Lily’s Nail Salon & Spa

Rude. Pushy. Money-​hungry savages.
Never going back.
Went to get some two week old gel taken off. Should have been $ 10 according to their menu.
The first lady is rushing to take off my gel and another girl’s gel at the same time, so she barely lets my gel soak, aggressively scrapes at the gel, pulling a chunk of the gel and the surface of my actual nail off. It hurt like hell. I was like please, just let them soak longer.
Another lady takes over, takes off my old gel, and asks if I want «cuticles» done. She literally put my nails in a bowl of water for ten seconds. Did the quickest, least thorough cuticle-​cutting service I’ve ever had (took barely one minute per hand). Then she put lotion on my hands (which was scratchy because she left my nail file powdery bits and old gel bits all over my hands and the towel).
I was like, «Thank you, how much?»
«Twenty dollar.»
«…What?»
They claimed that my cuticle removal was considered a «manicure» for $ 14 and because I got the manicure, the «gel take-​off» that is usually $ 10 would be just $ 6 with my «manicure». Wow, what a discount! Thanks, Lily Nails!
I was like, «Absolutely not. I got my cuticles cut. That’s not a manicure.»
She goes to the manager when I ask for a pricing sheet. The manager is like, «You got manicure. You pay for manicure.»
Their menu considers a $ 14 manicure to consist of: nail soak, cuticle removal, file, lotion, warm towel, and color application.
Tell me how my ten second water bowl, two minute cuticle cut, and sloppy lotioning should cost $ 10 more.
I ended up telling them if they’re going to charge me for a manicure, they better give me a full manicure. Picked out a color.
Application was sloppy. Could have done better myself at home.
In retrospect, I should have just thrown a ten on the counter and dipped out, but whatever. I gave them their twenty and made it a point to tell the manager how rude she is.

I have always had a great experience & gotten great results at Lily’s. Everyone I’ve encountered there is so friendly & skilled. I would not hesitate to recommend Lily’s to anyone looking for a relaxing, well-​done mani or pedi.

This is my regular nail salon. I go every two weeks for a pedicure and a gel manicure. The price fluctuates right around $ 55 dollars for both depending on upgrades and hand painted designs. They also have a loyalty card that gets stamped one each visit and saves you $ 5 on your sixth visit.
I have my go to girls who I love but everyone who works at Lily’s is so sweet and they lovelovelove regulars. They all get excited when you do something a little out of the box and my nails always look adorable when I leave. I’m known for my bubblegum pink French manicure in the Summer but I love doing one nail on each hand in a different color or sparkles for Fall/​Winter.
The salon is always super clean and I love that everything is consistent from visit to visit. I drag all my girlfriends here and they have all become regular customers too. Today I went with my sister and got Christmas nails (that my manicurist basically picked for me knowing what I like) and it is SO cute. I’ll post a picture so you can see how super shiny and neat they do gel manicures.

Came to this place when my regular place was full and I wanted a manicure on a whim. I wasn’t impressed.
The lady I got pushed gel nails like they were going out of style — one would think that after declining politely once, that would be the end of it, but she kept going on and on about it, no less than six times. It was obnoxious. I mean, of course she wants me to buy gel — it costs $ 11 more than a regular manicure — but that’s not what I wanted, and she should have let it go after the first (or at least second) time I declined.
She harassed me about the gels until she couldn’t avoid putting on the actual polish anymore, and at that point she was just pouty and clearly put out. She was on her cell phone almost the entire time after that, and I ended up with a manicure no better than what I give myself at home. Needless to say, I will not be back.

I hate to say this, because I used to frequent Lily’s… however, I don’t make a great deal of money — so a week later, I am still thinking about this and don’t want other people to be in the same position.
I had a gel manicure (obviously more expensive than traditional)… when my technician applied the first coat of gel polish, she noticed (along with myself and my friend) that the polish was «puckering» after it was treated — it looked like someone had placed a layer of saran wrap over it. My friend and I were both looking at my fingers b/​c we knew that something was off… but then we refocused on my friend whose treatment light kept going off and needing to be re-​plugged… she applied a second coat to the same effect — at this point she went to another station and put some acetone in the polish and returned. She put yet another thick gel coat on which puckered for a third time. After removing my hands from the UV light, with both my friend and I commenting that something looked off, she applied an incredibly thick top coat, cured them again, and never said a word about the puckering. As I left that day, there were two huge bubbles on both of my pointer fingers and subtle wrinkles on most of the others. The polish was also INCREDIBLY thick — any accidental pressure on the nails left a visible dent. Despite all of this, she put the bottle right back on the rack for it to happen to whoever else picked my color.
I had also asked for a brow wax. The technician (the same) did not ask any questions about shape/​etc. but just began waxing… I have been waxing my brows for over 17 years and never since my first waxing have I been red — but I had to go home and ice because the redness was so extreme. Additionally, when I used an oil blotting sheet later that day, it stuck to the side of my face. When I tried to pull it off, I realized that it was stuck to a glob of wax that had been left behind on the side of my brow that I then had to try to remove with oil…
Obviously the gel manicure was wrecked within a few days — the bubbles have popped and the incredibly thick and wrinkled polish has peeled up… it was really and truly a waste of money and not even remotely comparable to other manicures I’ve had in the area. Lastly, as I was checking out and looking at the polish in the case at the cash register, I noticed that almost every single bottle of polish was old and CLEARLY separated.
Used to be a great place, but I’m still very bothered by the total lack of customer service in the face of glaring issues.

A hidden gem! I’m a student at U of R and have seen this salon since freshman year and haven’t gone here until last week as a senior. I have no idea why not! I’ve gone to several different nail salons around Richmond with mixed results, but the Shellac I got done here actually lasts the two weeks it should and the best part is that I only paid $ 25. I also got my eyebrows waxed for $ 8. It’s not NYC cheap, but definitely great work for the prices. This place is clean, reasonably priced, professional and quick I would definitely recommend it.

I just had the worst manicure I’ve ever had. She ignored my request to keep my nails long and filed them all the way down, with the exception of one which I swear was in a diagonal line. I had to ask her twice to fix it. To make matters worse, she cut my cuticles twice to the point that they were bleeding. She tried to tell me that it was because my cuticle was too long but I find that hard to believe as I just had a manicure elsewhere 2 weeks ago. She also didn’t hesitate to rub nail polish remover over the fresh cuts, which was incredibly painful as you can probably imagine. It is safe to say I will NEVER go here again for anything.

I love Lily! We go every 2 – 3 weeks and all of the ladies are always really happy to see us and do a great job!

Good prices. The basic pedicure include a hot stone massage. I would watch out for the older gentleman that is in there at times. He is very rough. Everyone else is great and thorough!

I have been going to Lily’s for years and continue to come back as they really do a great job. Even when super busy (weekends) I never feel short changed or rushed thru my mani or pedi. The Deluxe pedi is a really great value. I never make an appointment and I’m pleased with anyone who does my nails, they all do good work. My only complaint are the customers who hack on their cell phones as I try to relax.

Wish I’d have read the reviews before I went. I will say that they were able to take me right away but I had to tell the woman three times that I wanted a rounded, French manicured set. Even then, she didn’t understand/​care because I left with a square set. I had to point out and ask her three times to fix the underside of two of the nails because the acrylic was in a big glop. One hand’s nails are longer than the others and overall it’s a big mess. I really felt like I was being rushed out of the salon and the only concern they had was whether or not I was going to leave a tip. Trust me, spend your $ 30 somewhere else. This place is not worth it.

Yes, I will admit it… I enjoy a pedicure now and then. Who doesn’t??? I mean it’s like a vacation for your feet.
So I came here the Wednesday before a major holiday with an appointment time of 1:30pm. When I arrived at 1:25 PM, I was promptly seated in one of those big plush massaging chairs. It was there that I sat for the next 30 minutes waiting and waiting.
A lady came over and turned the water on and told me to soak my feet.
After about 20 minutes, the water became cold and I called over another lady to warm it up for me.
After several apologies they finally got to my appointment time at 2:45PM.
When I went to pay, the cashier says to the owner «we give discount for him waiting so long?» and the owner screams back «no, no, no» and «sorry for wait, sir»
It was obnoxious and frankly, I should’ve just walked out.

Way too expensive for what you get. Wanted a basic pedicure but they started to do the spa one and thats what I got charge. Took over an hour and it wasn’t because they were taking their time. The woman doing mine answered the phone every few minutes to make appointments. Overall not a great or relaxing time.

Although they take walk-​ins, I’d recommend making an appointment especially if you’re attempting to get in Fri or Saturday. They’re great about sticking to their appointment times, which is a huge plus to me. Very friendly and have a punch card you can use to eventually get some $ off, not a huge discount but it’s better than nothing!
Recommend bringing cash for tips!

I have only been here for a Manicure, and they do take your time with it. But, the one time I decided to get Shellac here, it did not last as long as when my regular shop does it. Helen is very nice, and they are open until 8pm so when I work late, I know I can come by here and they will still be open.

I was here a year ago and absolutely loved it. Came back and wow has it changed. Its not as clean and as soon as I walked in all I could smell was food, at a nail salon! As I sat down in the pedicure chair it seemed like they were rushing me. I asked for the deluxe pedicure which would have been nice if it would have lasted longer. Massage (what little there was) was good. All in all it was ok, but way too little for the cost

Went for the first time for a pedicure ($ 24). No price board up with prices so you’ll have to grab one of their printed pamphlets/​price lists for additional prices ($ 34 for mani/​pedi and pretty standard pricing on waxing, fill-​ins, etc). Large selection of OPI nail colors as well as some other off brands in more non-​traditional colors.
There are 8 pedicure chairs– great during nail salon rushes (evenings/​weekends). Hong was my technician; she was really sweet and efficient. Considering they were busy she was very detailed and didn’t rush to finish my pedicure.
The chairs are comfortable (intense electric massage though!) and the foot bowls are really unique colored bowls mosaic type bowls I haven’t seen anywhere before. The shop was clean and the staff were all friendly and professional. I will definitely be back since I haven’t found many other nail salons downtown that I have been pleased with.
Pro-​tip: like many other nail places, although they take debit/​credit for service payment you have to leave tip in cash/​check. I didn’t have cash on me so I just had to make out the check in my tip amount to my tech. Sort of frustrating not being able to leave it on the slip but not specific to just this nail salon so make sure you have some cash on you.