Ban Sabai

Wow. I haven’t had such a mediocre experience at a nail salon. I called ahead to see if they took walkins because I had some time to kill before picking up my boyfriend at Comicon. The woman who picked up seems legitimately annoyed at the inquiry. It’s a legit question, though right? Like half of all salons take walk-​ins and the rest don’t, right? Anyway she was hesitant but said I could come on in. So 2 minutes later I’m there in front of a sign on the door that says to take your shoes off and leave them at the door. Okayyy, then… so the girl opens the door and ushers me inside rolling her eyes when I ask if I should take my shoes off-​she says no… so why the sign? Whatever.
As I sit down, I start to wonder why the hesitation to accept a walk-​in? Because there is literally not one customer there but there were 2 employees, one of which was laying on the floor in the back playing what sounded like some kind of action packed video game. It’s not like they were busy cleaning or anything either because the place was kinda dirty. The girl who did my nails was clearly annoyed that I was there and she rushed through the manicure-​it turned out nice for how fast it was so if you’re looking for a quick no frills manicure it’s ok but no arm or shoulder massage and pretty lame excuse for even the hand massage. But my nails look good.

This is the Second time I’ve come to this salon. It has taken my old nail place’s spot in my heart. They aren’t super talkative, but that’s a plus in my book. I got the deluxe pedi with little floral designs. Brought a pic on my phone to show them. If you feel like they are not buffing a callus, just tell them. I figured it’s hard to tell with gloves on. Place is always spotless and relaxing.
My opi gel pedi from last time lasted three weeks and was still going strong. Just got sick of the color.
Thanks so much!!!

I don’t know who wrote these previous reviews… I’m not one to complain unless it’s really bad the deluxe pedi doesn’t have callus removal like other said. The foot scrub is for one minute and the girl rubbed SO SOFTLY it was literally pointless. I have to go home and use a pumice and do it myself. Took 20 mins, not 45 mins. The place is junky & the leather is all ripped off the chairs and the stuffing is coming out. There are nail holes in the walls w wires running out & the massage chairs suck. I was bouncing all over the place and obvious I needed help turning the chair off. Their dryers are from 1955. You have to enter with your shoes left unattended in the hallway outside and the floors are dirty. No parking like stated

Love these guys. I get a mani/​pedi MAYBE twice a year, for special occasions such as my birthday or vacations. I’ve always been happy with the service and the outcome. On Friday I went here for a Deluxe Pedi and a gel manicure. My tech was a young man named Tin. He did an excellent job on both services, he was quick and friendly. On Saturday I noticed that two of my fingernails had chipped, and the edges were already wearing down, so on Sunday I called and Lina scheduled a time for me to come back in, no questions asked. I went back in Monday morning, and Tin redid my gel manicure for free. Turns out it was just crappy polish, and he recommended I go with the OPI. I chose a beautiful nude, sparkly color, he re-​did my manicure, and I was out and on my way within an hour. He was warm and friendly, worked quickly, and didn’t make me feel awkward about complaining (unlike some other salons I’ve visited). I will definitely be returning!

My search for a nail salon has been a bit of a disaster until I found Ban Sabai. I tried Daisy Nail for a while, then Honey, then Nail Images (all in the Minneapolis area). All of which were almost indistinguishable from one another. They’re all dirty, the tools come out in a cloud of previous customers’ nail dust, the service is nothing to speak about… I even found fungus under my acrylic nail after removing the polish. A friend of mine recommended Ban Sabai and I won’t be going anywhere else. The facility is *very* clean, aesthetically pleasing, smells great (you’re not stepping into an overwhelming cloud of toxicity), all of the tools come out of a sanitation machine right before they’re used on your nails, and the technicians are friendly and do a fabulous job. They don’t offer acrylics as they are extremely harmful to your nail (as I was explained), but their skill with gel makes it so that even the frailest nails such as my own have a chance to grow. Keep in mind that they do have parking in the back, it’s not super clearly advertised (or maybe I’m just not very observant) but don’t feel as if you need to pay for parking like you do for most shops in Uptown! Love Ban Sabai, will be returning regularly. :)

I had the best experience here. I made a reservation online for a deluxe pedicure because my feet were bordering on hobbit-​looking. They needed professional help. I was the only one in on a Sunday afternoon. They took meticulous care of my feet.
They carry OPI polish almost exclusively. They didn’t have a bunch of magazine around which is fine. I brought the Economist (what? they send me one every week. I have trouble catching up). A little less than an hour later, I had normal human looking feet again. I’ll be back!

I had high hopes, but my «deluxe» pedicure was really rushed. There was only 1 other person in the salon when I got there. It probably only lasted 15 minutes total. I don’t think that I got the seaweed wrap, at least not one that I’ve ever had before… it was just hot towels. Every aspect of the massage/​treatment lasted just 30 seconds to a minute. The pedicurist seemed nice but rushed and not very social. I wasn’t offered a manicure or other services after. At least the pedicure turned out well but I would try a different place next time.

I always go here for pedicures, and have a wonderful experience each time. The deluxe is worth every penny. They prefer you call and ahead and book your appointment, especially since there are only four chairs in the shop. The shop itself is very clean and sunny

Tried the deluxe pedicure and the nail color lasted for 2 months + ! I was surprised! Other pedicures I’ve had done at other salons, usually chipped within a week or 2.
I enjoy the quietness of the place, and I’m glad I’m not forced to be chatty with the staff if I don’t want to be. I’m not a big talker when I’m getting manicures, pedicures, hair cuts, –I’d rather just relax and zone out, so this was perfect.
There’s only 4 spots for pedicures, so, perhaps not the best choice if you’re planning on going in a huge group.

The staff was really pleasant, but my pedicure did not last long. It’s close to home, so I would consider going back.

Maybe I caught them on an off day, but this salon seemed very uninviting! Perhaps you should call ahead for an appointment for a better experience, or maybe they offer a deluxe version I wasn’t offered.
Here is my story: My friend and I wanted to have some girl time, so we stopped in based on the good reviews to get pampered and out of the rain. Upon walking in there is a weird sign to ring a doorbell and take of your shoes. The lady opened the door and asked if she could help me and I was like: yes, is this a nail salon? We are looking to get our nails done. She asked if we had an appointment and I said no, is it appointment only? She replied with no, then just opened the door said gel or reg and pointed at the nail polish. It started off fairly cold but somewhat normal. As the experience went on it became even more unpleasant though. They had a sad infomercial playing on tv with no music and awkward silence. No one smiled or said anything to me and it was all extremely robotic. All she did was just clipped my cuticles, harshly cut and filed my nails, then pointed and me to go wash my hands (didn’t help when I couldn’t get the paper towel holder to work just kept yelling at me to grab the bottom part… like can you just help me and hand me a paper towel or something) then when I got back she asked me to pay her (I usually tip at the end in cash, so maybe she was even more rude after this because I didn’t tip right then?) then she just slathered some lotion on my hands and she told me to go sit at the dryer and made me awkwardly give her my hands back and forth over the dyer as she quick painted them then said sit here for two cycles and left.
That was it. No pamper, no fun, nothing. I have never had a manicure without some sort of hot towel, sea scrub, massage, paraffin wax dip, etc.
Maybe they have a deluxe package they offer or something, but honestly I don’t know why they would even offer less. My experience was horrible. If I just want polished slapped on my nails in a non spa like atmosphere, I can do that at home for free.

A wonderful overall experience. My mother was in town and wanted to do a daughter-​mom date for nails [we both had deluxe pedicures and a manicure]. I had never gotten my nails done in Minneapolis before but I’d seen the little waterfall out front a few times before. I would certainly return! The service is great– very friendly, efficient, chatty but not intrusive– the chairs are super comfortable, and the pricing is very reasonable [almost too reasonable for the super long hours that they’re putting in].

Are there more stars? Pretend there are. This gets like 10 stars. I read these reviews at least a year ago and the «hidden gem» thing stuck out to me. Today was my birthday and I FINALLY got to go there and get a pedicure, which I direly needed.
That’s coming from a girl who didn’t own any purses whatsoever until she was like 23.
Not only did they do a STELLAR job on my feet, but the women working there were kind and had wonderful senses of humor. I love the feel of the place – very casual but high quality work/​product.
Every moment was fantastic. They even have massage chairs – GOOD ones.
I’m not going to wait 7 years for my next pedicure, and I’m never going anywhere else.

Literally, out of the 5 other salons I’ve gone to, THIS is the only place that knows how to do a gel manicure! Every other place sloppishly painted my cuticles so when my nails grew, the gel would rip the cuticles out and the polish would peel up. The girl who did my nails painted them perfectly; she definitely seemed to know what she was doing.
They have a good variety of gel colors, and have my favorite color (Dutch tulips) most importantly :) I am pretty sure you’d need an appointment; they are a pretty small place and only had 2 girls working on a Saturday @ noon. Also, they are super friendly which adds to the experience of course.
I’m so so happy that I finally found a good nail salon!

What I got: gel manicure & deluxe gel pedicure
I was feeling the need to pamper myself so I did a Unilocal search and Ban Sabai seemed like the perfect place to go!
The deluxe pedicure is totally worth it if your needing a little extra tlc. The chair has a built in massager and you can just relax while your feet and legs are completely pampered,
The actual paint job for my pedi was absolutely perfect. No bubbles or uneven edges. I chose «Cajun shrimp» by OPI gel.
My manicure was much quicker – not much pampering there, but the paint looks lovely. The same no bubbles or uneven edges. I chose «passion» by OPI gel for my mani.
It was decently priced for everything I got, though I won’t do all of it every month.
I’m very pleased with my experience and I will be returning.

This place is indeed a hidden gem! They were very accommodating and extremely precise with scheduling. The nail tech lady was a perfect combination of friendly and professional: starting conversations without coming off as nosy. She also was pretty quick without compromising the quality of her work. I have often had negative experiences when it comes to Nail Spas in the Cities, involving amateur nail tech wannabes, ridiculously overpriced services and crappy quality of work altogether. This is the first time in the 3 years that I’ve been in the metro area where I walked out of a Nail Spa feeling completely satisfied with the service I paid for. AND it was very decently priced too! I only have one tip for future customers: When you call to make an appointment, make sure you are calling the Nail Spa at 612−870−0404. The number they have enlisted on the Unilocal page over here is for the Therapeutic Massage section, which I will probably be coming back to try out very soon :)

I hail from the land of 19 dollar pedicures, so I am usually sticker shocked when I get my nails done in Minnesota. I was expecting to shell out 30 dollars for a basic pedicure in Uptown. I was surprised to learn that Ban Sabai’s pedicures start at just 25 and you can get a deluxe pedicure with all the extra frills for just 10 dollars more. I got the deluxe pedicure and it was the MOST THOROUGH pedi I’ve ever had. I highly recommend getting the 5 dollar callous removal add-​on, which was included in the deluxe pedi. My feet are softer than they have been in years!
I was coming off of a big dancing weekend during which a dance partner stepped on my toe, cracking it down the middle. I was worried they were going to cut it into an odd shape or just tell me to leave it alone (impossible). My technician, Lina, actually gave me a gel pedi on just my one broken nail for no extra charge. Now, you can’t even tell it was split! I was very impressed with her ingenuity and dedication to providing good service.
Ban Sabai gets 5 stars because they went above and beyond to help me!

This is a review for the nail side of the business, the massage side, well, seems a bit let’s say unclear to me.
The nail salon is great, though. You have to get buzzed in (why? don’t know, don’t care) and you leave your shoes in the hall. When I walked in, the first thing I noticed is that it’s CLEAN. Sunny because of all the windows but SO FRESH AND SO CLEAN CLEAN. This makes me happy.
They don’t have enough polish and gel polish colors (more neutrals than you’ll ever know what to do with…) to choose from but you won’t be debating all of the fuschias for hours.
The staff there are so so so friendly. They make real small talk with you (there’s a difference!) and the last time I was there she was able to accommodate my request to change my appointment completely and get me out of there in time to make it to another appointment.
And the best thing is that they aren’t overpriced like other nail places in Uptown, don’t charge you to pay with a credit card and will let you tip on your card if you have to. It’s worth saying that tipping in cash is always preferable, of course, but if you don’t have enough or none at all, you can always leave your gratuity on your card.
Pro tip: call and make an appointment. Their buzzer system makes it kind of hard to just walk-​in.

I almost don’t want to write a well-​deserved glowing review of this nail salon because I feel like it’s my little secret. However, these nail artists are too good (and cheap) not to share my jubilation at finding a nail salon that will be part of my regular rotation!
This place is not only reasonable priced, but the ladies are incredibly nice and my nails always look perfect. The last time that I was in, I did a pedicure that removed calluses (totally worth the extra money, though I won’t do it every time) and the Shellac manicure. My nails are still absolutely perfect 2 weeks later, despite washing dishes and typing on a computer all day for work. I am completely chip-​free and expect that it will remain that way until I go in for my next appointment.
I usually make appointments on a whim and am always able to get in that same day. I LOVE THIS PLACE!

I had noticed this place driving around Uptown and finally went in for a pedicure. It’s a little strange to be buzzed in in broad daylight on a safe and busy street.
The place was completely empty and there was one staff member who was minimally, and I mean minimally communicative. It’s nice to not have the pressure to make small talk when getting a pedicure but the staff member who worked on me did not say a word except when I asked her a question. It was a bit too impersonal for me. The salon is clean, like other reviewers have mentioned.
The pedicure went rather quickly so it didn’t give me a feeling of getting a relaxing service. Afterwards, while I was drying my toes, another customer came in and when settling down, she was offered a choice of beverages! So I guess service is not consistent.
Perhaps I will give this place another try, not sure why or if I should.