Galaxy Nail and Spa

Who knew I’d still be going here for manicures on the regular? I did. Because everyone is still fantastic!
Wow, 4 years later! you could say things between ivy and I are getting pretty serious!
My sister regularly has Jasmine perfecting her nails and you would be correct in thinking our nails look – how do the young folk say it? on fleek? uh, I promise never to say that again.
Anyways, our nails look lovely every time and I’m embarrassed to show how bad I let my nails get sometimes when my work schedule does not allow me to get in! But laugh with/​at me. :)
Here’s to another 4 years to some of the hardest working nail techs in the business!

This place is always busy when I come in. They say they take walk-​ins but I would make an appointment. The manis and pedis are fairly priced and they usually do a good job. You also get a glass of wine or tea with your service. Some of the ladies who work here are snotty and give you dirty looks but if you can deal with that for a cheap decent mani/​pedi, go for it.

It was comfortably clean.
Went for a pampering spa day. Came for a full mani-​pedi.
Didn’t get what I wanted. Didn’t ask me, didn’t listen.
Hurt me several times on both my feet and nails.
Pushy, rude. Rushed.
Made me move 3 times, while barefoot, when they got busy and didn’t help me move my things. By the last move, that I wasn’t expecting, I had my laptop case, purse, shoes, jacket, phone, and credit card out to manage. They also made me wash my hands midway through the mani in their sink for some unknown reason because I didn’t see anyone else have to do this. I ended up messing up my mani and I removed it while standing at the register after paying because I didn’t want to walk around with a messed up manicure.
2 stars because I could have pushed back and insisted on better service and more patience.

I’ve never had a bad experience here — & all the girls are fantastic! I won’t go anywhere else!

If you ever need a wonderful «pull all the stops» pedicure, I cannot say enough about Galaxy! I found this place on a whim and their deluxe or #5 pedicure is my deep clean ritual. Awesome price and it includes EVERYTHING! Over the last two years I’ve moved from Beaverton to SE Portland and will go out of my way to make it to this salon.
Make an appointment ahead of time as they always seem to be busy (no guarantee on the weekends to get in same day but it sometimes can be done). They close at 7:00 on week days but will try to get you in and will still late sometimes. They won’t rush and do a halfway job either! (Sigh of relief when they offer a 6:15 appt for a pedi that takes a good 1 ½ hours)
They’re used to their regulars and some are more friendly than others but you never feel «awkward» at this place like other salons can be sometimes. Plus they go out of their way to put groups of friends together! Definitely worth it to try this place! You won’t be sorry!

Already pleased! Walked in, was seated quickly, and immediately offered a complimentary drink of choice (naturally, I chose red wine), and it is delicious! They use all sterile tools, wear gloves during the entire service, and provide an extremely clean environment. And they are the cheapest place I found, even better! Love love love this place, be back soon ;)

Galaxy is probably the cheapest place to get a pedi on the Westside, they start at only $ 17! That’s just crazy in this day and age. The chairs aren’t bad, they’ve updated the atmosphere in the last couple of years to be more «spa –like», and you get a free glass of mediocre wine with your service. I have to say that communication with the technicians is dicey, and sometimes difficult because of the language barrier. However, they’ve thoughtfully made a menu of a variety of services that correspond with numbers. The #3 is my favorite. It includes; the whole pedi shebang (massage, scrub, hot towel, paraffin dip), and get this– callous removal via a dremel for only $ 25! Now the Type A in me squirms a bit hoping that they abide by health standards and sanitize these dremel bits, but I worry that this might not be the case… ick. I try to turn my Type A off, because the end result is amazing! By the time you’re done with your 90minute or so #3 your tootsies are softer than a baby’s behind! The color selection for polish is good, and I’m a fan of upgrading my pedi to gel/​shellac to make it indestructible and longer lasting.
Here’s the thing, their pedicures are awesome, manicures not so much. I’m stuck on how to properly rate Galaxy due to this. I’ve had a set of nails put on here and they not only looked cheap, but were falling off after 3 days!!! And my regular manicure from here was chipped in a day. But those pedicures are just so dang good for the price. I would rate the pedicures a 4.5 and the manicures a 1… so I’ll give them 3 stars. The pedis keep bringing me back!
Just a Tip: Technically they do «walk-​ins» but they are usually pretty busy. So if you can, call and make an appt. Especially if there is more than one of you wanting a service. A lot of times they can squeeze in a single walk in, but not two.

One of the WORST experiences I have ever had with a nail salon. The employees are rude, but their store manager/​person in charge is the rudest. The eye rolling, exasperation, and overall atmosphere is horrible. The «quality» is horrible. I had a shellac manicure done with jewels added. My nails are now filed uneven, as well as having visibly uneven shellac, and only after 24 hours the jewels fell off. I went back in to see if they would at least replace the fallen jewels, and they looked at me with blank stares as if I must be joking. Then rudely pointed to a chair and told me to wait until a time slot opened up. Seriously? It would take someone at the counter 2 minutes with super glue and some tweezers. Surely I’m not asking much. I’m disgusted with their service and I will NEVER step foot in there again. I urge you to stay away from this establishment.

So surprised by the low star reviews. This place is great. They do an amazing job, and if Cathy is not available any of the other lady’s will do just fine. The key here is if you do not like they way your nails are shaped or painted tell them right away! They will fix, every time guaranteed! Communication is the key!
I love this salon and they always give great service!

Only 20 bucks for shellac manicure with a full service! Also serves complementary wine/​tea/​other drinks!

Clean salon; reasonably priced with usually 6 – 7 staff members working. They are really rude if you don’t have an appointment. My advice would be to call ahead.

I am going to be honest.
I have been a regular client at Galaxy Nails and i usually just come in to get get my eye brows waxed, but i have seen a lot of people who have made an appointment and Jen doesn’t even greet them. Not even a hello. its always «what are you having done» i understand that they are always really busy but they could at least pretend to be happy to work.

The price and quality of the work cannot be beat. Just remember a few things:
1. Make an appt
2. Bring cash for tip and expect to pay a 50 cent service charge if you are using a card to pay for services
3. English is not the primary language of the staff. They aren’t intending to be rude if they don’t chat you up.

I like this place.
The good:
1) The massage chairs are great.
2) They offer a wide selection of beverages at no extra cost.
3) My nails usually (not always) look good when I go there.
A few complaints:
1) The bathroom is outside, across a courtyard.
2) The employees aren’t always the friendliest. Once, I actually had a girl who was CRYING the whole time while she was doing my nails. It was incredibly awkward. I felt really awful for her but, I mean, I go there to relax. I was stressed and depressed the entire time she was doing my nails.
3) They seem a little overpriced.
4) I had one of my shellac nails chip just a couple days after getting them done.

I went to Galaxy for the last time this week. Upon walking in the salon for my appointment I had made a week prior, the main gal Jasmine didn’t even look up at me and motioned over to the empty chair. I walk over and there’s no water in the bowl. 15 minutes later, still no water and no acknowledgement from any of the employees. I walk up to Jasmine to ask for an ETA as I was on my lunch break and she still refused to look at me and rudely says, «very soon, OK!?». Finally, 20 minutes later they started on my Mani/​pedi.
They did a fine job but after spending $ 70 after all was said and done (service price + tip + ATM fee which they said would only $ 0.50 but ended up being $ 5) it was way too expensive considering the experience I was having.
If this wasn’t enough, I am pretty sure they were laughing and trash talking me in their foreign language.
I went to get these services to relax on my lunch break and left feeling irritated and stressed because I was late getting back to work.
Never again.

Went in to get shellac manicures with my friend and had a good experience. The technician didn’t talk to me at all which was fine but my friend’s nail tech was super nice and friendly.
Shellac manicure was $ 20 plus $ 1 for the nail buffer and file.
They accept debit cards however you cant add a tip to the total. So be sure to carry cash for a tip.

Worst place I’ve ever been to. Was charged 45 dollars for shellac full set if nails. 1 broke off within a week. 2 of my nails were crooked and when I to ask the lady to fix it, she tried to pull the my finger is crooked b.s. first and last time I’ll ever go there

Both times I have just walked in kinda mid day and in a short ammount of time got taken care of!
Both times I got shellac nails redone and a pedi.
I’ll be back but they do seem to take a long time to do nails and pedi. Maby it’s just me thoe?!
I got the #5 pedi and really I didn’t notice much of a diffrence in what they do. So next time i’ll pay less and do the basic one.
Also abouth the pedi, the first time the water burnt me thankfully this time the lady drained most of it to get it to a better temp for me! Also both times the wax or w/​e they put on your feet was scolding hot!
So I guess my only complaint is how busy they can get and that they don’t seem to pay much attention to the client as in the water, hot towel and wax temp.

I have been coming here for YEARS… I have also had a love/​hate relationship with them. Don’t get me wrong they’re the best that I have found here in Oregon so far and I have tried a lot of places. Overall I am happiest with this place. The only complaint I have is that they overbook or try to get in as many clients as they can that I always feel like my tech is forced to rush. Majority of the time its GREAT but there are a few occasions where I have left unhappy. I get my nails done twice a month (sometimes once a month depending on the shellac… Cathy, Jasmine, Ivy and another tech I can’t remember her name are the only ones I trust. They are the best. I always make an appointment now because you could end up waiting forever without one. Even with an appointment you wait 10 – 20 minutes (MAKE SURE YOU HAVE TIME AND ARE NOT IN A RUSH TO BE/​GO ANYWHERE)
You will not be disappointed if you got shellac done here its smooth, no bubbles and evenly spread. The shellac last a very long time and doesn’t peel for a while. Mines usually last 2 – 3 weeks depending. However, I am constantly required to wash my hands for my occupation and I do a lot of gardening and dishes at home.
The prices here are very reasonable and most likely the cheapest you will come across. I get the #2 pedicure ($ 20), shellac manicure ($ 20), Lip & Brow waxing ($ 15). MAKE SURE YOU BRING YOUR NAIL KIT or they will CHARGE YOU FOR ONE ($ 1 – 2)
I am a regular and I ALWAYS prebook… :)

I can’t believe I haven’t written a review about this place yet!
I’ve been a regular customer here since July 2012 when my partner was hospitalized at St. Vincent’s for two weeks with a serious, unexpected illness. After the first 12 days with very little sleep, very little food, and loads of stress it was suggested to me by one of the members of his care team that I take a little time to myself, to refresh and stay healthy. I’d originally meant to make a quick stop at Trader Joe’s at the Beaverton Town Square for some tasty snack food when I saw Galaxy Nails’ spa pedicure sign and thought a pedicure would be a nice pick-​me-​up. It’d been a while since I had one and my expectations were low because of the low price. Mostly, I just looked forward to the massage and hoped for the best.
The experience and service exceeded my expectations in every way, and I’ve been making that trek to Beaverton for my manis and pedis ever since. First from our home in NE Portland, and then waiting a good six weeks to two months to make the trip over from the coast where we lived for about 9 months, now, from Tigard. I tried two other places closer to home during that time and they were twice as expensive and I could do a better job myself, with dull tools, in the dark (and that’s not saying much because my attempts at doing my own nails look like they were performed by a kindergartner, at best). At other salons I’ve suffered getting cut, cuticles left on, no callous removal even though I paid for it, bumpy and peeling polish, ingrown nails, and the dreaded toenail fungus.
Galaxy is super clean and organized, well-​lit, there’s soothing spa-​type music, the instruments are freshly sterilized, and the techs are extraordinarily thorough and efficient but still pay incredible attention to detail. My shellac manis last beautifully — shiny and chip-​free — up to 3 to 3.5 weeks, but my nails grow so fast that I never go beyond that and usually try to get back in within 2.5 weeks. The shellac they use has never peeled or bubbled with me, yet it comes off quickly and easily when I come back for my next mani. Make sure you wash your fingertips and nails throughly when they tell you, right before they apply the shellac. I always wash/​scrub twice. I’ve heard that helps with any peeling.
I did get acrylics once for an event and, as with everything else, they were beautiful. French tips were even and well shaped, both when I got acrylics and when I’ve had shellac French manis. They also shape my nails beautifully. I do not like square nails and they give me the most lovely rounded/​almond shape nails, which are much more flattering.
Some tips:
–They’re super busy. More busy now, it seems, than a year ago. They take walk-​ins, but appointments at the same time are seated first, so I always call ahead now. Sometimes I end up waiting a few minutes, but when I have, someone has always started soaking off the shellac, so it isn’t like I was just left sitting there.
–They don’t do your mani and pedi at the same time, so be prepared for the extra time involved in that. I prefer it this way, because I can enjoy the massage chair longer. :)
–The $ 17 pedicure is the most basic, and it’s what I get when I don’t want to spend a long time. However, the pedicure #3 is my favorite ($ 25), with the callus removal service. I don’t have the worst calluses, but I do have a few spots that are constantly getting rough/​thickened. This service, alone, is worth the drive! Nobody else gets the job done as well, as thoroughly. I won’t say how, you’ll just have to experience it for yourself.
–There is a small charge (I think $ 0.50) for using your debit or credit card, and you can’t leave a tip on debit/​credit cards. So plan on bringing cash, or at least bring cash for tips. There is an ATM in the salon, but it has a small fee — I think $ 2.
–The bathroom is a common bathroom for the Town Square. You have to cross the small courtyard outside. So if you think you need to go, make sure you go beforehand. It sucks to have to trek across between your pedi and mani, especially when it’s raining.
–Yes, the techs talk to each other in another language. I think Vietnamese? I am not bothered by it, nor do I automatically assume they’re gossiping about clients. If the situation was reversed, I’d do the same. Some of the ladies can seem a bit abrupt, or their tone seems a bit abrupt, but I take it as a cultural/​language difference. Just be prepared for this and don’t take it personally. It really isn’t about you, and the cultural differences are a fun deviation from the norm. It’s all okay. :)
–You get a menu of complimentary drink choices — tea, wine, water. Awesome!
–Waxing is available as well. I’ve had my brows done a few times and they’ve come out well-​shaped and about half the price of a brow bar. (I think about $ 10?) You also get a quick forehead/​temple massage.
All in all — highly recommended.