded to put Saran Wrap on). I had to basically give myself a pedicure when I got home from paying for one. The only reason for the three stars is because of how nice everyone was and I assume if you get a manicure here you don’t have the same experience. Needless to say I will not be returning for a pedicure. I really wanted to leave a good review for Cindys, but I just could not.

I love this place. I’ve been coming here for several years. It’s no frills but the service is fantastic. The ladies are all so lovely. They work fast and thoroughly. The gel manicures are the best here. I’m often complimented on how long it lasts (3 –4 wks) and how great they look. I’ve tried other spots in the hood, but nothing beats Cindy’s. I used to wander to another place if they were full, but now I wait or come back, I won’t go anywhere else anymore.

For a small neighborhood nail spot this place has everything you would need. They are efficient and meticulous and and I always leave very pleased w my manicure: pedicure. And for $ 23 it can’t be beat. Don’t expect lush new massage chairs and a spacious Salon– but it gets the job done quite well. Ample choices in nail polish colors.

Went for a daddy and teenage daughter manicure
Mens manicure $ 9
Daughters Gels about $ 35
My nails came out a little uneven.

I’ve been going to this place for 3 years. I moved 1hr away and I am HAPPY to travel for my mani/​pedi. I haven’t posted anything until now simply because I didn’t want to have to wait for my mani/​pedi. It was my hidden secret. The good news is that I am moving, so I am ready to share this secret. THERE IS A CATCH. There is only ONE person who is a nail whisperer. She goes by the name of Irma and she doesn’t work Monday or Tuesday. She works only every other Sunday, so I highly recommend calling to make an appointment in advance.
I don’t quite know how to put it in words as to why she is so wonderful. It goes beyond how long it lasts and how well she picks colors. To me it comes down to how much she loves her job. It shines through everything she does. I come out happy every time, no matter how crappy the day had been before I walked in. Irma is a rare, genuine, honest, talented, simple person in this zoo of a city. Please tip her well. Cheapos need not apply, SERIOUSLY! Let the good souls enjoy.
Cindy, the owner, is good at eyebrows. She is very good at eyebrows, ONLY eyebrows.
The only downside of the place is that they don’t take Amex.

This place is clean, professional, and they always do a great job. Cindy’s is nothing fancy, but it’s only $ 22 for a mani/​pedi. I save $ 23 every time I come here because the place I used to go to in a fancier store was $ 45. When I got a mani/​pedi last night I also added on a foot massage for $ 10 and it was fabulous. Yes, I do like the fancy spas, but the service here was great and so was the vibe. I liked how all the workers helped each other out by getting hot towels and other things for their neighbor, it was like a well oiled machine. I was in & out in a little over an hour and I didn’t feel rushed at all which were both plusses.

I have been using this salon for a few years. It is the best discount salon in. the neighborhood. They are also quite nice. lagrangejaune (84)
100.0% positive feedback
Member since2001
Location:US

Here’s the story of how I fell in love with Cindy’s (it’s a long one so bear with me):
I used to go to Beauty Nails right next door to get my waxing and a place in Harlem to get my nails done. It was late on a Sunday night and my regular Harlem joint was closing so I quickly made an appointment at Cindy’s think it was Beauty Nails (I never pay attention to the names, only locations). I arrived at Beauty Nails and realized my mistake and just brushed it off. I got a pedicure and gel manicure. The manicure was the manicure from hell. The tech was in training, mind you there were about 10 other techs just sitting around. My gel took almost 90 minutes which is absolutely absurd. At the end the tech began filing the top of my nail down to the bone. I told her to stop numerous times and she wouldn’t. The whole nail salon began yelling at me. I was forced to pay the full amount and ran out crying with only 9 nails painted and a badly filed left pointer.
This is when I walked into Cindy’s. Mascara all over my face and my body shaking, I began to explain what happened to me over in the hell salon. They gave me a box of tissues and a massage while they found the closest color for my pointer (they did not have Lincoln Park After Dark in OPI so they found an IDENTICAL one in Shellac). They talked me through the whole thing and really calmed me down. I probably should mention it was my time of the month so I was extra emotional. I would have caused a scene at the other salon had I not been in this state.
When it came time to pay, they told me it was on the house. They were so great about everything and really were lifesavers through the whole process. I will definitely be returning to Cindy’s for all my nail services!

The deal was great mani and pedi for $ 22 but that if you dont mind your nails staying dirty! I also got my eye brows done i told her just clean them up a bit and she waxed off the ends of my eyebrow and then as me if its ok …#done

After moving into a new neighborhood, I needed a new nail place. Cindy’s Nails was the first reasonably priced salon I found ($ 20 – 25 for mani/​pedi — I forget exactly how much.) My first experience here was just okay. The girl who serviced me did a nice job with the mani/​pedi but the table I sat at had old nail clippings on it, and there were several dirty paper towels still on the table. They also charge $ 3 for the razor which is more $ 1 more than most salons. Since the actual mani/​pedi was not bad, I thought I’d give Cindy’s one more chance.
I went back a second time. Again the mani/​pedi was fine but as I was getting my manicure, the manicurist emptied the cuticle clipper out on the table and didn’t wipe away the dead skin (GROSS!!). There were also some employees sitting by the pedicure chairs eating really foul smelling food both times I went. The creepy looking fish in the two tanks don’t help the cause either.

I was unfamiliar with the area and I decided to come here to get acrylic French tips. Worst mistake. I got them done Thursday and by Friday 2 nails were broken. I have had tips done before at other salons and they did a poor job in comparison. They were thin and breakable. Never going here again. When I first got there I had a picture of what I wanted done and the lady said she could do it. It was French tips with a nail art design. She really didnt have a clue.

My cousin and I planned to go to afternoon tea and we decided to make it a full day of pampering, complete with mani-​pedis. Cindy’s Nail Studio seemed like the best bang-​for-​your-​buck nail place in the area so we promptly made our way over and were helped right away.
First step was picking a color. They carry lots of Essie and OPI, so it wasn’t hard to find a good color. I was super excited when I found they had «Flirt» by Essie! It’s one of my favorite summery colors and I ended up picking it for my manicure.
The lady who did my nails was quiet but worked very quickly. I’m usually wary of having my cuticles nipped but I didn’t notice when she did it. Pretty sweet! The color lasted a good week before chipping, which was surprising considering how often I use my hands.
The only negative thing I can think of about my visit is that I paid extra for the 10 minute massage. I asked if I could split it between foot massage and back massage (5 minutes each) and the lady said yes. I got a nice foot massage before my pedicure, but for my back massage, she just sort of kneaded my shoulders, slapped my back, and then walked away :/

Really was impressed with this new nail salon in my neighborhood.
Very clean salon, no waiting was a huge plus, the staff was very polite and the
manicure I received was very good. These girls do not make you wait they take you right away and provide great work.
Although the salon is small it did not feel crowded and everything I wished for in a nail salon was found here. The price was right $$ good value.
Who can afford to pay a fortune for a super fancy salon these days? Not me.
Will return to this nail salon soon.

It’s what you expect from a small nail salon, cheap prices, but then again, you get what you pay for. This just happens to be across the street from my house, wedged in between a few other nail salons, but what got me was the price. $ 22 for mani/​pedi said the paper signs taped to the storefront windows. When I paid for it in the end, it was actually $ 23. The lady to who did my nails was a nice and sweet woman, kind of gave me the feeling of my mom doing my nails (kind of sad). But she filed my nails crooked and when I asked her to fix it, it was still crooked so I just gave up and decided to fix it when I got home. The mani did not last me more than 2 days (mind you, I’m pretty rough with my hands). And now that I’ve cleaned the polish off my toes, I’ve noticed there’s a black spot. I’m sure hoping this isn’t some kind of toe fungus or whatever else gross it can be!
I also got my eyebrows & lip waxed after I finished, if you were in a hurry, go for it because that’s how much time they spent on making me look good, not much. She waxed my eyebrows and then left residue of wax on it (by the way, the wax was really really hot!) and when I asked her to trim my eyebrows, she said if she trimmed it it would look weird because they’re already short. I know they needed a trim because last time I did anything to my eyebrows was 2 months ago!

Just another nail salon in NYC. The $ 22 deal is what brought me here. The color selection was decent, and yes, they offered to use that razor on my feet. I promptly said no. For the price, it’s worth it, especially in this part of town.

The color selection was good enough (I had a job interview and went for clear on my hands, though), the price was right, and service was quite pleasant. They definitely take walk-​ins. This area of 1^st Avenue is crowded with other nail salons, but Cindy’s deserves its place among them. I would be a repeat customer if I hadn’t moved out of the neighborhood.