Candy Nails

I hate leaving poor reviews but this place is seriously terrible for pedicures.
This by far was the laziest & worst pedicure I’ve ever had. She barely scrubbed my feet, she was rough with the file & the buffer & the massage was worthless — she was just moving cream around on my skin.
The real reason for the bad review is the hygiene though. The foot buffer was rinsed off in the water my feet were in & then popped back in a drawer for the next person. I hate to think how many feet have been scrubbed with that thing with no disinfectant in sight.
I understand the cheapy mani pedi places are far more casual, lots of walk ins, loose appointments etc., but I’m used to the girls in Melbourne who still do a phenomenal job with my nails & always give me a quick but excellent foot massage.
There are tonnes of mani pedi places up & down Ponsonby Rd so I recommend avoiding this place!

Best place I have in the town, I have try many salon to get my gel /​shellac done but this is the one last longer, the girls are so friendly they alway give u good advise my difficult color choice I Love them here!

So I did go back after talking with the manager. She did my backfill and she was quick and nails look great, and for that I was not charged — thank you! I also had a pedicure $ 32 and it was your standard cheaper nail salon style but I must say the massage chairs were awesome. If your a little OCD about cleaning this is possibly not a place you would relax. It wouldn’t suffer it they were to get serious about dusting etc. I’m haven’t found my nail place so still on the prowl.

Dear Lord Jesus why, oh why did I wait til the last minute to get a mani/​pedi & wax before my trip?! Ladies, avoid this place and the one across the road at all cost. I escaped from DN across the road because the floors in their waxing room had dust bunnies, cloth bits and dirt on the floor. What made me run was the bowl of wax that appeared to have been used and reused. over and over and over again. Double dipping. Nasty!
So I said okay lets give Candy Nails a try. I will spare you the detail of my wax experience, but it was so awful I had to say, okay I’m done, no more wax! Then when I wanted to use the restroom I was directed to a little outhouse behind the building which had a lock both on the inside and out. Don’t get locked in! Oh and there was no sink to wash my hands nor toilet paper inside. Can I die now?
Sadly I’m in one of those situations where my flight leaves tomorrow and I have no time to be trying every nail salon in town. But dang it to hell I will never be back at either of these places on Ponsonby Road!

I have had my nails done by many of these cheap places in the past and this is by far the most unprofessional.
I gave it a go twice and both times we made phone bookings only to arrive and have to wait 10 minutes or more. The second time i went there were at least 8 people there and only 6 girls working. People were left waiting with nails half done, or their feet in the bath for far too long. It got to the stage where we (patrons) were all looking around at each other in astonishment.
Why keep telling people that they can be served when they are clearly run off their feet?
Our nails were rushed and not done to a very good standard, the colour i requested was all dried up and i had to have them re-​done in another colour. She clipped my cuticles too far back which really freaks me out and is really unhealthy for your nail bed.
I understand the girls have a casual approach but there standard of dress and apearance was really not good.

Candy Nails is a fun place to come with a girlfriend and catch up while you grab a manicure or a pedicure (or both!)
The staff, mainly Vietnamese, are very friendly and chatty, and I often ask them for tips on the best Vietnamese restaurants in Auckland and where they shop for authentic Vietnamese ingredients.
But back to nails, the prices are reasonable for Ponsonby (slightly cheaper than Diamond Nail across the road) and the service is still just as professional.
I’ve only ever been in for a regular mani/​pedi but next time I’m going to see how their Shellac holds up.

I have to confess, I’ve never actually had my nails done professionally, so I can’t really comment on the quality of the manicures at Candy Nails, however what I can talk about is the store’s appearance and atmosphere.
The building is bubblegum pink and is what actually made me notice it. Inside there are graffiti and street-​style murals and pieces of art that contrast to the girly vibe the pink walls give off and instantly makes this place quite funky.
While I was looking at the décor of Candy Nails, the nail technicians were very smiley and happy to have me nosey-​ing around. They seemed like people I would trust to look after my nails, which is something considering the idea has never appealed to me before.
If you’re a manicure kind of girl and are shopping around Three Lamps in Ponsonby, stop by candy Nails and check it out — it looks like it could be a bit of fun!