LACQUER

Lacquer is AMAZING! Clean, Chic, Colors Top all Others, Nail Techs are Fabulous! My favorites are Marz for Pedi and Marta for Mani, yet my four daughters each have other favorites for each. The owner is fantastic! Alex is an office Mgr (I think) and he kills me with his NeimanMarcus wear on Target prices — I love checking out his hair & wardrobe AND he is so helpful and NICE! The place is almost a dream but fortunately for me it’s real — you can find me there once a week!

I had a great first experience here! The staff was friendly, my appointment was met on time, and I LOVE the overall finished look of my nails. The place was clean and so chic looking too; I adore all the white space and sleek décor.
During my pedicure, they offered me hot tea and/​or wine which was definitely appreciated! It made the whole experience even more relaxing. Usually pedicures can be uncomfortable & painful for me (I’ve actually bled from previous pedis before, no joke), but everything went smoothly at Lacquer. They really know what they’re doing. I’d recommend Jessica for pedis, she was so sweet! I got the Shellac in «Field Fox» done on my nails with a little floral design on my ring fingers and a matte finish — I’m obsessed. Ask for Elaine for any nail art you want done, the girl has got serious talent!
This place is overall awesome. I will definitely be back! :)

Found this amazing nail salon on Unilocal and based on the reviews I decided to give them a try. This place is a short walk from the W hotel which is where I am staying. I booked an appointment for a classic spa pedicure. When I walked in the first thing I noticed was the cleanliness and beauty of the space. I was highly impressed with the large selection of colors they have to choose from with high end brands like Dior and Chanel. My technician was absolutely amazing. She was warm, personable and attentive. She gave me the best foot massage! She also added a complementary hot towel wrap which was such a nice touch since I am almost 7 months pregnant. My toes look incredible and I feel relaxed and rejuvenated. I am visiting from Los Angeles and only packed closed toed shoes, but they sell Havaiana flip flops which were perfect. I will definitely be back the next time I visit Austin!

I started going to Lacquer on a recommendation from a friend, and I’m so glad I did! I was told by another salon that my nails were too damaged to have a gel manicure.
But not so! Lacquer offers a treatment called IBX that strengthens the nail and makes it paintable for months to come. So my nails are a pretty pink, as usual.
Lacquer has a very involved owner and all the employees are cordial and professional. I was happy to see a former nail tech of mine, Karen, there, and today had the calming presence of Ashley and her expert shellac manicure.
The salon is very sleek and the music is cool and not overly hyper. I always leave feeling pretty and refreshed.
Parking is free and easy in the garage around the corner, and then just a short elevator ride down to the street level.

Great service, super fast and friendly and they were able to accommodate me as a last minute walk in. Great colour selection too! I will be back for sure.

I had an excellent pedicure service by Ashley. What sets nail salons apart for me is the attention to detail. Ashley was very meticulous, going over the edges and creating beautiful lines.
Everything at the salon is high end from the application, appliances, chairs, and choice of polish. They have Chanel, Dior, Tom Ford, Smith + Cult, along with regular brands like OPI and Essie.
I was very impressed by the selection and if I lived in town I would make this my one stop shop for everything nail-​related.

Lacquer is divine! Great staff and I love the soft plushy chairs. Amazing attention to detail. You will be spoiled and pampered! You can get a mani pedi at the same time. Maura will massage your feet to heaven and back!

While the staff here is very friendly, the final product left something to be desired. I requested a toe polish and manicure. One of my pet peeves is when the technician does not paint the entire nail. Both my toes and fingers look like they are a week grown out and they were done today! I realize that my finger nails were a wreck (due to my biting habit), but my cuticles were not pushed back or trimmed. I also left with existing hangnails still on my hands. Lastly, I asked for a glitter top coat and it was put on so sloppily that I can see the outline, which doesn’t match the main color underneath. It is creating an undesired 3D effect. I honestly felt like I wasted my money here. I have never posted a bad review, but I am so unhappy I feel like it is necessary.

Lovely place. Clean and professional. A little pricey but worth it if you want to treat yourself.

Who doesn’t enjoy being pampered in a luxurious, modern and fun environment? The staff was beyond friendly and the pricing to value is spot on. This is definitely the best nail salon in Austin!

I am new to Austin and was looking for a nail salon. Not only is Lacquer absolutely beautiful and clean, everyone that works there from the receptionist to the technicians are so warm and friendly. They do amazing manicures and pedicures and are all very experienced. I am so glad to have found my new nail salon!

Booking a last minute appointment here was a cake walk. And the gent who answered the phone was a gem.
The gal who did my manicure on the other hand was, meh. She wasn’t the warmest or most talkative one in the bunch. It was relatively quiet in there but very clean and if it’s décor was an actual human, her name would be Regina George.
$ 25 mani and if you check in you’ll snag a free sample size of some nail/​cuticle treatment. Too pricey IMO… especially for lack of personality as a whole.
Honestly, not likely a place I’d return. But hey, may be exactly what you’re looking for!

As girly as this girl is I am not really a fan of getting my nails done. My ma is super into it and I would go with her sometimes to her salon of choice in Jacksonville and I just didn’t get it. The fumes made me lightheaded and nauseous, the chatter was weird, and the whole thing was just boring to me. Now I realize it’s because my ma’s salon choice (to each their own) didn’t include mimosas, bright lighting, and all-​natural products. Lovely.
I randomly decided to get my nails done for only the second time ever at Lacquer about 5 or 6 months ago because it was going to be date night soon and my boyfriend likes nice nails. So I decided to indulge him. This place seems to be on par pricing-​wise with everywhere else I found so since it’s close to home, I thought why not.
SIDE NOTE: PARKING FOR THE CITY HALL BUILDING HAS CHANGED. Lacquer no longer validates and the parking is no longer free in that garage before 5PM on the weekends. And the pricing is fairly high imo. Just something to keep in mind. It was suggested to park in the AMLI building’s garage.
I have now had my nails done at Lacquer 4 times now and I won’t go anywhere else. Not unless they do something drastic like dump my mimosa on me instead of letting me drink it. I love the choice in nail colors, the lack of noxious fumes, the cute décor, and the incredibly friendly technicians.

Worse nail experience I have had in a while. Had an early morning appointment with a friend. We picked out our color together but none of the employees talked to one another to inform our technicians we were together… There was no one else in the salon at this time.
We were however, seated next to each other and both the technicians started our pedicures at the same time. We both got a classic pedicure ($ 35). My pedicure was completely done in 15 minutes. My foot message was 2 minutes. As I waited an additional 30 minutes for my friends pedicure to be done. I noticed there were plenty of things my technician did not do. She didn’t do the cuticle oil or a base coat but did immediately spray my nails after finishing painting them. When I left I realized she didn’t even file some of my toenails, there are rough bits on the end that I now have to fix my own nails after getting a pedicure. The bottom of my feet are still rough. She never told me her name, so I have no idea who to tell you to avoid. She never came back to see if I needed anything just ran off to the back and I never saw her again.
No one actually asked if I needed anything. There is clearly no consistency at this salon. Complete disaster and highly dissatisfied customer. So for a $ 40 pedicure after tip (not sure why I even bothered tipping after such services), it was a terrible experience and I would never recommend this place to anyone.

Typically I’m not one to post reviews but felt I should share. I was getting my nails done for a wedding out of town. Went in for a gel manicure on a Wednesday and the wedding was on Saturday. Very clean and updated place, but that’s the only real positive. The nail tech. Was attentive and detailed however, one major issue: I told her my nails grow very fast and to please cut my cuticles. As she was cleaning up my nails she was pushing back my cuticles a bit but not cutting them. I asked her again to cut my cuticles and she did not. She explained that I’m probably used to going to ‘other places’ where they do this and explained all the reasoning why they do not cut cuticles at their salon. I understood her reasoning and agreed, but I knew my nails would grow out extremely fast and there would be a huge gap between the gel and my cuticle.
By the wedding, my nails were already noticeably grown out (by other bridesmaids). I’m at 6 days now since I got my nails done and just as I thought, my nails look like they have looked after 1.5−2 weeks when I go to the ‘other places’. The worst part is I paid $ 51 with tax, about double the price when I go elsewhere. I’m taking off the gel myself today as it looks really bad.
Again, clean place with cute décor, but be ware, if you are used to having your cuticles cut down and your nails grow fast, you will have a huge gap in your polish right away.

This place has a really great vibe and I loved the view of the hustle and bustle of Guadalupe St through the glass storefront. My technician, Marz, was really nice and took care to make sure she gave me a unique experience based on the condition of my feet and didn’t just run through a basic step by step process like I’ve experienced before. She also educated me on how to upkeep calluses/​rough skin without overdoing it and harming collagen growth.
I got the deluxe pedicure. I think $ 45 is a little over priced for what I got but it seems to be on the cheaper side for downtown Austin. They use cleaned, sanitized tools which is a must for me. I definitely felt pampered and enjoyed a glass of Chardonnay, too! When I walked in, the woman at the desk was on the phone and didn’t make eye contact with me until she was done, but she was super nice when she was ready to help me. Overall it was a relaxing experience and I left happy!

I tried out Lacquer Nail Salon for the first time and I have to say that I wasn’t entirely impressed. Here are my ratings:
1 star for ambience: It is a nice environment and they offer you wine/​spa water as soon as you enter. Cool.
1 star for choice of colors: These also included some designer polishes.
0 stars for quality of Pedicure: I was unimpressed with their «Classic Pedicure». My technician didn’t even use a nail curette to clean underneath the nails or underneath the sides of the nails. And she didn’t even use a clipper to smooth the skin area on the sides of the nails.
I went ahead and gave them 1 star for the massage that was included with the pedicure. Although it wasn’t the best foot massage I have ever received while getting a pedicure, it was decent.
After about 1.5 weeks, my toes looked terrible. When I get a great pedicure, my toes look great for about 3 weeks. Not the case here.
So all together 3 stars.
No, I don’t think I will be going back to this place.

I got wind that I passed a really difficult exam mid-​morning, so I decided to treat myself to a pedi at lunch. I called LACQUER and they said they had an available spot if I came in immediately… so I did, and then I waited 25 mins there.
First of all, this nail salon is beautiful, and they have spent a lot of money building it out to look like a boutique. Exposed ceilings, Coco Chanel quotes on canvas, offering you infused water or wine, plenty of magazines. It is a cute place and very fitting with the posh warehouse district vibe; gold black and white classy décor. but personally I am a little tired of the overdone «keep your standards high and your heels higher» quotes.
I grabbed a magazine and prepared for relaxation… my pedicurist was a little too talkative and I felt like I had to continue the conversation so I didn’t get to read my magazine. I didn’t necessarily want to spend an hour making small talk with a lady (albeit she was very sweet) but it is what it is.
The pedicure was nice but not worth it, $ 40 later and I had a chipped nail the next day.
They have a wonderful selection of polishes and I may give them another chance if I need a downtown fix… but only if I really NEED to.

Everyone here is very friendly. The prices are reasonable and they were very accommodating when we had to change our appointment to the next day. The space is beautiful — very clean, posh, without the hoity toitiness some salons have. They have a good selection of nail polish and it felt like more of a spa experience than just any mani/​pedi place. Everything was well designed.
The quality of the pedicure though spans a wide range. I went with a friend and her pedi was pretty different from mine, but we both paid the same price. Hers was also about 10 minutes longer than mine, which makes a difference considering that you’re paying for a relaxing service. My friend got a lot more attention paid to her feet and her pedicure was more thorough than mine for sure. The basic steps were the same, but depending on your pedicurist/​manicurist you’ll get different treatments. So be vigilant when you get your treatment to make sure you get everything that’s supposed to be included.
My pedicure was okay, but it certainly wasn’t the best. My feet didn’t feel as clean and «tidy» as they usually do after a pedi to be honest. We got the classic pedicure for $ 35.

5 Stars for atmosphere. It’s really lovely. Unfortunately almost everything else was terrible.
My friend was getting married 3 days after her birthday and I wanted to organize a girls evening including manicures for her. My usual manicure place (Milk & Honey) was booked so I did some research and found Lacquer.
Firstly, making reservations was a bit of a nightmare. I called to make the appointments and was told that I needed to talk to Laura. Laura wasn’t in so I left a message with my contact info. I didn’t hear back so after waiting 3 days I called again. This time I was able to talk to Laura. Laura was very nice and explained that they required some paperwork and a 20% deposit for a group.
I filled out the paper work and didn’t hear back about when our appointments would be. I saw the deposit charge had gone through so I called again just to find out when to tell the other ladies to be at the salon. I’m not sure who I spoke to this time, but the woman first told me that I didn’t have appointments and then that I did, but that I would have to talk to Laura about what time they were.
I would expect anyone who answers the phone to have the ability to look up appointment times, but maybe this isn’t the case…
We arrived the day of and over all the experience was nice although a little awkward. Laura had suggested that we bring champagne and snacks. I arrived with a cold bottle of champagne and cupcakes which I had to awkwardly schlep around the salon. No one offered to take them for me.
We all had a nice time mostly because we all put a good face on things and not because of the staff. The staff seemed disorganized and tense with one another. One of the girls also wanted to get a pedicure, but was told we didn’t have time. We were the only party in the salon. So that felt odd.
Before leaving I noticed that one of my nails was rough and that there was a thread or hair or something in the polish on one of my nails. I thought this was annoying since I got gel and would have to deal with it for 3 weeks.
Well, I shouldn’t have worried about that! My gel manicure is 1 week old and the polish is flaking off like crazy. I always get gel and they normally stand up to a beating. I haven’t even been rough on my nails.
WORST OF ALL the bride had two whole nails of polish pop off the day of the wedding! This was 3 days after her GEL manicure.
I was so embarrassed that I booked the appointments at Lacquer.
For $ 45 I would expect the manicure to at LEAST last a week.
I don’t plan to return. I would honestly prefer a refund.
Photos of my less than a week old gel manicure are included.