Tropical Nails & Spa

No joke — worst mani and pedi ever! The lady doing my fingernails should find an alternative line of work. Her touch was terrible, practically had me writhing in pain during the hand massage — she was squeezing so tight she was leaving red streaks down my forearm, ouch! Absolute crappiest polish ever, I think my dog could have done a better job. She simply slapped on the polish with absolutely no care or attention — my nails look so fake I need to book an appointment at another salon and have them redone. There is an abundance of salons in Lake Forest so try any other but Tropical Nails!

Don’t go here.
I’m never coming back.
They had trouble applying gels to my 2 big toe nails, then when I said I had to go and would come back the next day, they blamed me for choosing a gel that was thick!
The next day a different woman scolded me to keep my foot flat when they put the UV light on or else it won’t dry… again blaming me for their failure. They had to redo one of them and when they finally finished fixing my 2 big toe nails, she told me that next time I shouldn’t choose that color! I told them they should remove it but of course they ignored me.
She was very rough with me when removing the polish… I bled a little from the filing.
Please see picture of the final result. Very sloppy job.

Been there twice and first time i got full set/​white tip with pink and she ended up doing white tip with clear powder. It wasn’t what i wanted at all. I would of spent the extra $ 10 getting white and pink powder. The nails only lasted a week and a half when they started falling off. When they did come off my nails were sooooo damaged! I get acrylics every other month and they never looked this bad after coming off. I gave them benefit of the doubt and went again to Rosie who was suppose to be good. I told her what I wanted and while i was getting my nails done kept reminding her of how i wanted my nails to look. She did whatever she wanted. Three days go by and the sides of my nails started lifted. This really made me upset. I went back 3 days after i got a brand new full set and told her my complaints. She filled them down within 20 mins. They looked like 3 week grown out nails. Its been 9 days since i got a full set and they look like complete $hi*! I will never go back there. Acrylic nails should last 2 weeks. This place is a waste of money.
Update: over two months later my nails are still completely damaged! They are still thin and weak. I get hang nails at least 3x a week. I haven’t gotten my nails done ever since. I have been taking biotin and using nail treatments 2−3x a week! I am not over exaggerating. It’s hard to do some tasks with my own damaged nails! :(I can’t even open a can of soda!

I cheated on Rose once and I’ll never do it again! She by far does the best nails I’ve ever had! I got fills for 6 months and never got a fungus my sets would last up to 4 weeks and I’m a hair dresser so my hands are always wet! I use to work close by and now I drive 20 min just to come see her.

Decided to treat myself after final exams. Minor price increase for silk wrap services (+$ 5), nothing major… Still reasonable for the work they put in. Great place. Always love coming here

I’ve been coming here a few times and this has been my second bad experience at this salon. Today’s experience was the worst and the reason I would never return.
I went in for a pedicure and from the moment I walked in, one of the technicians gave me an attitude. Instead of asking me to bend my legs or soak them in the tub like a normal human being… she would rudely shove them in the water and apply pressure to bend my leg. I just sat there quietly for 45 mins afraid of what this lady was going to do next. She did a sloppy job on my pedicure and gave me unnecessary attitude throughout the process.
My previous experience with this salon has never been THIS bad. This technician wasn’t communicating with the other women in the salon either. I get that people have bad days but, there is no reason for her to take it out on her customers. If you’re selling the salon experience, treat your customers right or get out of the service industry.

I love Tropical Nails and Spa! After moving back to Lake Forest after college, I wanted to find a nail place that I really liked and this place fit the bill. I always walk in and have never waited more than a few minutes to get seated. I’ve gone during the week after work and the weekend (usually on a Sunday). They always do a great job on my nails and toe nails. I also received a punch card and you get a free pedicure after so many visits (I think it’s 8 times). The salon is clean too. The only thing I could think to improve is to have better nail dryers. They only have little mini fans. However, it’s not’s a deal breaker for me so I will continue to go.

I came in for a gel manicure and regular pedicure. They told me to sit in the chair and put my feet in the water with the jets on until someone was available. Well, it kind of took forever and when the younger lady came to do my pedicure, she said my feet were wrinkly. You think? At least, the pedicure turned out okay.
The older lady who did my mani, however, was a different story. Everything that could go wrong, went wrong. For real, for real. She started off removing my old gel polish, and instead of lightly filing it and soaking it in acetone, foil and cotton balls like you are supposed to, she FILED 90% of the polish off my nails. Number one, that freaking hurts! Number 2, it ruins your nails! Does this lady even have a license? And she does such a sloppy job. She drenches each finger in acetone that it is pouring out of the foil. What the heck for since most of my polish had been filed off already…
Anyway, so I had already come in with one broken nail. She assumed that I wanted my nails long and did not cut them. I asked her to make them the same length as the broken nail. Instead of cutting them, she filed them all. She just loves that file, I tell yah. But they were obviously not the same length. I’m not very picky, but it was so obvious. When I showed her which fingers were not the same length by putting them side by side, she fixed them. Then a couple of minutes later, she tells a co-​worker next to her IN VIETNAMESE that I was a nuisance because I was measuring each fingernail. Uh hellooooo, when you talk crap on a customer, make sure they are not Vietnamese and understand Vietnamese! Unbelievable. I was so shocked and thought about saying something back to her, but like Elsa, I let it go. Then her co-​worker said to her in Vietnamese that last time a customer complained that she filed someones nails so hard that it bled. No surprise there. Apparently they didn’t know I was Vietnamese because they kept yacking. I know how Anjelah Johnson feels now. Its true (at least with this salon), they do talk about you. Not behind your back but in front of your face!
My mani came with a quick arm massage where they put lotion on your arms and massage it. They normally bring a hot towel after to wipe your arm down. The lady asked if I wanted to wipe my arm down and I said yes expecting the hot towel. She then used the dirty towel that was used when she was removing my polish (which had polish, my filed nails, and aceton all over it) to wipe down my arms. Are they kidding?
I chose this black OPI gel polish and she was polishing my nails and did not know for some reason, the bottle needed to be shaken pretty much after polishing every finger or else it would come out looking like a milky light gray instead of black. I’ve never seen that happen before and apparently, neither has she because she was on the fourth coat of polish thinking that it would turn black but it did not. By the time she figured it out, I was exhausted.
Also, they brought out bottled water to the lady next to me but I didn’t get any. Why? I still tipped them because I’m so nice. I will never come back though. GOOT BYE.

What a crappy place to go to! I received a pedicure gift card in the amount of $ 18 to go here for Christmas and so I came. I sat down asking for a pedicure and in the middle of my pedicure they started doing my manicure that I never asked for. By the time that I realize that they were doing a manicure and not just some type of ham massage included with a spa pedicure it was too late. They now have me on the hook for $ 30 for a manicure and pedicure and then something to remove the dead skin off of my feet on the heels which is normally part of a standard spa pedicure, they charge an additional five dollars. Mind you, I was left walking out with lots of rough dry skin on my heel still after the additional five dollars and the full pedicure. The total for my visit was $ 35 to which I gave them 43 to include a tip and they handed me back 8 dollars. I guess they didn’t want to tip. They also looked at my gift certificate and passed around as if looking to see if it was a fake, it was pretty ridiculous. When I express my dissatisfaction with my heel still being rough as this is never been a problem at Star nails or even do my own pedicure at home, I was told that I just have very thick skin on my heels even though I’m rather young. Well it seems others have better experiences at this location, I will not be coming back. I do not support establishments that enslaved workers, but I was simply trying to use up a gift certificate from a relative. Karma obviously caught up with me on this one going against my beliefs, because this was a super crappy experience and waste of my hour.

Great prices for the quality they provide! All the ladies are very sweet and hardworking. They always treat me like family, and it has made me a loyal customer.

I’ve been here several times over the last two years. This salon has been in my rotation as I’ve been comparing services and prices around Orange County salons, and the last visit was disappointing. It is most likely that I won’t return.
My spa pedicure was sloppy from start to finish. My toe nails were cut and filed so high and tight that my feet looked weird with way more skin exposed around the nails than normal. I came to get my nails done on ⁴⁄₂₁ leading up to a big week of events, and my feet looked so strange because of this pedicure that I wore close-​toed shoes to every event to hide it. I shouldn’t have tipped the woman who did my pedicure, but I was just trying to make my peace, shake it off, and get out of there.
The gel manicure I got was also of poor quality all around. The color was applied unevenly, and I could see the light and dark splotches at arm’s length. My nails were filled totally square when I never asked for that. I lost a lot of length because the technician decided to pick my nail shape for me. I asked her to round the sharp corners and it made the final result livable, but it wasn’t what I wanted originally and it didn’t look ideal with the color I had already picked. The wear was decent, but not amazing. I didn’t want to take it off before I was ready to go get a new manicure because I usually break a nail when they’re bare, so I purposely maintained it for 20 days. For the last 4 or 5 days, though, the edges were all curling up. It was really annoying, but I only chipped one corner in the end, so I’m glad that I dealt with it.
I also want to mention that the manicurist nicked my left ring finger twice and gave me a dirty look when I flinched the second time. I really can’t stand it when a technician cuts me, because hands are exposed to so much every day. If you do cut a paying customer, apologize and disinfect it and don’t do it again. Keep your attitude professional and get out of a service-​oriented field if it pains you to be gentle or kind.

I went in for a mani and pedi today with callus removal. Other places I’ve gone rush through and usually leave some calluses on the soles of my feet. They made sure to remove them all and made sure I had time to stay. I am very satisfied with the service and I won’t go anywhere else. They are awesome here!

Decided to give my nails a little life before I went back home to the east coast. The lady who did my nail was super friendly and nice. Her name was Tina, she did an amazing job and did EXACTLY what I asked her to do through some photos and ideas I threw around to her.

Will no longer go here in spite of great location next to the carwash. I had been going in and overlooked a lot because of the location but 2 weeks ago went in for mani/​pedi after long week of work. One of my best girlfriends happened to be there in the chair next to me. The manicurist was so loud and rude that I could not have a conversation with someone sitting right next to me. She was ripping on my cuticles and then gouging me with her long spiky nails to where I had scratch marks. I said something to the owner and she said she would not give me that manicurist anymore.
I went in a week later to have a polish change and sure enough got the same manicurist with the long nasty nails. She did not look at me a single time. Then when I was checking out I did not have cash and needed to put it on my ATM, well that did it. The owner then got rude with me. Really people? I have been going there for close to a year and am an excellent tipper. I guess they don’t need my business. Will be looking for new salon.

Ok I had to update my previous review and give the full five stars for my visit yesterday. I had a gel manicure done (my second time ever having one, the first was ehh and turned out so-​so for WAY too much money.) I paid half as much ($ 25) for a full set of gels with removal of the old set, and they turned out FLAWLESS. I can’t stop looking at my hands! The lady (why did I not ask her name?!) helped me pick a translucent pink that looks very natural, and they are shaped so nicely and so shiny — they look perfect. I couldn’t be happier. Total cost for the set, plus a pedicure with French polish — $ 58.

A great find! After reading tons of Unilocal reviews to find an affordable yet quality nail salon in OC, I decided to try Tropical Nails and I’m so glad I did! I came here on a Sunday around 11am and was immediately greeted with a warm welcome and sat for a mani and pedi. They also gave me an ice cold bottle of water which was a great touch!
Now, I hadn’t gotten a pedicure in at least six months so my feet were a bit, um, rough. The lady giving me a pedicure took her time and really cleaned them up… I’m feeling much more lady like now with my pretty feet :-)
Cost: $ 30 for a mani/​pedi plus $ 5 for callus remover. Not bad for OC!
Oh! They have a great color selection and wide variety of polish brands: OPI, Essie, and more.
I also really like the punch card — after eight pedicures, you’ll get a free pedi. Nice! I’m all about a good deal when it’s accompanied by good service. I’ll be back!

Pretty decent, run-​of-​the-​mill nail salon. I came here on a Sunday morning at 10:30 AM and there were only 2 people working and they were busy so they asked me to come back in half an hour. I agreed to get my car washed at the car wash in the same plaza first and then return.
They got me set up — and handed me a bottle of water. The water was WAY too hot putting my feet in but the woman adjusted them and all was good. They give you what you want and use clean instruments from the bag. I personally go to the nail salon just to get my pedicure and get in and out as quickly as possible — I’m not much of a spa person so for the $ 23 I paid (it’s $ 18 plus $ 5 for flowers on my feet) I was content with the service.
If you’re here at a busy time I’d recommend making an appointment or be willing to wait. Note that they do prefer cash for tips.

Two stars because I got my French nails done two days ago and the top coat is already peeling off along with the French nail paint. Very disappointed! Also I’ve noticed that the owner keeps interrupting while I was still in session. So rude! For those who want a professional nail service stay far, far, far away!

I love this quaint little spot and it helps that its right by my office. Rose gives you exactly what you want every time, and she is the example of a professional. everytime I go there the equipment is freshly opened out of a sterile bag, which I really like a lot. helen is also great, they are all perfectionists here. I love the punch card and I got my first free pedicure today. I am a customer for life!

Picked this place because it’s close to home. They were fast and efficient. The lady who did my manicure was nice and meticulous. The woman who did my pedicure left a little less to be desired. I don’t know why but my big toe is bumpy. I could’ve said something and I’m almost positive they would have fixed it without much complaint. I would go again.