Helen’s Nails & Spa

This isn’t my regular place but some friends swear by it and I was along for the ride and in need of a pedicure. It’s nice and brightly lit inside and seems well maintained. Service was quick… A little too quick and my pedicure was done in very little time. The results were okay. If I look closely I can see that the polish wasn’t applied properly and is missing some polish close to the edges of the nails. The place was not busy when we were there so there didn’t seem a need to rush through the pedicure. I probably won’t go back here and I the reviews aren’t strong so I don’t really see a need to come back.

If I could give a rate of –100 I would. This place has got to have the worst management I have ever had to deal with in my entire life. I came in with my mother for a shellac Mani and pedi for myself and pedi for my mother.
A) one lady was doing my pedicure and since it wasn’t too busy they got another lady to START my manicure, after cutting 3 of my left hand fingers this lady left and started doing the pedicure of the new comer — I understand. But then this kid who isn’t in uniform I think it’s the owners daughter started to continue doing my manicure — at first I felt very uncomfortable but she actually did a good job cleaning it so no complain.
B) My pedicure is done, manicure done and now just polishing my nails. I asked the very first lady who started the manicure if I could have white Mani but have sparkly stuff on my ring finger (picture attached) she said yes. Here comes the worst manager EVER — HELEN started putting the nail Polish — this other lady named Linda stood next to her watching her how to put nail Polish. When HELEN started putting silver nail Polish on my ring finger I said «hey I just wanted sparkle» she said «yea I know» OK… So I just left it and when she finally put the sparkle on the silver nail Polish that’s when I said «Ohhh I wanted while nail Polish and sparkle on top not silver» she insisted that I had shown her the demo that consisted of silver nail Polish and sparkle and I said yes I did show you that but I also told the other lady the way I wanted it. Honestly, if ONE person just did my manicure this would have never happened. So I said it’s fine just leave it — she didn’t even offered to remove it?! It wasnt even finished! I just left it whatever. It turned out pretty so I didn’t mind.
C) when she finally finished I noticed that my right thumb nail Polish had finger prints on it — although you can’t feel it from the top coat it is still very noticeable in my eyes and I feel like since it was JUST recently completed I think I have the right to get it fixed. No, Helen refused and she said it was perfect I said no its not and she started talking so rudely reverting back to the colour (B) problem we just resolved. And I said no I can see it — HELEN goes to her current customer «can you see it?» I said please don’t get this person involve. She got so defensive and started yelling and said she was going to remove all the nail Polish on my finger and I said if you do that why would I pay you? She said you have to pay me?! And I said no way! I asked you to fix one nail and you refused to do it when I’m already telling her that I’m not satisfied she refused to accept it. We went back and forth yelling and guess what. She said she was going to call 911 on me if I don’t pay? I said I would pay if you fix this error and she said no she took her phone and started dialing who knows but claimed 911 and I said FINE GO CALL 911 I’LL BE WAITING HERE. I sat with my mom waiting for her to get off the phone — while she was on the phone she kept being racist talking in her language saying «these filipino people» seriously?! And get this — she locked the door! SHE FUCKIN LOCKED THE DOOR SO MY MOM AND I WOULDNT GET OUT?! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT! SHE LOCKED THE STORE DOOR. Omg who does that!!! She’s seriously the worst. Please please, do not come here — just don’t. Helen is the worst manager, the worst person, the worst customer service I have ever had to deal with.
d) my mom’s pedicure wasn’t satisfying either — she didn’t use the blade so it was still rough and when my mom told her Helen said «you should come here often so it can be fully removed». Seriously?!
I’m not even exaggerating when I say, don’t waste your time and money. We spend $ 80 on BS from Helen. Who locks their store on their customer because of one ONE nail finger that she refused to fix?! LOCKED THE DOOR! CALL 911! COME ON what are you?
If you do go, good luck with Helen. She might act nice in the beginning but if you don’t follow what she says she’ll start talking shit in front of you in her language with her staff. The worst. –100 star rating. Negative.

I came here last minute the day before my cousins wedding for a regular french manicure. The nail technician, although very nice, was also very pushy. She kept insisting on trying shellac to the point where I felt uncomfortable and eventually agreed. Regular french manicure is $ 15 and shellac french manicure is $ 35. Keep in mind these are prices before taxes.
Aside from that, this is not a luxury pampering salon; they are a in and out speed nail place where you can pop in and get them done within 15 – 20 minutes. It was so fast that it almost felt rushed. However, these ladies are very precise with their movements, so the result of the nail cleaning was satisfactory. I wasn’t relaxed because the nail technician tried to initiate conversation with me multiple times through a thickly accented English. Furthermore, she was standing while doing my manicure which made me feel uncomfortable.
The result was… acceptable I guess. The french tips were uneven up close by from far away it doesn’t look bad at all. All in all, I’ll probably only come back if I’m in the YU area and have a special event to attend.

I deleted my previous post as I was name-​calling and that’s not very nice. So I’ll leave you with this: do not go this place. There is no concept of customer service or quality of service at this place. I wish there was an option of no star.

Shitty place. They don’t do what you ask them to WHEN YOURE PAYING THEM. So stupid. I asked for long acrylics and they said no. It looks bad. Your face looks bad. Stfu and do my nails.

I have been a loyal customer at this place since they opened, a couple of years ago, as I live on campus at York and also work there, so for me, to walk here in the summer months is a breeze. The staff have always been nice to me and I usually come in for a manicure, shellac manicure, and have had acrylics applied once and removed twice.
Now, to preface, I use an electric wheelchair. This means that my chair is a few inches higher than the chairs that they use in the spa. I also cannot transfer out of my chair. I have a plexiglass tray attached to my chair, which is easily removable so that I can go up to one of their manicure table and get my nails done. Indeed, this is what I have always done at every other salon I’ve ever gone to. Usually, there is a little bit of confusion and a few flummoxed expressions in the beginning, but once the staff realizes that it’s not a big deal, they just do my nails.
I’ve been growing my nails out for a couple of weeks now with the intention of getting gel overlays and an french airbrush. Today, around 6:30pm, I stopped by the salon and there were quite a few people waiting. I told one of the owners that I wanted gel overlays and he informed me that they were quite busy and to come back. To make things easier, I texted my attendants who happens to be living close by for the summer to ask her to come with me (incidentally, I pay $ 15 an hour for attendant care). We returned at the salon around 7:20 and the other owner, Helen, who does most of the gels and acrylics I believe, flat-​out refused to service me.
Even though I told her that I had brought someone and that I could take off my tray, and that this is what they do for me at every other nail salon, she just stared at me silently and told me that they could only do a regular manicure for me (for which I don’t have to take off my tray). I explained everything to her again and asked one more time if she could do the gel overlays. After a loaded pause, she simply looked at me and said «sorry, no».
I will never go back to this place again. I will recommend to all of my friends and colleagues never to go to this place either, and I will post a negative review about this discriminatory business on every website that I can find. This is Canada and it is 2012 and if I’m paying for my nails to be done, I should be able to get them done without being told «sorry, no» simply because they don’t want to deal with whatever hassle they perceive it would be to service someone in a wheelchair. When will it cease to be acceptable for someone with my disability to be refused service? Able-​bodied or not, if you stand behind social justice and equality, please do not give your money to Helen’s Nails & Spa – do not support their bigotry.