Westwood Nails

This place, being so close to home, was ideal for cleaning up for prom the next day. Mani/​pedi for $ 18? Awesome deal for a good job and super sweet technician (Lynn or Jan? I can’t remember, sorry). The shop is small and nothing fancy but clean. At 5 on a Friday it was a quick experience and they were happy to let me move my appointment up a day. I will for sure be back!

I never take the time to do reviews but this place was SO bad that I had to warn others. Do not waste your time going here! It is very dirty, unsanitary, and they have no idea what they are doing. When I first walked in I noticed how dirty the place was. Everything is old and out dated. That speaks volumes for a nail salon as cleanliness demonstrates quality in this industry. The nail polish colors were very limited and looked old and crusty. I should have trusted my gut instinct and walked out then. I had previously called to see if they knew how to do stiletto or coffin shaped nails and the lady lied and said yes. I asked the same question again when I arrived and the lady said yes again. She proceeds to glue on the nail which were different lengths and sizes, some round at the base and some pointy at the base. They weren’t fitted correctly so they kept popping off. Then even after I showed her a picture of what I wanted she cut them way to short. I repeatedly asked her if she knew how to shape stiletto nails and she kept saying yes but clearly she didn’t by the way she cut them. I told her I don’t want to waste my time nor yours so o think we should stop here. I will pay you for glueing on these horrible nails (no acrylic was even applied yet) and she said ok $ 10 dollars. I was thinking a couple of dollars not $ 10 for wasting my time. I was outraged! The owner came over looked at my nails and said she would try to fix them but that they were cut to short already. I said you know what just forget it and got up and walked out. Now I’m stuck with tip nails on my nails and wasted 30 mins of my time. DO NOT GO HERE BY ANY MEANS!!!

HORRIBLE EYEBROW JOB
So disappointed with this place, don’t ever come to do eyebrows here, this people are amateurs.

Worst ever.
First off? THE STENCH OF FUMES! How can anyone work let alone breathe in here? ZERO ventilation.
Rushed, had to ask her to file my nails, she didn’t put polish on evenly, had to ask her to clean up the edges (she didn’t), then made me dig through my purse to pay cash only. WTF? Never again.

Wish I could give this place less than one star. Worst manicure I’ve ever received. First of all, the polish selection is like a yard sale. Old gooey looking random brand polishes. I’ll let the photo of my nails say it all. My manicurist (Jan) insisted I was ready and done drying.

i got the worst manicure of my life here. one of the nails fell off an hour after i left. you could see exactly where the acrylic stopped and where my nail started. they were two different colors. half of them were put on crooked. some were square, some were rounded, and all were different sizes. had seriously ten friends laugh at me and asked if i attempted to do my nails myself and my thumbs were such different sizes that a random girl asked to look at them bc she thought i tried to paint my nails imitating a french manicure bc one fell off (no, the acrylic was still on that is just how she did them). there was nail polish all over my fingers as well. i kept them for two days and went to karen’s nails and got them redone. showed karen and she asked if i tried to fix them myself bc they were so bad. karen proceeded to give me a great manicure. they are so pretty i cant stop looking at them. this place might be good for manicure but not acrylics.

I’m sorry but no, I was/​am not a happy customer.
It was a day before the Valentine’s Day, and since I’ve been looking for a new nail salon, I thought I’ll try this place. But, unless you have 2 or 3 hours to do a mani-​pedi, and wouldn’t mind waiting while they serve other customers who walked in after you.
The address is not correct, so I went to a wrong place (it’s located on the South side of Pico, next to the mall, a Japanese restaurant.) Although I went in to a wrong place first, I had a good enough time to make it by my appointment, 5PM. As I walked in, there are about 4 customers and only 2 ladies were working. But since it was my first time there, I thought someone will start.
As I walked in, I said «I have an appointment at 5PM» and they said «Oh ok, pick a color.»
I’ve waited about 15 min to be seated. Finally they told me to sit, then a lady brought a footpath to soak my feet in. Another 15 min past, a new customer walked in, and she said «is it OK for you to wait?» I said «well, my appointment was 5pm and I’ve been waiting since then.» Then, she said «You can go if you want to.» It was a day before the Valentine’s day, my feet were soaked in the bubble bath, and it was past 5:30PM, so I stayed.
Finally the nail lady came and did my pedicure. It was a very quick, easy job. I have ingrowth toe nails which were hurting me a bit. I told her about it, but it was another quick, easy, just want to get it down with kind of job. She didn’t even bother to buff my nails. When I asked her, she said «do you want to?» If you are professional and making money out of your job, then you don’t say such things.
After my feet was done, she went to work on another customer. After 10 min past, she came back and did my fill. It was the worst, fast ‘n easy job I’ve ever had. The nail polish was all smeared and polish was on my couple of fingers. I had to ask her to clean them up, not only once, but 2 or 3 times.
It’s been about a week now, but my hair gets caught up with some acrylics when I shampoo my hair, and I’m having hard time walking because of the ingrowth toe nails, which usually lasts 3 weeks.
Oh, and when I was paying her, she said «Next time, call first.»

I have had a life time of gloriously living on the edge with my nails and going to an array of nail salons, and never once having an experience to rant about. When friends and coworkers complained about nail experiences in LA (oh and there are a lot here!) I thought, perhaps I am just blessed? Perhaps I have had bad work done, and I am not discerning enough? Perhaps the Mani/​pedi Fairy Godmother watches over my shoulder? Well, perhaps today, she went on vacation…
After reading some good reviews here, I decided to make an appointment for a fill (acrylics) and a pedicure. Upon sitting down, I noticed some scuffed up buffers (used), some odd dark residue sitting in a glass meant for clean acrylic, and a towel with multiple shades of nail polish on it (either being used repeatedly on the same customers or just not getting clean in the wash, tragically I feel it was the former). I decided against the pedicure and opted for just a polish change as I wasn’t really happy with the level of cleanliness.
My manicurist was named something like Jenn (could not quite understand her as she was wearing a mask for the fumes, she wears glasses and has longer hair). She genuinely seemed to be trying to do a good job, but just was not. She only used the larger drill bit, and only buffed away at about ½ of my old acrylic towards the end of my nails, rather than the seam where my real nail meets the acrylic (the important part), she then painted very thick acrylic that leaked onto my skin in several parts. I didn’t get too worried yet, I just hoped she had a game plan for cleaning it up. When it came time to smooth things out with the drill, she unfortunately continued to only buff at about ¾ of my nail, again ignoring the area near the cuticle. She simply took a nail file to that area, and it in no way provided the smooth finish the proper drill head would.
I went to wash my hands, and I figured (and hoped!) perhaps she was just not so great with acrylics, but maybe she was amazing at painting nails and would manage to redeem her work with a really precise paint job that covered the fact that I had acrylic adhered to my cuticle and skin in some areas. I brought in a brand new bottle of nail polish, this should be easy.
Nope!
With each stroke, she never wiped the extra polish off as she took the brush out. The result was a thick coat on each nail that was spilling over onto my skin and right onto the excess acrylic, and my cuticles. She used her nail to clean up the worst areas, but many of them she left. The end product are nails that are still a bit gummy, as I type this 3 hours later. Same deal with the toes– I have nail polish on my skin still, and I just hope it kind of flakes off soon.
I feel guilty writing a negative review like this, as I know nail salons in LA are quite inexpensive (this one is no exception– very low cost!) and she certainly put effort in, but the final product resembles what my nails looked like when I was 12 and painting them myself (I am not being harsh, there is actually polish on my skin on most of my fingers and toes as I type this). Clearly, many people are happy with the service they have had here, but I can only speak for the service I just had.
Like I stated in the beginning– I grew up in LA, I’ve been daring and gone to a multitude of different nail salons my entire life, both super fancy and super inexpensive, and this was the first time I had a genuinely poorly done work. She was sweet and friendly enough, but I am truly unhappy with my nails and can’t wait to get them re-​done at one of my trusted salons.

I came here because I saw the reviews on Unilocal.I needed somewhere to go during my lunch break, as I work in Westwood. Parking was fairly easy. I parked directly across the street for $ 1 (one hour) at Starbucks. There is also easy/​accessible parking in the mall. The people working here were very friendly and extremely hospitable, moreso than I’ve experienced with other nails specialists in Los Angeles. The only criticism I’d have is that they did take a little more than an hour, which would have been okay if I didn’t have to get back to work. I was also quoted $ 15 on the phone for a mani/​pedi, but they convinced me I needed the spa mani/​pedi without informing of the cost upgrade. I think it’s nice when they inform you of the cost to upgrade, but then again, I didn’t ask. Overall, it was very relaxing and my feet/​hands look great! I would recommend this place to others, for sure.

Mary and Lynn are fantastic. I am super picky about having my nails shaped and painted perfectly and the ladies here do not disappoint! Lynn fixed 2 broken nails with silk wraps and it looks like my own natural nail. I won’t go anywhere else :) easy parking in back lot, too.

There is no better place for a gel manicure and super natural looking pedicure. I love all the ladies here, they were so sweet and gentle when handling me. I totally recommend the gel because it lasted much longer than the regular manicure. I work in the public sector so washing often is a must. I was very satisfied to see that the gel outlasted the actual growth of my nails. So, very pleased customer, tis I. BTW, parking is in the back!

Wow! Much thanks to LYNN for a great experience!
First of all, I don’t get my nails done often so I’m probably not the best person to listen to when it comes to comparisons. But of the few times I’ve gotten a pedicure, this was definitely the best. Secondly, Lynn was the only technician working when I went in, so I can’t speak for the salon other than to praise Lynn.
She was a little busy (being by herself) when I got there and apologetically asked if I could come back in an hour. No problem! I got a bite nearby and read my Kindle and came back. She immediately had my feet soaking in warm water and then did a beautiful and quick job on my nails, followed by a luxurious foot massage in which she must have put in about 10 minutes on each foot — and asked me for ten bucks!
Wow again.
Parking on Pico or free 3 hour parking in the Westside Pavilion which is a half block away.

I love Mary. And I miss her dearly! Another grad student friend of mine kept coming to school with beautifully done toes. I asked her where she went that she could afford regular pedicures.
Westwood Nails– no frills pedicure for $ 10 (as of ⁸⁄₂₀₁₁). If you’re looking for a salon experience with massaging chairs, this is not the place. If you want gorgeous nails for a super-​affordable price– well this place can’t be beat. All of the ladies who work here appear to have a really steady stream of regular customers. Although they accept walk-​ins I recommend calling in ahead of time.
As for the nail polish selection, I think it’s decent but not earth-​shattering. If you have your heart set on the newest shades, I recommend getting a cheap polish across the street at the mall before you go.
I’ve only had my nails done by Mary and she’s amazing. She remembers everyone’s name! I plan on having my nails done whenever I’m back in LA!