Finest Nails & Spa

So I got my nails done three days ago and the lady who did them messed them up and the coating that was on them started to flake off. I went in today to get them fixed and I had to wait 30min. Came back in and still had to wait even when I was told I would be taken then. The manager then decided to take me and took almost 40min to just setup and then she kept getting up and back from the front desk and back to the table I was at. She was super rough with my nails and looked like she didn’t even care. I recommend never going to this Ladera Ranch location the price isn’t worth what you get.

Came here with a coupon from the Ladera coupon booklet, $ 40 for a gel manicure and pedicure (otherwise, price would have been $ 52-​$ 22 for the pedicure, $ 30 for the gel). Went in with no appointment and was seated right away. A gentleman and woman helped me out and they were wonderful. Very polite and friendly. I normally go to a different nail salon in Orange, but because I didn’t have the time to drive that far, I tried Finest Nails. I was very pleased with their nail color selection and so far, the quality has been excellent.

The first time I came to this salon my experience wasn’t terrible… I upgraded my services and spent $ 75+ for a gel mani and pedi. So I returned. I don’t get my nails done often and honestly I hate spending so much money on pampering… I especially when my experience is sour.
I remembered thinking this place was sanitary… I work in dermatology, warts around nails from dirty tools and foot fungus are seen on the regular at my office, so sterile tools and cleanliness are #1 priority when I go to a salon. Unfortunately I didn’t see either women pull out tools from a sterile pack today… if I get warts around my nails it’s my fault for not leaving. And, the women performing my gel manicure was so aggressive in trimming my cuticles to the point that alcohol burned and they feel sore now… but I didn’t stop her because it makes me uncomfortable to tell someone they may be doing their job poorly. Again, I better not grow a wart. I wanted a basic pedicure, $ 22…she asked to upgrade multiple times, I get it, it’s part of her job, I agreed to upgrade the massage. Mind you, I agreed knowing I wasn’t getting some great massage. It was a half assed lazy massage of gentle stroking while she talked to her neighbor in another language. I am on my feet all day at work sooo this could’ve been really nice for me… but it was worthless. The color and appearance of my nails I have no complaints… they painted them nicely. Then my total was $ 65…which I find to be ridiculous for the experience. She charged an extra $ 15 for my 15 minute massage… if it had been a great effort I wouldn’t mind paying $ 15 but a pedicure is $ 22 and includes the basic massage I wouldn’t been happier keeping my HARD EARNED money instead. My chair massage was never turned on. Turned out I had a 20% coupon for the wrong salon… maybe the effort was lacking because I said I had a coupon up front. Then, because I’m not an asshole I gave them a tip they didn’t deserve. $ 5 each. My total being $ 75 for an overall unrelaxing experience as my cuticles were being cut painfully, my arm being contorted across my body, no chair massage, and a half ass $ 15 upgrade massage. I’ll just paint my nails in the future and save them the hassle of giving the «finest» experience. Oh but they were nice enough to tell me in the future there is a coupon that would’ve made my total cheaper (good customer service would’ve offered it to keep a customer) and they offered me a $ 5 coupon for next time… any one want it?

Basic pedicure $ 22 with lots of opportunity for upselling so stand firm if you’re on a budget! Lien was very nice and precise in her work!
Gel mani by Angie is great quality!

My daughter left her iPad behind and they returned it to me the next day! So glad they were honest about this!
Lilly is the best for pedicures & gives a mean massage. Cathy is great for acrylics.

I went in today to get a spa pedicure & a manicure with gel polish. My pedicure was done by one of the girls that works there & my toes look great! My manicure was honestly a nightmare! It was done by an older man that works there. He took forever to complete by manicure the first time. When he finally finished I told him I liked the color I chose but my manicure looked horrible. I had polish all over my fingers. He filed my nails down to nothing in the process. The polish was covering my cuticles & uneven. He was not happy & said it looked horrible because the color I chose was old & almost running out. He didn’t tell me that before he started & I honestly think that was his way of not admitting he didn’t do a good job. I gave him the opportunity to make it right by agreeing to his suggestion to have the gel polish removed & choose another color. He used the electric file/​drill tool to remove the polish. In the process, he sliced my cuticles & filed my nails even shorter. My fingers were raw & burning at this point. He applied the new color the same way as the first color… all over my fingers & cuticles. I was there for 2 hours & extremely unhappy. When he finished, he said he would only charge me $ 20 for the manicure because I was there for so long. I told him I was paying $ 0 because I was there for so long AND my manicure was horrible & my fingers were raw & burning. He started to get upset but the manager stepped in. She looked at my hands & completely agreed that they were horrible. She offered to have someone fix them but I explained my fingers hurt & besides that, I hardly had any nails to polish because he filed them down so low. She apologized & gave me a gift certificate for another manicure, which I completely appreciated, however, she still charged me $ 22 for my pedicure. I shouldn’t have paid a dime & am upset about that. Let me know if anyone wants a free manicure… I will give you my gift certificate as I will never go back. I wish I would have asked to see a copy of his license while I was there. I thought they had to be displayed but I didn’t see it anywhere.
Ps. When I was there another customer came in to have her nails redone because the same man did hers the day before & she was unhappy. She refused to have him fix them & insisted someone else do it.

This is a very nice and clean place. I took my girlfriend here to get her nails done before our anniversary dinner. I recommend this place! I found them on Facebook and they always send me good email offers which is a plus!

Wife just returned from her first trip to this place. I’ve never seen we do distraught due to the horrible customer service and the quality of the nail job. Her left thumb nail was already smudged, when I asked her if they even offered to help her fix the one nail, the staff just brushed her out of the shop ASAP. According to other reviews it seems other ladies have noticed their poor work and the low quality chemicals they use.
Despite poor work, good customer service can go a long way. Unfortunately for this place it seems they lack in both areas.

Kathy, Vanessa, and Holly are awesome! I live 20 minutes away and even though there are 4 nail salons within 5 minutes of my house, I still drive the longer distance to see Kathy every 2 weeks. It’s easy to set appointments – I just text Kathy! She always does a great job and my gel nails always last 2 weeks or longer. The salon just got renovated and it looks great with the new modern décor.

They do a great job, always professional and friendly staff. Only place I will go unless out of town and can’t make it in. I am picky and they do great job with my gel mani and love the spa pedi

So, both times I got my nails done here recently they looked like complete garbage within a week. (I think they are using old gel/​powder)
I figured the first time could’ve been chance but after the second appointment/​different girl doing them– the SAME thing happened, I was really disappointed. The white on my nails turned yellow-​ish. The clear gel was like, peeling off in a weird way I’ve never seen. I am very gentle with my nails so this was really unexpected. Also upon them growing out a bit, they weren’t at all filed down by my cuticles so it was all ragged edges where my natural nail was (not sure if I’m explaining this well)
They also started lifting which ALWAYS annoys me.
My co-​workers and I all went to three seperate salons the same day; their nails looked killer and still PERFECT after 2 – 3 weeks. And mine looked like ratchet trash after 1 week. go figure– I had spent the most $ on mine. Disappointing because I love this location and the ladies who work there. But unacceptable the amount of $ I spent to only have nice looking nails for a few days. I get acrillycs and always get the clear gel on top of the pink and white to ensure they stay looking crisp. I don’t care how expensive my nails are as long as they look GOOD.
I think all of us gals know what an utter disappointment it is to treat yourself and get your nails done (it’s expensive) and then have them turn out poorly. In my case they looked good Upon leaving the salon (the shape was nice) but seriously a couple days later– GARBAGE. I wish I would’ve taken a picture to show– my co workers couldn’t believe how bad my nails were.

I read the reviews before coming here so was a little guarded. When I walked in the woman (manager?) at the front desk happily greeted me and asked what I needed. After picking my color for my manicure, I was seated right away. I noticed that the salon was very clean and most of the equipment and chairs was either newer or well taken care of. Big star for the fact that the bathroom was neat and tidy. Usually nail salon bathrooms look like stock rooms with no toilet seat covers, etc. Not this one!
My manicure was performed by Victor, although I didn’t know that was his name until midway through my session. Which, in all honesty, I was glad. After reading a previous posters experience, he was the one person I didn’t want doing my nails. However, it was fine and we had decent small talk. Best part, I didn’t get asked 1 time if I wanted to add anything else on to my service!
I noticed that no one was speaking Vietnamese to each other the whole time, only English. The atmosphere was very calming, and the only loud thing going on was the obnoxious woman next to me claiming that the whites on her french manicure weren’t «low enough» on her toe nails.
The price was fabulous, $ 15 for a nice manicure, and the arm massage was great. It wasn’t a 2 minute slathering of lotion, but a very nice massage.
The salon is getting remodeled next week and I can’t wait to see how it turns out. In my opinion, it was nice enough to begin with. I would definitely go here again!

Love this place and my manicurist Ann. She always does a fantastic job and I’m always asking for complex nail art. If you need a mani/​pedi, this is the place to go!

I’ve been coming to Vanessa for months now for a full set with gel manicure. I text her for appointments and get me in right away. I only have to go I’m for a fill every 3 weeks. My nails are always perfect and never chip.

I am a well-​seasoned salon visitor, and it is with a heavy heart that I must admit the disgusting atmosphere provided here.
I am not basing this review off of a single experience. I have given this establishment many, many chances to redeem itself. Each time, though, I am disappointed.
One positive note – Jennifer is great. She takes care of her customers, does a professional job, and doesn’t harass you about upgrades to your salon experience. She is the only reason I continued to go back.
But…this past experience is what caused my tolerance to run dry.
Now it wasn’t just a matter of ugly nails, and hearing «five dollars more!» screamed into my ear. Now it’s a matter of personal integrity, and the violation of our basic human rights.
We all go to a salon to feel pampered, relaxed, and comforted, but my experience put me into a full-​fledged panic attack.
My technician was Victor. A few of the highlights, or maybe lowlights, of my time with him:
He continuously asked me if I was single.
He offered to give me a free massage if I called him my boyfriend.
He made several references to the two of us engaging in sexual acts.
Possibly the most disgusting… When I asked Victor if we could have a pair of those cheapy flip flops so my sister wouldn’t ruin her pedicure, he said «not unless you sleep with me.»
I left Finest Nails in complete shock, feeling completely disgusting. I couldn’t even look at my nails without being reminded of his barbaric behaviors.
I called and spoke with the manager about my concerns, and she initially told me to call back later. Once I explained that I would not stand for that, she listened. My intention was to warn her about this pervert in their system. I’m an adult, and I was disgusted by the experience, but imagine if he made the same comments to the five year old girls getting their pedicures before me. His actions needed to be pointed out. After explaining, the manager said she would offer me a free nail job. That’s it. No apology, no assurance that Victor would either be retrained or removed… just a free trip to the place that caused me so much mental instability.
Just please, save yourself from the torment and don’t go here. You will be happy you didn’t.

I moved a little farther away from this location and tried other nail salons closer to home. They all get a big thumbs down. Finest Nails is an awesome salon. They are clean, professional, and creative. The overall experience is very relaxing. Jennifer did my nails today and they are fabulous! I’ve already received many compliments. It may be farther away from me, but the work they do is 100% worth the drive.

Today I went to Finest Nails. They weren’t the finest…
Made an appointment for 5:15pm gel polish change (a good value at $ 17) and a basic spa pedicure ($ 18). I was right on time and exited the salon at 5:40pm. The pedi was wayyy to quick. I came here to relax after being on my feet all day at work. It lasted 10 minutes, the lady says the haisty pedi is because I got the «basic» and didn’t want to upgrade to the $ 30 one. She constantly tried to upgrade me. I repeadly told her nothing more than basic. Water was only luke warm, they don’t speak English. My gel looks nice, he couldn’t get the UV light to work properly. It was old and the plug was ghetto with foil around it! GROSS! When I was getting out of the chair I realized that I only had close-​toed shoes and asked for a pair of fun foam flip flops. The lady responded that you have to pay for them!
At checkout, I asked her to add $ 4 to the card for tip. She responded «DON’T YOU HAVE CASH FOR THE TIP??» in an annoyed voice.
ugh horrible experience

So after living in Ladera and moving to Irvine and trying a couple different places in Irvine… I’m now driving back to Ladera to get my nails done.
I like this place. I’ve probably been to everyone here and have never walked out totally disappointed or feel like I’ve overpaid. $ 18 pedi (of course they try to add on a bunch of stuff every time, which is why I’m deducting a star. NO means NO haha!)
I also get a gel polish. $ 22 and they cut your cuticles. No massage but who cares at that price! They carry OPI gel, which in my opinion is the best gel out there.
Bottom line — they’re friendly, clean and affordable. Definitely my go to place!!!

I came here to have my nails done before my wedding. Casey did an amazing job! I had a specific idea of how I wanted my nails to look and she did it perfectly. She didn’t rush and made me feel like the most important person there. It is now almost two weeks later and my nails still look amazing! I have been here previously, and always find their work to be exemplary. The salon is clean, and quiet. It is a very relaxing atmosphere.

I’ve been here for a while, this place is up and down. However, they have just replaced all the Spa Chairs and remodel the place. It does look quite nice now. It has a cheaper price compare to Happy Nails, but they use good product for your nails and I can feel it. If you are not happy about anything, just let the manager know, she will make sure you walk out happy.
If you are looking for some good acrylic nails, I recommend Vivian, Cindy, Kasey, Kathy and Vanessa. They all also do a good job and have a lot of variation on Color Gel too.