Cleo Spa & Salon

Very clean nail salon, but the prices don’t reflect the job they do. I’ve been to salons for a $ 10 manicure that also give me a massage, yet this $ 12 manicure didn’t come with that. They use keratin gloves which is really nice and made my hands really soft. I got a really light color and normally I wouldn’t have to ask for a third coat but here I did. I would come back for the cleanliness but it’s not worth the extra $ 2 then any other salon.

I walked in for a manicure yesterday after my regular place recently closed. I was apprehensive as I like stability when it comes to my manis. I was so pleased to walk in to a nice, quiet, and clean space where I was greeted and immediately taken for a manicure. They have good polish selection. The woman who did my manicure did an awesome job and was very sweet as well. After I tried the Thai chair massage which was absolutely wonderful. Everything felt new and updated and I think I fell in love once they used the warm parafin gloves instead of having you sit with your hand in water. I went in the middle of the afternoon on a weekday so it was $ 12 and very quiet, but I am pretty sure this will be my new go to for a manicure.

I have mixed feelings about this place. First off, it seems very clean, nice, and elegant which I always welcome when it comes to a nail salon. They have a great polish selection, OPI, essie, and Sephora brand polish. If you select the Sephora brand, they use the Sephora bottom and top coat which is supposed to allow for a more long lasting manicure (something I have yet to try out).
They put plastic gloves with moisturizer on your hands, which was new to me, and it was amazing. The gloves left my hands feeling so nice and soft.
They are open until midnight, which is just so cool. I went around 10pm. However, they increase their prices during late night, so it was a $ 15 manicure! I just think that is a little bit too much.
My manicure did not last very long, I used essie, so I’ll have to try the Sephora brand next time I go.
I think I would go back and try a pedicure — it seems great just because of how clean it is!

I love this place.
It’s open till midnight during the work week and 11 pm over the weekend. Awesome.
And it’s clean. And stocked with awesome colors and the hard to find Formula X nail polish brand, which at least for me, last days without chipping.
Pedicures are $ 35. Way too expensive.
Manicures are $ 15 — which isn’t great, but doable. You get what you pay for –clean environment, good service, and a great color selection.

Paid $ 10 for a powder soak off. Didnt know why my nails were pealing off/​breaking all week until I went to another nail salon and they told me part of my false nails were left on. Never experienced this lack in expertise before. Pretty horrendous experience. Aside from that… Good selection of polish & good hours

There are some staff changes but Jessica, the world’s friendliest concierge/​manager, is still keeping the nail party rolling. She knows everyone’s name and always has a smile on her pretty face. It’s a fun and super clean salon. I recommend it highly (and not just because they are open late for those of us who work long hours). The prices are very competitive in the Gramercy neighborhood where nail salons pepper the streets, but if you choose Cleo, you’ll become an instant client. New massage chairs too!

Like many other reviewers, I was naively attracted to their late Sunday hours. I paid $ 57 and change for the worst gel manicure I have had in my entire life (and I had to wear it for an interview the next day, first thing in the morning…). Just don’t do it. Stay far away.
First, my somewhat normal length nails (just over the tops of the fingertips) were filed down to stubs). I noticed the gloopy consistency in which the gel polish was being applied (OPI — and I have had OPI gel manicures many times in the past), and kept asking if it would improve with coats. I was assured it would be fine.
It was never fine. I literally have bulbous nodules of polish on my nail beds. This is not only the worst gel manicure I’ve had, but the worst manicure I’ve had overall.

Too expensive for quality. Quick service and nice girls for our pedi’s, but nothing extraordinary about the actual pedicures. My tech didn’t put much effort into the exfoliation, scrub or massage. Final polish was ok. I’m sure we could had the same or better at any of the other salons in the area –for half the price.

Spectacular salon. Jina did an amazing job on my mani, pedi and eyebrow wax. She consulted me instead of treating me like cattle, which happens in most salons. And this place is super affordable, like almost too adorable. Thanks again Jina!

DC is the best stylist ever! Use him. Tell him Lisa sent you.

I really love Cleo, so this review is long overdue!
It’s a clean and airy, remodeled salon; all in all a great space. I’ve never had to wait very long, and usually there is no wait at all. Really nice employees (Susan is my favorite) who always take pride in their work, and always do a great job.
I usually stick to manicures, but I also like their mani-​pedi deal. Well worth it! If you do get a pedicure, the chairs are fantastic (built in massage).
Tip: If you live nearby, make sure to grab a rewards card.

I feel compelled to review because no one should come here. I was excited because it’s open until 11 pm on a Sunday which is rare even for the city.
Turned out everything about this place was unprofessional and overpriced.
For starters, the staff member attending to me and cutting my cuticle cut my skin and MADE ME BLEED. It wouldn’t stop, and it took her a while to realize she should go get antiseptic. I couldn’t believe it, and she was barely apologetic. That was reason enough not to come back. My finger is still stinging and I should not have to leave a place fearing infection. She also cut at least one of my nails shorter than the nail bed even though I showed her another nail exactly the length I wanted, which I cannot understand.
My mani-​pedi turned out to be $ 52 not including tip, which was shocking especially given the service. I didn’t even give a 20% tip because she cut me, and it was STILL nearly $ 60. The staff member assisting me was dour and made me feel like she didn’t want to be there, not like an appreciated customer.
The pedicure water was actually cold. The whole thing was bare bones with no massage, no one attending to me, nowhere to put my bags and jacket. While my nails dried I ended up putting them on the chair next to me until a woman came to sit down where her coat was also placed, and my bags and coat ended up on the floor. I had to call over to ask that my nails be checked at the end. The whole experience was way too long, over 1.5 hours, and I’m not sure why it was so slow.
Meanwhile, another staff member was loudly taking out the trash and making a big deal of it being difficult to remove, since they had waited so long to take it out that it was overflowing and gross. They definitely could have waited until closing since they had waited that long — same with sweeping the floor — it all just felt so unsanitary and completely un-​relaxing despite being a «Spa» and salon. Their personal things, including a brown paper bag of food, were out in the open instead of tucked away as they should have been. One of the staff members, upon leaving, leaned right by another woman at a manicure table and took some hand cream. Again, unprofessional.
I will absolutely not be back and the price alone is a complete rip-​off — wish I had known before I walked in even with the late-​night hours. I don’t understand how they’re still in business. Do yourself a favor and don’t come here.

This place is overpriced but they do a nice job.
I’ve gone there for the basic mani-​pedi and it seems like they rush through the whole thing. They are super when you’re a first time customer, throwing out the complimentary neck massage and really great pampering of hands and feet. But I guess if you’re not an over-​the-​top tipper (I go with the basic 18−20%) then all of that goes away. The next couple of times have been sub-​par with little to no massages and they rushed through my nail painting even though the place was empty. Really bizarre!!!

Great place! One of my favorite nail salons by far. I love the staff and they always for a superb job on my nails consistently. The prices are pretty pricey but this nail salon is well worth every dollar spent.

Don’t even want to give them the 1 star.
This place is incredibly unprofessional, unfriendly, and deceiving. In August I got a mani/​pedi with them for $ 45 including tip. Very reasonable (it was a shallac Mani). I went again and got THE EXACT SAME SERVICE and once my bill came (after the entire service was done and I had no choice but to pay it) it was for $ 104! They were incredibly rude and condescending the entire time for no reason at all.
Bottom line, if you’re into $ 100 sub-​par mani/​pedis by snotty, rude, and deceitful technicians, this is the place for you!

you know… i’m a very picky person when it comes to beautifying. when it comes to nail salons, i used to pick Korean or Japanese owned businesses. why? well, from my experience– it’s just easier for me to communicate with them. i can speak both languages, so when i’m being at my pickiest (almost annoying!) behavior, they will understand what i want CLEARLY. now, i made a grave mistake in assuming all Korean/​Japanese nail salons employed those who spoke the language. not true. i’ve trained myself that i just have to be a better communicator in general. then– after a few years, i’ve discovered that it’s not the staff or even the language spoken that i mostly preferred. it was the asthetics, the cleanliness of the tables, chairs, floors, windows, doors, bathroom, sinks, the bright lights and colors and finally… new equipment (massage chairs that work!!!).
in this case– from what Cleo Spa & Salon looked like on the outside… really looked great from the inside as well. i was impressed. i know they are a chain and they were located on the other side of 3^rd avenue many years ago… i love the colors and brightness of the salon. the waiting area/​lobby is comfy, beautiful and posh. the equipment, nail stations, drying stations and even bathroom were clean and modern. i noticed they did facials and hair treatments as well. everything was set up nicely. however, getting the bathroom is a bit of squeezing game. the nail station and the massage area are a little close to each other, so it takes some squeezing through to not accidentally bump into someone.
overall, the experience is relaxing and nice. the pedicure i received was great– no shaving of the calluses, but that’s OK. their Happy Hour special of $ 35 for mani and pedi? AMAZE!!! their nail polish selection is awesome, too. they had exactly the color i wanted from OPI. yay!!!

Horrible.
When I first walked in I was rushed to pick a color. The guy literally stood next to me and said «please pick a color, your manicurist is ready.» Excuse me? I would like to take my time. How rude.
I got a normal manicure. They make things look fancy by putting those keratin gloves on you but three of my nails broke literally 20 minutes after I left. I don’t have long nails. There was no reason for it. He filed and buffed my nails until there was nothing left.
Also the polish was uneven and after he smudged my polish he fixed it hastily and it was very messy.
The clientele is also very stuckup and treated the workers with such an attitude. That’s what I get for getting my nails done on Park Avenue at a «nice» place.
Absolutely horrible. I will never go back. Not worth $ 15 that’s for sure.

Best place I’ve found in the city so far.
— Good manicures specially from the latinas :), but everyone is pretty good.
— Great vibe.
— Good resources and equipment. The place is wide and you feel comfortable.
— Nice service.
— Everyone there is nice and polite.
— Price is not the cheapest but affordable.
— Flexible hours, usually opened till midnight!
I look forward to all the appointments.
:)

Posted positively before their awful opi gel manicure ruined my nails. I had came a few times before and it was fine. I’m never going back after this. They ruined my beautiful nails. They became brittle and broke. Isn’t gel supposed to make them stronger??? I’ve gotten the gel many times and this is unacceptable
I’m now across the street repairing the damage. Iris nails has a mani pedi special for $ 30 and it’s fantastic. Go see Kim there and stay away from cleo. And read my review on their Unilocal page

I think the only benefit from this salon is that it is open until midnight. Whatever was considered ‘clean’ now holds the abuse of multiple trips with the chemicals and substances. Their products aren’t bad. I was delighted by the fizzy antibacterial stuff they put on your hands and the keratin glove treatment, whether it works or not is a nice touch.
Still I had a rough time with my aesthetician and I thought for sure she was going to draw blood. When she didn’t my calluses were still not taken care of! I understand she had a big job in scrubbing off 2 weeks of filth and overuse but my tootsies were sad that they didn’t come out of there pristine.
My manicure already chipped the day after. Probably will come here again in desperation at 10pm but I won’t do it during regular business hours!