Cambridge Nails & Spa

I have been going to this nail salon for several years. They know me and know what I like when it comes to my manicures and pedicures. They are fast, efficient, and always do a nice job. My gel polish stays on for at least 2 weeks (sometimes longer!) The manicures and pedicures are top notch.
What I really like about this place is that no time is wasted. They understand that I value my time and make sure that I am not there any longer than I need to be. They will remove wrap gel polish remover on my fingernails while I am having a pedicure. After I leave the pedicure area they begin my manicure at the nail tables. It is relaxing.
They have a great selection of colors.
I recommend this salon because of the quality of manicures and pedicures I have had and the friendliness and efficiency. The salon is also very clean.

I’ve come here enough times to feel comfortable leaving a very good rating for this business. I have had ~2−3 pedicures here and a dozen or so gel manicures, and I’ve never been disappointed. Their work is durable and their selection is vast and kept current. My gel manicures routinely last 14 – 16 days before the first signs of a crack or chip appear, and I have very weak bendy nails so this is an accomplishment.
Additionally, they have respect for your time (not to say you’ll never have to wait, but they make an effort and seem genuine about an apology). Tip in cash like most places, there’s both a citizens and BofA ATM inside the lobby of MGH.
Oh, and there’s a bowl of Dum Dums, so on those days you’re getting your nails done to make yourself feel better, it’s a little pick me up :)

Thee ladies did an exceptional job for this out of towner. Here on business, and navigated the «T» for the first time. I had a pedicure, in which I had a nail that was very painful. They fixed me right up! Feels so much better now! Also had some old acrylics removed, and my normally long nails cut short, and a gel manicure applied. Just trying to give my hands a break. It was a process, and the young lady worked very hard. All together with all my projects $ 58 out the door. Well worth the price, considering all they both had to do. Toe hurt so bad walking in, I would have paid twice that to relieve the pain. They were very helpful gave me good directions to Whole Foods, and made for a really nice afternoon.
Thank you so much!!!

Excellent salon, extremely clean with a huge selection! They do gel pedicures which isn’t common! They also are great at waxing. Super friendly staff!

Ive been coming here since they opened for business and I love it. They do a great job, it’s not expensive, and they are very fast… that works great for me because I don’t have hours to spare. Spring for the 10 minute extra massage when you’re getting a pedi.

My mom went there while she was visiting me. She was pretty happy about it. No complaints and she said it’s relatively cheap complare to Germany. Anyway, she texted me today to tell me that she has fungus infection under one of her nails. She hasnt been to a nail salon in a long time and this is what happened. DO NOT COME HERE! Unless you want some fungus as a souvenir!

The woman who did my nails was nice and she is what earned 3 stars. However, I went to get my nails filled and I walked out with thick, lumpy acrylics. And it was 22 $ for a fill. My usual place is 17 $ and they do a good job (north end nails)
I wanted to try a new nail place, and it was a huge let down. Not going back
My nails literally have dents in them.

I work right over in the hospitals and have gone to Cambridge Nails four times. Twice I had gotten a shellac french manicure and loved it. It lasted long, they let me choose a different hued pink for the base and the line was thin (my preference. The other times I have gone there included right before Easter where I had a really cute purple shellac color and the other time was just a couple of weeks ago and I chose a pretty pastel pink. Not one chip, color application was on point, my nails grew out nicely and minimal color fading. I highly recommend going here.
The reason for the lack of one star? I have never actually had a pedicure there so I cannot accurately comment on them, but I am sure they are great. My coworker said that one time they were so busy that she was getting a pedi and then they did her mani while she was in the pedicure chair… sooooo not relaxing, however, her toes and nails looked bomb which is what its all about right? I feel like nowadays to actually have a relaxing mani and pedi (especially in the city) you might as well walk your ass to an actual spa in the city and get pampered.

Fast and efficient. I love Jennifer. They are very attentive to getting you in quickly.

It upsets me to be giving them 2 stars because a couple of years ago they were a 5 star company for me.
When I find a good nail tech I am 100% loyal to them. I had my girl there, Sarah, and she does amazing work. One of the best manicures you will ever get.
Because of their location they get a lot of walk-​ins, on top of many repeat customers because they are so good, and word of mouth travels fast on Beacon Hill.
Their problem is that they got way too busy for their own good. I would make appointments in advance for close to $ 100 worth of services, and I would get there on time to see that they took a walk in less than ten minutes before me. I’m talking pedicure appointments that take at lease 20 – 25 minutes, and so I would always have to wait.
Still I was loyal to my girl, and on top of all the money spent on services, I would give her a very generous tip each time.
She kept squeezing people in before me, getting greedy, while myself and other loyal customers would sit and wait.
The icing on the cake for me was when I got a gel manicure near my office one week (first time in over two years I went to someone else out of convenience) and she charged me $ 5.00 extra to remove the gel because she did not put it on. That is not good business. I was going there twice a month, and spending between $ 80 and $ 100.
Manicurists are a dime a dozen in Boston. Took my business elsewhere.

The only reason I give this place less than 5 stars is because it’s an socially uncomfortable place to get your nails done, but then again what nail place isn’t? I got a gel french manicure that lasted for a month without chipping. Worth every penny (which was I think around $ 40 or 4,000 pennies).

This place is terrible. I recently went for a gel manicure on a Wednesday afternoon. They were busy but said there wasn’t a wait and they could take us. I received the majority of the manicure while sitting in the little waiting area with the tools and bowl of water balanced on my lap.
If that wasn’t annoying and extremely awkward, she tried to place the UV dryer on my lap. SERIOUSLY?! At this point I was so frustrated I left the place all together, sans manicure.
Other annoyances: they took what appears to be a regular customer, who came in after me, before me. I get customer loyalty, but they just lost a customer with this pathetic service. Their motto is «clearly make as much money as possible» and I’d rather spend my money elsewhere.
Don’t bother with this place, but rather walk two blocks over to Charles St for a much better service.

Came here on a Tuesday afternoon for a mani/​pedi and it was surprisingly crowded. I was seated right away and liked that they had a TV on (always feel a bit awkward if I don’t have something to read or watch). Lots of Essie and OPI colors to choose from (there are some in the front but there’s also another wall worth in the back near the last pedi chair). Only downside was they didn’t have the color names on the Essie bottles — minor detail but usually the color names help to figure out what kind of polish it is (summery, winter, shiny, matte, etc).
Will most likely be coming back here especially with it being 2 minutes from the Red Line MGH stop.

This place is right next to my office so when I had some time to kill after work I figured I’d go in and get a manicure. Understandably for a Friday afternoon, the place was packed. Instead of saying there was going to be a wait or turning people away they sat me down and proceeded to do my manicure as I sat in a regular chair in the very crowded waiting area. It was by far the worst manicure I’ve ever received. If I wanted a mediocre (at best) manicure I would’ve done it myself. I understand they want to get in as many people as possible, but rushing is not the way to do it. I will absolutely not be back.
Do yourself a favor and go somewhere else.

Received a gift certificate from a co-​worker to Cambridge Nail and Spa. I went on a Friday, which was really busy! I had made an appointment for a mani and pedi, so I assumed I would be all set. They immediately sat me down for a pedi, which was 10 minutes long! She sat me down for my toes to get dried and then went on to see other clients. After 30 minutes of just sitting I grew in patient and asked when I would be seen? They completely forgot that I had a mani/​pedi and tried to blame me for not clearly communicating with them! I scheduled a mani/​pedi and when I came in I said mani/pedi…not sure how much clearer I needed to be. Suffice to say I don’t plan on coming back. I receive much better service on Charles Street. Avoid the headache and go somewhere else!

I’ve been here twice now for gel manicures. The first time my friend and I came here it was as walk-​ins and we were immediately seated. The service was great and the manicure lasted me 2+ weeks.
I went back yesterday with a couple of friends for a new gel manicure. Technically, I could have waited, my nails still looked great, but I wanted to change up my color.
Both times, the ladies here were very nice — fast — but very nice. They get you in and out as quickly as possible — so if you’re looking for a leisurely experience, this probably isn’t your place (at least for a mani, can’t speak to any other services they offer). They’re busy, you’re busy and they get you in and out in a flash.

Disappointing…
The place smelled strongly of garbage when we walked it. My boyfriend and I were seated immediately, though the ladies seemed to laugh at him when he said he wanted a pedicure (albeit we couldn’t understand them, so it could have been unrelated). I don’t know if the woman working on me wasn’t paying attention or if she was just genuinely having a hard time trimming my cuticles, but she cut me and continued to poke at it after I said it was painful times. I finally asked her to leave it as it was just getting worse and worse. From that point, the rest of the pedicure was very rushed. The massage was the BARE minimum — seriously less than 1 minute total — before she hastily applied paint and asked me to move. I’m disappointed because I have wanted to try Cambridge Nails for a long time due to its convenient location, but I’ve never had a less relaxing pedicure in my life.

I went to this nail salon today for a gel manicure and I had a great experience! The nail tech was very careful with my manicure and gel polish application. Hand massage with lotion was very relaxing and she cleaned my nails again after applying lotion to my hands. The gel manicure is a bit pricey ($ 30) but it was worth it. I will be returning again to Cambridge Nails and Spa.

I use Unilocal almost religiously to find places to go… so I figured I should start paying it back with reviews. I used Unilocal to find Cambridge Nails & Spa, and my first appointment was pretty good. They talked me into my first gel manicure, which I loved and they did an amazing job, BUT it ended up ruining my nails. They are now little stumps that I am working on growing back. My friend had a gel manicure there with me and hers started chipping the next day, which isn’t supposed to happen. Plus I felt sort of tricked into the fact you have to come back to take it off. If you get another manicure with them they don’t charge you for the removal even though they charge more for the gel manicure upfront than other places!
Bottom line with this place is that the more I went the more I disliked it. I started thinking it was a little less clean than I first thought and they really don’t spend the time I would like them to. If you are pinched for time and this is a get in and out mani/​pedi then its great but forget any relaxation. There is little foot massaging during the pedi and its always so busy you are around a ton of people and they want to get you out fast.
I’ve started going to another place.

I have been going to Tina, and while I have been quite happy with her, my nails haven’t quite lasted as long as Tara C.‘s have, though they certainly last awhile! On average, they have lasted about a week without having to be completely redone, and three days without a chip.
Tina is very precise and does not just go through the motions. She is very careful when fixing cuticles, and that’s a huge deal — to me, that’s the tell-​tale sign of someone who knows what they are doing and does it well.
The better colors are in the back by the last pedicure station — don’t just look at the colors in the front. It’s best to make an appointment, though they do accept walk-​ins.