Nails 2005

I’ve been to this salon twice. The first time I walked in, it was early, and there weren’t any other customers, so I just asked the 3 nail techs how much for a gel manicure, instead of looking at their price sign. The one said $ 15, which was a complete bargain, so I stayed. I did feel like the techs were annoyed as they tried to help me find a sheer color that I liked. The manicure was fine, the tech was nice, and I was charged $ 15. I did notice the «salon» was old, kind of dirty looking, had sale signs all over the walls (not very classy), and didn’t offer side-​by-​side manicure seating if one wanted to come with a friend. But for $ 15, I didn’t care. They do use individually sealed instruments for each customer.
Second visit… took a friend who has very limited income, but felt she could afford the $ 15. Again felt tech was annoyed helping me look for color. She then proceeded to use a sander to get some of my prior gel off, which I now know is a big no-​no. During the manicure, her phone rang. Not only did she answer it, she put in ear buds to talk hands-​free, and sat there and talked on the phone into my face in Vietnamese. When she got off the phone, she said she was talking to her brother from her country. Sure. I had one short nail, which I had broken, and the tech asked me if I wanted an acrylic. I said no. I’ve never had acrylics and have no plans on ever getting them. Later another tech sitting behind her asked about the color I got. Then my tech starts talking in Vietnamese about my nails. I know because she’s pointing to my shorter nail, and I hear the word acrylic. Then they both start laughing. What’s with that? And no hand massage from this tech, unlike the first.
I go to pay, and she asks for $ 30. I ask her why the last time I was in it was $ 15. So then it’s an entire 5 minutes of her telling me it’s $ 30, and my saying ok, but this is what happened last time. When I looked on their signage, I think it does say $ 30, which makes me wonder why the first time THREE nail techs sat there with one telling me $ 15 and actually charging me $ 15 after she CLEARLY gave me a gel manicure not a regular one. Confusing unless it’s some type of get them in once, and then they’ll keep coming. I just don’t know. So I ended up paying for mine and my friend’s (although she gave me the $ 20 she had on her), because I knew she couldn’t afford a $ 30 manicure. If I knew it was the same rate as other places, I would have gone somewhere cleaner without tacky advertising all over the place and with side-​by-​side stations. God knows, there are enough salons in this area.
As for the manicure, I got home and noticed all the ends of my finger nails were ragged. I actually had to file them; she hadn’t brushed the tips with nail polish. A lot of my nails split on the sides, perhaps from the sanding, bc that is unusual for my nails. They look like crap now, as I wait for all the thinned nails to grow out.

I wouldn’t recommend nails 2005 to a friend.
Pros: Ample parking, quick gel manicure (TE ENTIRE process took 25 minutes — that should tell you it’s not good) they do a paraffin treatment at the end, spoke English well
Cons: No cuticle oils, lotion, or anything. Went so fast through the process I have a slight cut on my finger and the gel is on my skin. Didn’t put pressure on my eyebrow after waxing (this is how I know if they’re good or not)

Nails 2005 is in my neighborhood and my favorite places to go for a quick brow wax. They do a great job and it’s only $ 8. My daughters come for polish changes on their nails… also very affordable! The staff is great and super nice.

We went there — 2 moms and 2 teenage daughters. We called ahead and made appointment for 4 for pedicures. When we arrived, they had 2 chairs together and then 2 singles – separated by other customers. Nicely, one of the customers offered to move I’ve one chair. Why, when we had a reservation, wouldn’t they give us all the chairs together? Then, they upswell the manicure and when you say «no thank you» they try to push you a little more. They are rough… several nicks in my toes… it was not relaxing. I would choose another of the many other nail salon options in the area.

This is hit and miss. Some nail technicians are terrific. Others are sloppy. The place is clean and services are fairly priced. If that checks your boxes, you’ll get in an out with a mani/​pedi without bacterial concerns.
This shop uses the cheapest possible wax, so spare your eyebrows the torture.
They have upgraded the pedicure chairs. Nice. But –It is most definitely not a spa experience and here’s why…
First, A couple of the technicians often have their kids running around. They are allowed to sit in the mani chairs, stare at the customers and snicker. It’s rather weird. Not a Zen atmosphere– to say the least. Second, when the shop is busy you might be «encouraged» out the door before that mani is 100% dry. Open your car door and —smudge…
Hit & Miss. Bottom line –They’ve got to get those pesky girls to behave a bit better.

This is hands down the worst mani i’ve ever had. The worst. It was also the fastest. The lady was nice, but I asked for square, they were not square. Then when she painted my nails, she was so sloppy, nailpolish all over my cuticles, and I had already paid, so i was out of luck. I made her take the polish off and put clear on because I was so annoyed. It was awful.

My mom goes here for manicures and pedicures, and wanted to treat me to pedicure with Amy. I went on a Wednesday afternoon, and there was a steady stream of customers.
Amy was FANTASTIC! Not overly chatty, but polite and professional, she gave a superb leg and foot massage, using different cooling and heating lotions, and hot stones and towels. I chose the «special» pedicure for $ 40 and I was in heaven!
The massage chair worked out the kinks in my lower back, and Amy worked on my calves and feet with abandon. It felt wondrous, and I almost fell asleep, I was so relaxed. My toes and feet looked great as well, and the entire pedicure, well, mostly the massage part, lasted for an hour! Wow! This was the best $ 40 my mom spent on me in years!
I also decided to update my chipped acrylic manicure, and Ellen was able to complete a well-​done fill-​in job on my fingernails for $ 24. My finger and toe nails now look great!
The salon takes credit cards for charges over $ 15, but asks for tips to be paid in cash.

POOR customer service! When I walked in, the first thing i did was talk to the manager about a nail design I wanted, and what the cost would be. When he gave me the price, I agreed and sat down. As the nail tech was starting to take off my old polish, the manager came back and said the price would actually be higher. I was trying to work within my budget, and explained to him that I had asked for the price up front for a reason. He did not seem to care at all, and left me in an awkward position, as my polish was already being taken off, and all the other customers were looking at us at this point. I stayed, only because it wasn’t the nail tech’s fault on the price change, and I didn’t want her to miss out on business. Needless to say, this trip was not pleasant at all, and I have never experienced such complete disregard for a customer.

Nails 2005 is my favorite nail place in Arlington. I have been here over ten times and consistently leave with a great looking manicure and pedicure. They actually spend a long time on the massages, many times up to 10 minutes, and they are fabulous. Also, they carry OPI and Essie. They usually have a ten minute neck and shoulder massage for $ 10, which is a ending and way to let your nails dry. Love this place!

How can anyone say this place is clean? I can’t even list all of the gross/​dirty areas I counted. I’d hate to see your homes if you consider this place clean. I should’ve walked out as soon as I walked in, but was desperate for a gel manicure before I head of town on Friday. They painted my nails like a 10 year-​old girl would. The polish was all the way down the cuticle, so it created a look of pooled polish. It’s terrible. I told the nail tech while she was painting my nails that they looked terrible around the cuticles. She probably didn’t understand what I was saying since she just nodded and mumbled. I didn’t have the time to ask her to completely redo them since it was a gel manicure and I was short on time. Bottom line, my nails look like shit and I will never go back here.

Finally found my go-​to nail place in Arlington! Nails 2005 unfortunately isn’t Metro accessible, but it’s right off Lee Hwy and is a a quick five minute drive from my apartment. They are open seven days a week and don’t close until 8 p.m. on weeknights, which is definitely a bonus. It’s located in a small strip mall with limited parking, but I’ve always been able to find a spot.
The salon is bright and clean, if a bit cramped. I typically go on weekends or after work, so it’s usually pretty busy so I would recommend making an appointment if you’re in a rush. I’ve never had to wait longer than 5 – 10 minutes though.
Now, to the best part of this review! What you really need to know about Nails 2005 is that they do the best gel manicure in the DC area, and possibly better than NJ/​NYC salons. My most recent manicure lasted a full THREE WEEKS and was showing no signs of peeling or chipping. It definitely was grown out and needed to be replaced, but the fact that it didn’t peel off after two weeks is literally remarkable. It costs $ 57 for a gel manicure and pedicure (I think $ 27 for the pedi and $ 30 for the gel mani, but it could be the other way around) and they didn’t charge me extra to soak off my previous gel manicure.
I haven’t found a «favorite» technician at Nails 2005 yet, but I haven’t had to since they’ve all been friendly and efficient. See you in two (three?) weeks, Nails 2005!
PS — Be sure to ask for a frequent customer card. After ten services of $ 50 or more, you get a free pedicure.

Went on a Wednesday for a walk in Mani/​pedi and had Jenny. The place wasn’t too busy although it had steady customers and looked clean.
The nail techs were speaking to each other in their own language but spoke quietly and I didn’t feel it was rude or intrusive. I also had brought a book and didn’t need to make small talk.
Jenny also had fairly good English and was responsive to my requests for adjusting the water temp, different polish color etc. She was efficient but didn’t rush and did a thorough job. Unlike some places, I never worried about being stabbed while having my cuticles trimmed. She asked if I wanted the spa mani/​pedi upgrade and I declined and that was all — not pushy. Also, I was not rushed into leaving, they left me alone until I was ready.
The main negative was that the massage portion was very weak, really not a massage at all. More of a light rubbing which was actually pretty uncomfortable for me. I declined the razor and the brillo pad scrub was also pretty light. The massage chair also was pretty old and didn’t do much for me.
I would definitely go back again, it is a great value for the price ($ 37). Hopefully the service is the same during peak hours! Really it seemed like a solid 3.5 star place.

My husband owed me a pedicure (in exchange for accompanying him to a Gun Show– and no I’m not kidding), so over the 4^th of July, we came to this salon because it was the only open one.
We both did the spa pedicure and it was ok. Not the best I’ve had though. They totally neglected our gym-​sore calves (my husband even asked me, «do they always skip rubbing your calves?») and focused on the front of our legs & feet– not where the ouchy muscles are. The warm towel/​clay mask part of every spa pedicure I’ve gotten didn’t really exist– they just did warm towels on your feet. Kinda a tease.
As for the trimming & polishing, they were gentle, pain-​free, and did nice paint job. Still, less than 2 wk later and my toes are chipping.
Overall, it was fine, not worth $ 38 for a spa pedicure but it was fun to hear my husband tell the nail lady, «Um, it’s my first time.»

The ladies and gent (presumably, the owner) of Nails 2005 are always friendly and hospitable. The locale is clean and quaint; there are 8 nail stations and just about as many pedicure tubs — it’s always busy, but I never have to wait more than 5 or 10 minutes to be taken care of.
A manicure is reasonably priced for the neighborhood at $ 15 (French is an extra $ 5). I have had great paint jobs by the ladies who sit at chairs #3 and #4. I do not agree that massage times are any longer than usual, but overall the experience is pleasant and quick.
I haven’t found a better place… YET!

clean and reasonable prices. excellent pedicure and manicure. my only gripe is with their waxing service — you have to ask them not to double dip the waxing applicator. This is important to prevent cross contamination. I no longer use their waxing service. Otherwise, they would get 5 stars.

I’ve been coming here for 5 years now and have only good things to say about this shop and their staff. There are 10 pedicure chairs (new) and they sterilize the utensils too. Clean place with very reasonable prices.

This place is affordable and the staff is nice. It’s in a small strip center next to a Thai place and salon. They carry a large array of colors from OPI and Essie, and always have the new seasonal OPI colors. They also offer you a personal box with a number that you can request upon return — it contains new tools each time you come so you know its clean. $ 25 for a pedicure can’t be beat. Plus they spend a good amount of time massaging feet and legs.
I have three gripes: 1) They used to do an incentive card where after X number of services you got a free manicure. They stopped this year but I wish they would do it again! 2) The past two times I went there in June, the pedicure chairs and foot baths have not been working properly. The massage part on several chairs was not working. More alarmingly is that the foot baths do not get warm at all. It’s like sticking your feet into a bath that was run 20 minutes prior and is no longer hot. I told the nail tech this and she said that was as warm as it got, which I know isn’t true. 3) Even though the staff is nice, I don’t think their technique is always the best. Several times I’ve had to ask them to apply polish closer to the cuticle or to cut my nails shorter.

Nails 2005 is located in a small strip center (across from 7 – 11) and there is free parking available. They have a great selection of color, and also have the new colors OPI comes out with every season. A mani/​pedi will set you back $ 35, which is good deal. They also offer waxing services, as well as spa upgrades. Enjoy!