J Kelley Salon

I have been to J Kelley a total of three times during my three and a half year stay in Portland. The first two visits were for body waxing and the last one was for Shellac manicure/​pedicure.
Without a doubt, J Kelley Salon does a phenomenal job with waxing services. I have never felt more comfortable at any other place than I have here. Usually I am one of those people that always need to find a deal/​coupon to justify the price for something I can essentially do myself (especially since I’m a college student). However, I visited J Kelley Salon more than once (without a coupon!) due to the high level of customer service and welcoming and relaxed atmosphere of their salon. Although I have never received a haircut or style, I can tell from photos on this site that hair is what J Kelley does best! It also seems as if there are several regular clients here which goes to show that this salon consistently does great work. I really like that J Kelley comments to all Unilocal reviews as well, because it shows that she cares about what her clients think and that to me is the most important part about running a business. :)
Now onto the negative part: Surprisingly, my last visit to J Kelley was not what I had expected. Instead of going in for my usual waxing service, I tried out their Shellac mani/​pedi LivingSocial deal. Although the customer service was top notch as usual, the quality of service was subpar. After discussing this with the owner, it seems as if the lady they hired for nails decided to go back to school. Thus, they had to substitute another person that wasn’t as well versed with nails. Unfortunately, in the end it was a crappy situation for both the business (J Kelley) and the customer (me). LivingSocial took a huge cut from J Kelley, J Kelley lost a potentially great nail artist, and I lost a little bit of change (since my shellac peeled off within the next 6 hours). Although, the pedicure did have my toes feeling nice and refreshed.
All in all, J Kelley is a nice, cozy, chic salon that you must give a try if you’re thinking to get some body waxing done or contemplating a crazy new hairstyle! However, if you’re looking for a salon with good customer service AND talented nail artists, you’re not going to find any in Portland (trust me)!

Despite the less than awesome reviews here on Unilocal I decided to check this place out since it is right down the street from me. I was able to get in for an eyebrow wax and tint same day and was absolutely happy with my service. So much so that I’ll be coming back for hair in a few weeks. Having just moved into the area I am so happy to be able to find an awesome salon so quickly.

I recently moved from NYC to Portland ME and was worried I wouldn’t be able to find a salon that could tame my wild and crazy mane of curls. I was so excited to see that J. Kelly Salon was certified in the Deva Curl cut. I got my hair cut for years in a fancy curly hair salon in NYC and I’m so excited to say my cut from Lindsay was better than any I got in the city. She was so understanding of my concerns (as any curly girl at a new salon would have) and she assured me she would make everything better — and boy did she. Best cut I’ve had in years — maybe ever! Lindsay even took the time to show me how to style my new and improved cut at home (even giving me a small sample of the Deva gel).
I am so happy that I found J. Kelly Salon and Lindsay here in Portland. The overall experience was simply amazing. The staff made me feel welcome and comfortable from the moment I stepped through the door — which can be intimidating when you are in a new city and new salon.
Thank you ladies! It was truly a pleasure and I will be back!

I purchased a Groupon to J Kelley Salon to check the place out. I decided to start with a Pedicure. I called up and scheduled my appointment for the upcoming Saturday. The following day, I learned family was coming up from out of state and I immediately called J Kelley Salon to cancel and reschedule my appointment. When I called, no one answered the phone. I called back a second time and the voicemail came on. I left my name, explained I would need to reschedule my appointment for Saturday morning, and a number they could call me back at. No one returned my call.
Saturday morning my phone rang. It was Jill Kelley, the owner of the salon. She was furious! She was very upset and scolded me for «missing» my appointment and stated that the nail girl came in JUST to do my pedicure and how now she won’t make any money and how RUDE it was of me to not show up… I was horrified! I explained that I DID CALL AND CANCEL and left a message on the salon’s voicemail days ago! She did not care and accused me of leaving it on a different voicemail of a J Kelley salon in Yarmouth? Defending myself, I INSISTED that I left it at THAT location, earlier in the week.
She put me on hold to find out what was going on and confirmed that someone DID in fact get my message, but they never «took me off the books». WITHOUT apologizing, Jill said even though I had called and cancelled, I would still have to FOREFIT my Groupon with them because I didn’t show up. WHAT!!!
I was really upset and baffled that I was belittled by this woman, like I did something wrong. I was penalized for THEIR scheduling mistake and was afraid to battle it out with her. I accepted the loss of my coupon and took this as a blessing in disguise!
I recommend anyone looking for a sane, rational and somewhat intelligent provider for services, that they avoid this place. This was BY FAR the worst, most unprofessional, erratic person I’ve ever dealt with.

This isn’t my favorite place for a pedi, but with the Unilocal deal, it was a great value.
Note that there are only four spots on a couch for pedicures, so big parties have to receive service in shifts, so to speak.
I loved the smell of their scrubs and that they told us which of their polishes last the longest.
The only drawbacks were that the open door let in quite a few flys and that the couch isn’t as nice as the massaging chairs they have at other places.
We found free one-​hour parking around the corner, no problem. Also, it’s right near Otto’s pizza, which is the best pizza ever!