Esthetique Nail Spa in Bellevue, WA

They were very attentive and friendly and did quality work on my mani-pedi. Four stars only because the callus remover didn't work as well as I thought it would. Still recommended though!

I never got to see how amazing Sam can be at gel nails because she stood me up for my appointment. Arranging for a sitter, driving for 30 minutes from Bothell in traffic, only to come in and be told that she knew of the appointment but decided to come in on the following week. I said why didn't you call me and the lady said they didn't have my number. Are customers now supposed to make sure the receptionist takes down all the info she needs of you? Some places have caller ID if they don't ask for your number. To make matters worse, I was bidding my time until this day when Sam was supposed to return from vacation and one of my nails already lost the gel enhancement, so I was anxious to get them redone right so my nail doesn't break. I didn't have time to find someone else and my nail broke that same night. AWEsome!

This is not my usual nail salon, but it might be soon. I came here with my teenage daughter because we were in the area and needed to squeeze in mani-pedis for an event. We had a 6:00 appointment and they were busy when we came in, but got everything ready so that we could sit in the massage chairs and soak while we waited, maybe 15 minutes. The massage chairs are among the nicer ones I've used, and the salon itself, although small, is pleasantly decorated, and very clean. I noticed the ladies wiping equipment down with disinfecting solution after each use. The pedicures were great - a wonderful sugar scrub, really relaxing massage, and they managed not to tickle my very ticklish feet. Same with the manicure (except for the ticklish part). The one thing I didn't care for was that they did my brow wax right in the main area - I'm used to having this done in a more private place. It wasn't a huge deal but not my favorite, either. The staff are really super, very friendly and chatty. There was a regular customer who stopped in and for a while everyone was involved in the conversation - it was a very nice environment. But more than that - my daughter messed up the polish on one nail not once but twice (damn texting!) and they fixed it, twice, even though they were keeping the store open late by then. It's a little pricier than the place near my house, but for the quality of the service - and I'm sure the cost of the Bellevue location, very convenient - it's worth it.

The service (pedicure) was ok (not bad, but also not the best I had, so probably a 3/5). The massage was not very good (actually hurt) and lasted for about 5 mins (usually lasts longer in other places... especially considering I chose the deluxe pedicure) . I chose the $30 version, but was charged $45 at the counter. Was obviously surprised and asked why. To that, the lady said it was because she did shellac (I never had shellac before, so had no idea thats what she applied and she didn't tell me or mentioned it was going to cost extra) . I decided not to waste my time arguing over $15, but will never come back.

I had high expectations for this place based on all the great reviews and was unfortunately so disappointed by my experience. I called the day before to make an appointment for the next day (which happened to be my birthday) because I needed a shellac mani and pedi for my honeymoon the day after. They had an appointment available which was great. I left early for the appointment but was 15 minutes late because parking was a nightmare. There is a parking lot on the street behind the salon FYI, I wish I had known this prior to spending so much time circling the 110 block. The minute I entered the salon I felt like my appointment was doomed. The salon itself is kind of old and pretty dingy. I apologized for being late and my technician was pretty nice about it but rushed me quite a bit (though they weren't busy). When I selected a color for my shellac she told me no and to choose another with no explanation. They don't have shellac samples on fake nails the way other salons I have been to do, so it takes longer to figure out what the colors are and she basically rushed me through the entire process. I also asked if they do nail art, which I assumed they did based on yelp pictures, and the tech told me no and if I wanted it to go somewhere else (wish I had listened to her!) I tried to make conversation by telling her it was my birthday and this was my birthday treat as well as personal prep for my honeymoon. I was also concerned about the staying power of the shellac as it needed to last the two week of my overseas trip, and she assured me it would. While my feet soaked during my pedicure, the technician prepped my fingernails. She complained about how terrible my cuticles were and when she cut my nails she let the clippings fall to the ground and into the pedi spa. It was disgusting! When I looked around I noticed dirt all over the salon and I am honestly amazed I didn't get an infection from the mani pedi. The mani and pedi themselves were fine. The massages given are amazing and that's the only reason I am giving them stars. She admonished me for being in a hurry(I wasn't) and told me next time to slow down. My pedi lasted through my trip but my mani started cracking two days in and by day 7 almost all the nail polish had peeled off. Not a good honeymoon look. It definitely wasn't the relaxing birthday experience I had hoped for, nor did the results pay off. I won't be going back.