J & L Nails

Boy’s mom is a regular here and since where I come from Mom is always right (even when you’re all grown up or just look like it), this is where we went on a recent Saturday morning mani-​pedi expedition. J&L is like the softer, gentler big sister to my usual nail place, Divisadero Nails, and I can’t imagine Lisa B (my regular partner in manicure) and I getting away with loudly and graphically discussing sex, boys, booze, and sex with as much top-​volume abandon as we usually do at Divis Nails. On the other hand, unlike Divis Nails, there are no gaggles of obnoxious 20 year olds loudly reminding me that I am getting older and older every day (wait! Is that a gray hair???).
They don’t have pedicure chairs– just little foot bath tubs. The ladies are extremely friendly and very gentle with their tools. Brief but effective massage is included in the $ 25 mani-​pedi pricetag and if you’re ticklish, they won’t mind at all when you almost kick them in the face, splash water all over, and laugh maniacally during the pumice portion of your pedicure. How sweet!
It’s a nice, quiet, friendly place and it appears to get (and stay) very busy on the weekends. My manicure was outstanding and my pedicure is divine, but I really really really like talking about sex, drugs, and rock and roll while strangers sand away at my my feet and rip the cuticles off my finger nails so I’ll probably save this place for future mom n me trips or for when the 20 year old crowd at Divis Nails finally pushes me over the edge.

The ladies at this nail shop are so nice– the minute you step foot in the door they greet you and encourage you to sit down and «please pick a color»…
They do an outstanding mani/​pedi; however, they are not consistent. I had a mani/​pedi last me two weeks– and I even went to Hawaii and back (which only means lots of sand, not generally good for nail polish). I just had one done and my finger nails started peeling off after 2 days– that is just very disappointing. I will probably go to these ladies again in the future but I would love to find a place in lowe Pacific Heights that is reasonably priced and does a good job.