Ballard Nail Studio

My friend and I walked in on a Friday afternoon and they were able to fit us in! I got a manicure and she got a pedicure. Both were lovely. My manicurist was so sweet and did very nice job on my raggedy, uneven nails and cuticles. No blood. No pain. And a nice little hand and arm massage was included — all for $ 15! My friend’s pedicure was great! Her manicurist was sweet as well and did a wonderful job on her toes. The shop is clean, small (which I like) and has a very relaxed atmosphere. I’ve been to other nail shops where it is like a «production line» of a dozen or so nail techs and the atmosphere is a bit hurried and chaotic. I really enjoyed my first experience at Ballard Nail Studio and will definitely be going back!

I really do not understand some of these bad reviews, but alas… I was not there, so I can’t speak to their validity. All I will do is tell of my experience.
I have had many mani/pedi’s over the years — it was an activity that my mom and I used to do together for bonding, so I have a pretty wide range of experiences from different cities (Atlanta, Philadelphia).
I was going to be in the area for an oil change later in the day and had never tried this salon, so I called ahead and made an appointment an hour out. That experience was very easy and there were no communication issues.
I was about 10 minutes late due to parking (I ended up giving up, cheating, and parking at the QFC across the street because they have no parking validation). They were not upset and got me started right away. It was a nice greeting, they let me pick a color, and then sat me in the first seat.
I will tell you, for your information and at my expense and embarrassment, my feet and legs were NASTY. It had been raining, and the water that got into my leather flats made my feet muddy; I had just run a half marathon, so I was callused and blistered; I had nearly 10 layers of difficult-​to-​remove polish on already; and um, I hadn’t shaved my legs… in a while (It is winter! I was getting away with it!)
There was NO judgment. Not on my tech’s face, in how she spoke to me, or how she treated me; they also didn’t talk to each other while she was focusing on my pedicure. If they made fun after I left, I aint even mad, hah.
My tech took her time to make sure each toe was perfect, the pedicure took longer than an hour! I was really impressed. She turned my horrible nasty leg stumps into beautiful girly feet again.
Pros:
The chairs are great, the magazines are up-​to-​date, they have water, they wear gloves during the cleaning (very hygienic), communication is easy, they have a punch card for a later discount, they asked before they clipped down my nails (pet peeve when they don’t), a leg scrub is included, hot stone massage is included, hot towels, and cheap (I can’t believe people think that this place is expensive for what is included).
Cons: Could have a larger selection of paints; HOWEVER, the paints they /​do/​have are up-​to-​date and newer collection, so I know they are stocking what is on trend. I didn’t have an issue with the cuticle cutting, no pain, no awkwardness.
I will be back, and might try more of their services. I even was provided a card with my tech’s name so that I know exactly who to ask for next time.

I love this place– the folks are nice, never rushed and always happy to let me read while getting the most delicious leg massage and pedicure. I only go here. Wish they had more late morning early afternoon appointments on the weekend but this is better than my experience at Habitude and most other places I’ve gone for pedicures in Seattle and NYC.

I came here about a month ago with my co-​worker, and we had great service! The employees were very friendly, and I loved the hot stone massage!

Lovely experience — I was tired of my normal nail salon — I always felt rushed, service was good, not great — Ballard Nail Studio made a great first impression — Called for an appointment ~30 min in advance — They were not busy, sat me right down on arrival — Staff was very welcoming — Very clean salon with bowl liners for extra protection — One of the best scrub’s & massages I have ever had — She massaged each toe — Polish is perfect — I will definitely be back

I love what they do and they are super friendly but I won’t be returning. I made an appointment for a pedicure and when I arrived asked if I could get a manicure as well then while I was getting my pedicure they took two walk-​ins and said they couldn’t give me a manicure when my pedicure was finished because they didn’t have anyone available.

I feel like this salon is getting a bad rap from some of the reviewers here so I had to add my two cents. I’m not a person who gets a ton of manis or pedis, but I’ve gotten probably 7 – 10 here over the years and it has always been a lovely experience.
On par with a manicure at Habitude (actually, my experience at Ballard Nail Studio was better and a whole lot less expensive), I was treated well and loved the cleanliness of the place.
The women who work here never seem sullen to me, though some of them don’t speak amazing English which may be why they don’t engage everyone in conversation. If you make an effort, they will open right up.
I got the shellac/​gel manicure today and it is awesome. I’ve had one before and it went really well and lasted a long time. These ladies know what they are doing! They are efficient and kind. I kind of wonder if some of the other poor reviews are competing businesses…
Anyway, I highly recommend this clean, little place in Ballard for an affordable mani or pedi.

I love this nail salon. They are close to where I live, super clean, and now that they have new management, very friendly. It’s great!

Ballard Nail Studio is under NEW MANAGEMENT since mid August 2013 There are many negative reviews, but they were made under) the old management. I encourage you to take a second (or first) look. You will be pleasantly surprised. The salon itself is very, very clean and modern. I have had regular manicures and shellac, also, regular pedicures and there are shellac pedicures. With the manicure and pedicure you get a hot stone massage.
The new manager is very competent and customer centered. The whole atmosphere is calm and relaxing.
Also for a little more money you can have beautiful nail artistry.

I’ve had two pedicures here. Their prices are higher than the average nail salon ($ 29), but the place has a nicer environment too; no crammed space, no clutter, no tv blaring a soap opera. Plus they give your legs & feet a salt or sugar scrub, and a hot stone massage which is more than the average nail salon offers. I also appreciated that they didn’t sit and talk in another language in front of me, at least on my visits. I went to Michelle last time and she was sweet and did a good job.

I live very close to this salon and thought I’d try it out the other day — boy, was that a mistake. I’m a regular shellac girl, so I know the process well, and my visit to this salon was absolutely awful.
I dropped in w/​o an appt and was met by incredibly rude ladies telling me they’d ‘try’ to get me in. I’m happy to go elsewhere, all they had to do was tell me that they were too busy, I understand. But instead, they insisted I hold on until someone was free. Fine.
I was then repremanded for not having done my previous shellac at their salon, and when I explained it was my first time with them, I got even more comments about how inconvenient it was for them to have to remove my previous nail color. Sorry, deal with it.
From there, they didn’t like the color I chose and tried to convince me to choose another, my cuticals were picked at in a very painful way, and the hot stones (although eventually relaxing) burned my skin. I alerted them of how hot they were, and she ignored me completely.
Just when I thought I was in the clear, I noticed when I got home that my nails still had a gooey film on them and we’re smooth at all. I had to finish with a clear top coat of my own at home.
Very expensive shellac for terrible service and an overall bad expereince. I will definitely not be going back, even despite the convenient location!

Ballard Nail Studio is my go to place when I want to get my nails done. I work in Fremont so I’ve always called ahead and booked an appointment within 30 mins of when I want the service. I have never had any problems being fit in. The fact that they give a hot stone massage with the pedicures is why I go back time and time again. I always get the Shellac on my fingers, and it always lasts over a month (I only have to get it changed when my grow out becomes unbearable!) They don’t even blink an eye when I ask to get 2 different colors on my hands, because I like being creative and funky with my polish. Everyone that works there is nice and friendly, and the salon is always very clean. This place is seriously a gem and I am so glad I found it and have recommended it to my coworkers that are also regulars now too!
They also have the BEST selection of Shellac colors I have seen at any salon. So many to choose from I have a hard time deciding!

NO NO NO NO. Rude employees and I will never visit again. Go down 5 minutes on Market st if your looking for a cheapy nail salon.

I love this place! The employees are very nice, and they do their best to fit walk-​ins in right away. For $ 29, I get the longest pedicures, which include hot stone massage. They really get my feet and legs super smooth, and I feel great. They have OPI nail polish, my favorite. 5 stars without question from me.

I went to Ballard Nail Studio for a last minute pedicure. I believe they deserve a 1 star for the fact that they fit me in right before they closed. Otherwise they would not even rate.
I picked a nail color (check). I read a magazine (check). They soaked my feet in super hot water (check). Trimmed my nails (check). Removed cuticles (check). Scrubbed my legs with some salts (check). Applied lotion (check). Pretty average experience for a pedicure.
I had super dry feet and was hoping for a great pedicure and super soft feet once I left. After all, that is what I paid for right? Instead I left with the same dry feet and a coat of purple nail polish.
The worst part of all? The next day the nail polish on my toes was peeling off. I barely made it 24 hours before the paint was chipping. I paid $ 33 also, which was the most I have spent on a pedicure for ages!
I could have done a better job myself… which is pretty pathetic because I go to have someone do it for me because a kid could paint my nails better than I can!
I do not recommend Ballard Nail Studio. Too expensive for an average experience and nail polish that does stick.

Ballard Nail studio is blocks away from my apartment. I’ve gone there twice, once for a pedicure, the second for a manicure. Both times I left very disappointed. I have acrylics on my large toe nails, I went in for a fill & paint job. I got all the way through the pedicure before they informed me they couldn’t fill my toes, so they just painted over the gap & charged me full price. I walked a block away to LT nails to have them filled.
I decided to give Ballard nails a second try for a manicure. I have long, natural finger nails. The employee buffed and filed my nails so paper thin it absolutely destroyed them! I went home & cried while I cut them off to grow back to their original length & strength. Ballard nail studio is an absolute butcher! There are much better nail studios in Ballard. Save your nails & money!

I have to say: I love Ballard Nail Studio. It’s very clean, relaxing, the pedicures are great, the polish lasts and I always have fun chatting with everyone here. I get pedis here but have had a manicure and a shelac mani as well. Everything was top notch. The prices are good for the services you receive and again… GREAT atmosphere, clean, clean clean, natural light, feels cozy and not harsh or lit with flourescent lighting.
Hana and the staff are FABULOUS. I’m not sure why everyone feels entitled to being able to walk-​in and is giving bad ratings because they were not able to accommodate you. Do you just show up at all of your appointments and demand to be seen then and there? I have no problem calling and making an appointment just the same as I do for any other service I use and 9 times out of 10 when I have called they were able to get me in within 30mins max or at least the same day. I’ve never had to book for a future date. Not a deal breaker at all, just seems common courtesy to me. For me I love it here and keep coming back.

I had a GREAT experience here today with Hana.
They now are doing a hot stone hand and foot massage with the STANDARD mani + pedi! Crazy great deal. I also splurged for the shellac nail polish treatment and will need to report back on the durability but I will say that my nails have never looked better. If the polish even lasts a week without chipping I will be happy (they claim it can go 2 weeks).
I can’t say enough good things about this place. I know some reviewers have complained about the service not being friendly but I find them to be the opposite. I was told to make sure I got there 5 minutes before my appointment and I was definitely on time because they mean business. I was actually joking around with them about how afraid I was to be late and we were all laughing.
I’m going to keep going back. They earned it.

UPDATE ⁹⁄₅:
24 hours later, 4 out of 10 nails were chipped or peeling. Today, that total has climbed to 7.
Lousy manicure.
Lesson learned: from now on, I must make the time to go to Belltown for the excellent manicure at Spa Hop. Midday happy hour pricing, friendly staff and those manicures are good for a week.
…
I went back to Ballard Nail Studio for the third time and will never go back. I want to like the place… location is great and it is SO CLEAN, but…
they always act as if you’re interrupting by requesting a mani/​pedi
Their work is sloppy. I came home to find some of the red nail polish i had on going in peeking out from beneath the soft pink shade i selected today.
I kept getting rushed from station to station though there was only one other customer in there.
During this rushing about, one of my nails got messed up and the manicurist acted so put out for having to fix it and did so very sloppily. She tried to skip the base coat and there was a bunch of polish on my cuticle.
It’s so CLEAN that I am willing to pay their high (er) prices because of that, but they are rude and sloppy.
Damn, that left over red polish is really bothering me…

This nail salon is conveniently located near my place so the location is a plus. (I’ve been here on 3 separate occasions by the time of this review.) The staff here does a thorough job (not the chattiest or friendliest but they get the job done) and the menu of services is great (lots of pedicure options such as Green Tea Pedicure and Paraffin Pedicure). My favorite is their Honey Pedicure since they use real honey in the massage!
The atmosphere is also nice and clean plus the price is quite reasonable. I certainly don’t mind being a regular here.