K Spa Nail Salon

I am a very loyal person. if you are in the service industry and you provide good service I will remain with you. My wonderful nail tech Tina had relocated to K spa at the beginning of 2016, so naturally I followed her there! Not the most convenient location for me coming from Redwood City – but loyalty dictates! Anyway, Mai (owner) was VERY welcoming, of course I was very happy to see my gal Tina & the other gals who have done my last 4 pedicures have all been wonderful.
The salon is clean, it’s pretty, very relaxing environment, always offering you water, coffee, etc. They really make you feel special and as though you’ve been coming there forever. Normally, I’d expect parking to be the negative– though I got lucky every time I had an appointment. but it is downtown San Mateo, so I know that I got lucky… you have to remember to have meter money because the meters in the near vicinity don’t accept credit cards– only coins.
Though my parking experience was not a bad one, it has not been great for my gal Tina and she is relocating to another salon in Belmont (Enliven on Masonic Way off of Ralston behind the Arco near 101) where a parking lot is offered for customers and employees… so I will be following her to Belmont in March.
That being said, I do not hesitate to recommend K-​spa in San Mateo and if I ever find myself in need of nail services & can’t seem to connect with my gal– I would certainly consider returning to K-​spa.

I really hate writing bad Unilocal reviews but I’m hoping that maybe it will clue the owner and people who work there in on some tips to do better for the next client that comes in. Ladies people work really really hard for their money as you know and 2 hours and 50 bucks for a mani pedi is a lot these days. The least you can do it make sure we get what we pay for and that you do the best you can … First off the second we walked in we were LITERALLY rushed into chairs. The lady was very pushy and rough she didn’t even try to talk to me. The water for my feet was freezing and looked dirty my advice would be warm water and being gentle and patient. Then after I asked for gel nails she shoved about 6 of the color slots at me and kept grabbing my hands. She filled my nails down way to short and called another girl to paint them. This girl rushed herself would take calls while she was painting and left to go help someone while she was painting a nail. The paint job I could have done myself. She didn’t take it all the way down my nail and it was streaky and un even. And theRe was no washing and massaging of my hands. The pedicure lasted about two seconds and it was painful. she did two coats and then got up and left with out even saying anything. The customer serious was just not ok at all.

I came in with my friend before a dance and I have to say that I was impressed. The pedicure bowl came with citrus slices and colored lights (a very nice touch). The ladies were very nice and accommodating. However, I expect this of any spa at their price point.
They had good service, but nothing stand out. I would consider coming again before an event. This is the type of spa that you would bring a friend to. B+ from me

K Spa is my go-​to spot for gel manicures and pedicures. Mai runs a great establishment and goes above-​and-​beyond to provide an enjoyable experience. When Mai does my nails, she spends extra time to make sure everything is perfect. The girls are always thoughtful when it comes to finding the «right» color.
The ambiance inside K Spa beats other nail salons with similar price points. K Spa is clean, smells fresh inside, and has comfortable seating.

Last minute girls’ nail day on NYE and K Spa managed to accommodate there is us!
I am super picky when it comes to who touched my talons and I got lucky this time when My/​Mai was the one who was my manicurist.
I have sensitive cuticles and sensitive fingertips and she cut and filed them perfectly. A lot of nail places are very aggressive with pushing and cutting cuticles but My did them perfectly. She cleaned off enough dead skin and was very conservative when cutting the sides.
Polish went on perfectly and she strives really hard in customer service. I asked for two coats of base coat since I picked a deep Aubergine/​Oxblood color.
I noticed a bit of tip wear within the first 12 hours but I’m usually really harsh on my fingers and I didn’t let it fully cure overnight before running errands.
5 stars is only for My as I did not have any experience with the other staff.

RUSHED!!! My Aunty and her friend had made an appointment for 3 mani pedis. Walked in and being the only people there besides one other lady. We were still choosing colors when they were anxious to seat us. The pedi for me wasn’t that bad, she did a very clean job but I feel like I wasn’t able to soak my feet which is the whole reason I really wanted a pedi.
Acrylic Manicure? More like glue some nails on and go! Like any other place manicures include nail cleaning, trimming, cuticles, and a Massage. WHICH NONE OF US RECEIVED. They didn’t even give us the water to soak our nails in beforehand. If they don’t do the least they could do is correctly glueing the nails on right? Wrong!!! She glued the nail on crooked and I had pointed it out to her so she fixed it by ripping it off! When more customers arrived they rushed even more, skipping important steps like shaving the gel stuff from under the nail where they messed up. now I’m stuck with the dried gel stuff underneath my nails. And since they didn’t cut our cuticles, it makes our hands look messier.
I expected so much better from a place which has a lot of great reviews. Such a disappointment.

AGAIN with the bad service.
Last time I come here or introduce people to this place.
They don’t do your cuticles they do not massage you.
Some of us got good pedis mine was horrible. Didn’t even scrub my foot long enough
There’s not more hand massage, cuticles look horrible!
And my «ombré» mani looks like crap.

Perfect gel manicure! I wanted to quickly get my nails done and also my moms. I was so happy to find this salon! What a gem! The staff and manager are all so sweet and professional. They were attentive and very kind. Both nail technicians did a fabulous job. I don’t live in the area but my mom does and will be back! Thank you ladies for such a treat!

Came in with a group of 4 girls and they happily accommodated all of us! Nails were really nicely done but there was space still near my cuticle. Other than that I’ll definitely be coming back!

I am in search of a new place for a mani/​pedi and I came here on a Monday morning — best time to come as it is quiet and hardly anyone comes on Monday’s (so I am told). $ 35 for a mani and pedi. The ladies were nice, offered tea and water, were very efficient, the place is nice, clean and big. I’ll likely go back.

My daughter and I have just started going here and we absolutely love it. I have gone to other places and have not been very happy with their service. As soon as you walk in they offer you a beverage and everyone is super nice and very professional. Highly recommend that you check it out.

I’ve been a client of My’s for 6 years and consistently receive excellent manicures and pedicures. My and her staff are always very kind and attentive. I just finished getting my shellac mani (every 2 weeks!) and I can’t wait to come back next week for my pedicure.
Thanks My! I love k spa! Thanks for always being on time and accommodating my crazy schedule!

Updating my review! I have seen Mai and her team consistently for the past year and a half. I just went in again for my monthly (ish) mani/​pedi and it was great! She and her girls always take great care of me and their work is great! If you are looking for a nail salon with great quality service, nice ambiance all at a great price, go see Mai!!! :)
Location is great too! At the edge of downtown San Mateo so you can make an outing out of it — grab dinner, Philz, Cream, lots of boba shops close by too.

I came in with no appointment this afternoon, and got great service and care from Linda and Mai. I was a little nervous — I’d never been to K Spa before and I’d also never gotten acrylic extensions before.
Linda was gentle and patient with my questions, making sure that I was comfortable the whole time — friendly too! And my nails look absolutely great. I was looking for a new regular spot and I think I found it!

If there was an option for 0 stars I would have chosen that. This salon has got to be the worst customer service experience I have ever witnessed before even getting to the salon. I had received a gift card to this place as a birthday gift from family that goes there. I called on a Monday to see if they had time for a mani pedi and Brazilian wax. They had no time on Monday which is fine, so I wanted to see what other days are available.
Me: what about Tuesday?
«nancy»: Oh we closed.
Me: OK what about Wednesday?
Nancy: Oh no time
Me: OK how about Thursday?
Nancy: no sorry no time OK sorry, bye
So just like that? Bye? Not even once did you even bother trying to look to see what options you CAN throw out to a customer to try and get business? So when I asked who I was speaking to she suddenly couldn’t hear me and hangs up. I then call back to give her my 2 cents and this Nancy said sorry for the misunderstanding, with her broken English. I told her for a business If you cared at all to gain more customers you could be more polite on the phone. And told her obviously you don’t need business then.
Since then I’ve called several times to get in touch with the owner My but my number has been blocked. I know that because i have had several people try calling and it’s gone through. NOT SMART NANCY!
WORST BUSINESS EVER AND I AM SO DISAPPOINTED THERE IS SUCH A BUSINESS LIKE THIS. I will be returning the gift card back to the family member, I refuse to give this place business.

I went in for another mani/​pedi today and left very, very happy (as always!!!). I got my mani with Mai and my pedi with Laura. I normally get my pedis done with Nancy but she was out on vacation. I am very satisfied with Laura’s work!
As always, the staff was attentive and thoughtful, especially in helping me choose my nail colors when my originally picked colors came out too light!
I especially appreciate the cleanliness every time I visit this salon– I haven’t seen any other as clean as this place and continue to refer my friends to try here. My first pick in choosing a salon is cleanliness and tidiness and K Spa is spot on!

I’ve been getting gel manicures and regular pedicures at K Spa for over a year. I love this place! Mai and her team always do an excellent job. K Spa is spacious and clean, and they have an amazing selection of nail color, including gel colors.
One time I was going on a trip and my week-​old gel manicure had one nail that had started peeling. I went in to see if Mai could fix just the one nail that was peeling, and she insisted on re-​doing my entire manicure — free of charge. That is great service!
Mai is awesome and she cares immensely about her customers. I would highly recommend K Spa!

Tried this place for the first time yesterday. Great place, they are very clean, and spacious. The ladies that work there are very nice and polite. They did a really good job on my nails, lots of colors to choose from. I only wish the price was lower a bit pricey but this is my new regular nail salon. They even have a princess package for girls, so my daughter and I had some quality time together. Love this place! Thank you.

Mei was very mean and totally unprofessional. Don’t waste your time here. Mei kept filing my nails in a way that was VERY painful. When I told her she got totally pissed off and decided to file harder. Who does that! She was super passive aggressive and kept dropping the towel that she was using on me on the floor. When I voiced concern she got even more pissed.
I should have known this place was bad when I called and got the first appointment on a Monday when every other place is closed! To top it off my feet are itching 3 days later. Infection? Will keep u posted.

It was nice while it lasted… So long K-​SPA!
Service level has gone way down over the last couple of months. More clientele so more «hurried» service. Got a terrible manicure 3 days ago… Took 2 hours while I was sneezed on and coughed at the entire time. I have to be in a wedding tomorrow and twice I’ve tried to go back to have my manicure corrected and twice I was turned away because they are too «busy.» Loved them more when it was a hidden gem.

I don’t normally get my nails done but I was so impressed with K Spa that I definitely will make it more of a routine.
The people here are so nice. I was greeted right away and offered ice water with citrus in it (which was nice because it was so hot).
They have so many nail colors. The ladies were so nice and courteous. I got a blister on my foot from my heels the day before (terrible timing) and my nail technician was able to work around it and was really gentle. The application was great too.
This salon is so clean! All the tools come in sterilized pouches. I watched one of the employees clean the pedicure basin after a customer left so I know they clean it. The music was nice and relaxing. The employees are very polite and whisper when they talk to each other. I would definitely come back!