Golden Tree Nails & Spa

I used to come here for manis&pedis in the summer and saw that a lot of people came in for a gel mani. Gave it a try today with a girl named Ashley. She basically rushed throughout the whole process and cut me with the file. Some of the cuticles werent even cut down right. She just filed down my cuticles.

Such a great experience. Me and my bf were visiting and our feet were hurting from all the walking we were doing, so we decided to get a pedicure. I have been getting them for 15 years and this was probably the best I’ve ever had. The lady was amazing! The foot rub was long and they used hot towels and hot stones. Also got a free back rub while my toenails were drying which was amazing. And all for $ 30, which is really good for all we got and especially for NYC. We will definitely come back when we are in town again

The only nail place I go to in the city! Golden tree always does the most amazing job – I’ve never left less than thrilled. I really appreciate their free massages and reasonable prices. I get gel manicures and they last longer from here than any other of the many places I have tried. I moved across town and still make the trip to get my nails done here. I love it there!

For nails, probably the best bang for your buck in the city. Very high quality for the price point.
My only qualm is their aggressive sales mentality. They hand you a menu to trick you into spending more on services. Just ask for the regular mani or pedi, assuming that’s what you came for. You still get the scrub and massage treatment. They ask if you want quick dry, but don’t say «for extra cost» until after the fact. Also, I heard multiple nail techs telling their clients the customary tip at their salon — this made me uncomfortable. Most service businesses don’t tell their customers how to tip. Maybe they have an issue with customers leaving poor tips, in which case charge more for your services or hand the customers a receipt with «suggested tip» printed at the bottom.
In spite of the sales pressure, I will continue getting my nails done here.

I had high expectations for this place since I went for a gel manicure this past Sunday with a close friend who uses this place frequently, as well as her sister and cousin. I was very disappointed.
The first person whom took off my polish didn’t seem to know what she was doing so another woman came and took the polish off of my right hand and put on 2 gel extensions on 2 of my nails that broke earlier this week and a gel extension on my left thumb since it had chipped at an awkward angle as well. Then the first woman came again and tried to get the rest of my gel polish off and even though I had asked her to use the dremil drill to file off the gel, she instead used an old metro card and took off the gel along with the tips of my actual nails on 2 of my fingers on my left hand (the male owner actually ripped off of one of them and she did the other). I was devastated because my nails had grown significantly longer. My friend asked her manicurist to finish my manicure when she was done was hers. I was just at a loss and so upset because then when they cut my right thumb nail they chipped off an entire corner of it. So now I had to get 3 additional gel extensions which was more than I had been expecting to get. And they charge $ 10/​gel extension!!! My nail place that I normally go to only charges $ 5/​gel extension!!! AND this place had the audacity to try to talk me into getting a whole set of gel extensions which would cost me $ 100 not including charge for the polishing! I told them to fix the 3 nails that they hacked and polish me so I could go. They didn’t even push back or cut my cuticles. My friend then spoke to the owners and tried to convince them that I shouldn’t be charged the additional $ 30 to fix 3 nails that they tore off of my hand and so they only gave me a $ 15 discount.
So now less than 48hrs hours after going to this sad mistake of a nail salon, the corner of one of the gel extensions they put on me chipped off, and this gel extension is thickly laid on.
Do yourself a favor and don’t go here for gel extensions, gel manicures, or for any reason.

I love this place!!! The Spa pedicure is completely worth it!!! They include hot stones but they don’t use paraffin wax. Amazing experience!

Considering the location — the prices are VERY reasonable. Happy Hour Mon-​Th until 3 pm Meni/​Pedi $ 25 (regular $ 29). Very nice massage though packages don’t really save you much. Clean place — would go ahead.

By far the best place I’ve been to in the city. Excellent color selection and well staffed — I’ve never had to wait and am always greeted very kindly. For an extra $ 1, they’ll apply Seche Vite as the top coat, which cuts way down on dry time and makes the manicure last at least a week.
I wish they had a bit more massage built into standard manicures and pedicures as some places I’ve been to outside the city do, but overall I’m not complaining. So glad I found this place!

My go-​to mani/​pedi spot for the better part of the year!
Pros:
–The massages. Monica is the BEST. Literally she found every knot — even during her «free massages» that’s typically offered during a mani are amazing.
–Each lady I’ve ever had as been really nice and accommodating. Also, staff seems to have low turnover, which to me indicates a good work environment.
–Clean, spacious and bright.
–Perhaps I’ve been lucky but I have always walked-​in and never had to wait. (Work nights, weekends both)
–Get the points card, it adds up quickly. If you forget to bring it one time, the manager will write on your receipt so you can add them on your next visit.
–My pedis have lasted at least 3 weeks. Manis at least 1 week.
Cons:
–Not much — can be pricey but I’m happy with Spa Package #2 (comes with callus removal)
–Tip must be in cash (but they have ATM and can give you change)
–Sometimes their AC is minimal (which can be less than ideal during the summer)

An average manicure for way too much money!
I decided to get one of the special pedicures which added to the price a little, but even a regular mani/​pedi was $ 49… Or at least that’s the cheapest option they showed me. I decided to give it a try anyway because it’s down the street from my apartment, but it was overpriced and my manicure was chipping within the hour!
The facility itself is well taken care of and they have a lot of pedicure chairs, but nothing justifies that price. Massage therapists kept giving me complimentary massages while I got my nails done but again, this happens everywhere.
I’ve been to salons that serve complimentary champagne for less than what I paid here. Hell, I’ve gotten a gel manicure/​pedicure for cheaper. The convenience is NOT worth overpaying.

Not the cheapest, but the only place I trust to do an amazing job. All the ladies are super sweet and helpful (and they always let me spend longer than normal choosing a colour or changing my mind).
Usually quieter on early weeknight times, otherwise I’d recommend making an appointment.
They let you park your suitcase up front, bring in your cookies from next door to eat and let you chill with your friend who is not quite done yet…
Cash tips only.
Get the frequent purchase card. It really adds up.

Absolutely not.
I came here about two weeks ago, after booking an appointment through Lifebooker for a gel manicure for myself and a mani-​pedi for my girlfriend. We arrive and are greeted by the host at the cashier stand. We tell them we have appointments for a gel manicure and mani-​pedi and then we are seated separately. The place is actually really nice and clean, with a lot of seating.
So I think the manager is my manicurist and she started off by attempting to remove my acrylics off with a MTA TRAIN CARD… I know this is a «quick trick» but HELLO?! I’m clearly in pain when I wince every time you try to pry my nails apart. And for someone with a high pain tolerance like mine, I really could not handle it. All I wanted was a nice day of pampering… I did not come all the way for this. I politely ask her if she can soak them off for me with acetone and foil because I really don’t want to sit there a second longer, but she replies, «it’ll take too long» and that was the end of it. I look to my right and to my left, and the ladies next to me had their fingers soaked in acetone, wrapped in foil. I mean, hey, I had all day for this, I’d rather sit and kill time rather than get acrylic scrapped off of my nails with a subway card. But that’s just me.
Anyhow, the manager and I end up conversing in Chinese, well, should I say, she ends up talking to her employees the entire time, telling them to do this, go finish up that lady’s nails, blah blah blah. Oh, and while she does this, she cuts my cuticles with her scissors DRY. No cuticle remover, gel, etc… Just my dry and crusty cuticles, with her brilliantly sharp scissors. Hm.
I will give her props though, I was in and out of there for maybe 30 or 40 minutes max. Their staff really know how to work fast…
Oh, I’m not done yet. As we finish up and go pay, the man (who I’m presuming is the manager or boss), tells me mine is $ 30 and my friend’s mani-​pedi is $ 50. Wait WHAT? I booked this $ 30 mani-​pedi appointment on Lifebooker and I had the email to prove it. Oh and by the way, apparently the boss doesn’t know what Lifebooker is. So I show him! And he responds with, «that’s not our store!!!» Hm… Same address though. He charges her anyway. I try to talk back saying, we booked this appointment through Lifebooker, and have the confirmation emails to back it up, but he tries to hush us out of the store as we are starting to cause some commotion.
Fine. So we walk out of the store. BUT SOMETHING CATCHES MY EYE. A fantastic promotion poster that says «$ 30 mani-​pedi» plastered on their windows. Great! They can’t possibly argue with me on this one… So I walk back in, and point to their windows to show them how I could not possibly be wrong and they argue back saying my friend had a 10 minute massage which was one of their «mani-​pedi deluxe package» or whatever nonsense worth $ 50. The lady who did her nails said that she asked my friend what she wanted and my friend said «whatever my friend booked for me», which was the $ 30 mani-​pedi deal. As I continue to prove my point, the man-​manager goes to the cash register, grabs a $ 20 and shoves it at me, saying, «go, just take it and leave.» He only does this because people around us are staring and listening in on our unnecessary argument. Rude…
I really would have gone back because my gel manicure turned out great (can’t say the same for my friend though, her nails chipped the next day lol). But this «customer service» was absolutely pitiful… It makes me wonder, did they slack off just because I was Chinese? I really don’t want to play the race card, but it sure felt that way the moment they found out I was Chinese too. Definitely not coming back.

I’m underwhelmed with this nail salon. I had 3 different women do my gel mani & pedi, that’s 3 separate tips and after that expose in the ny times i don’t even know if it’s going to the right place! They gave me the wrong color toe polish and I had to get them redone which added on the an hour and 40 minutes I had been there (that’s with a basic pedicure no and no massage). Their pedicure chairs are not strong and barely do anything for you.
This is the least shiny gel mani I have ever received, and it’s bubbely.
I will never come here again!!!
And no massage while I dry!!!

Pros — massage chairs for the pedicures; clean; nice mini neck massage while waiting but they encourage tips for that.
Cons — constant up selling. I remember when a pedicure included getting rid of callouses! Paid extra for that and they did a nice slough job. It was crowded on a Sunday afternoon and despite booking in advance after my pedi had to wait 15 minutes for a manicure station with others taken first.
Was going to rate 4 stars but my pedicure chipped after only 10 days!!! It wasn’t even sandal weather where my feet get more abuse on the street. How much do they thin the nail polish for that to happen?

I am absolutely not the kind of person to have ridiculous expectations about a given business and then feel the need to rant about them when they are not met.
HOWEVER
I was slightly wary of Golden tree due to the a scattering of negative reviews, but I figured how bad could a manicure *really* be?
Turns out, all of the negative reviews are true.
The salon has the atmosphere of Penn Station at rush hour. There are people in and out, running around, it’s very chaotic. But I wasn’t necessarily looking for a relaxing space, just decent service.
I was told to pick a color right away but then waited at a station for a solid 15 minutes before anyone appeared to help me. No biggie, I wasn’t in a huge rush. All I wanted done was a shellac manicure and for the manicurist to groom my cuticles a bit which had been a mess since winter time.
Once she appeared, the manicurist barely cut my cuticles or pushed them back, she did not ask me if I wanted round or square, and she was very gruff and fast with my hands. Additionally, I had specifically been growing my nails out to have a nice looking manicure. However, after I specifically asked her not to, the manicurist then used a nail clipper (I find clippers tend to make my brittle nails splinter) and proceeded to file and file and file and file my nails until they were well below my finger tips. Again, didn’t appear to be the biggest deal but it has been painful for me to pick anything up for several days.
For the actual polish, she switched with someone else and I had an entirely different person actually painting my nails. She had me switch my hands in and out of the lamps for every finger, and it appears this did not let the polish set enough.
I’m about 3 days out of this manicure and am already seeing chipping on 3 nails and I haven’t done much besides go to the gym since Friday. My fingers also look and feel dirty and my cuticles are still a mess.
That being said. I was in and out in about 20 minutes, so if you’re looking for speed, I guess this would be the place. Otherwise, I will *definitely* not be coming back.

Seeing that as of 4÷13÷15, this place has a 4 star rating, I may have just had a fluke bad experience here, but I don’t even want to go back to give it another try. That’s how bad it was.
My friend and I walked in at 8:15pm on a Sunday (they close at 9pm). We were out of there by 8:40… that would be about 15 minutes for a manicure AND a pedicure (if you take out the 10 minutes we spent drying). It was SO rushed. I understand we walked in 45 minutes before closing, but come on. Were they trying to fit someone else in after us?
Also my manicurist, Lisa, was super rude with a lot of attitude and 5 of my nails had tiny chips by 8am the next day when all I did was sleep!
I came here because I assumed that it was a nicer nail place based on the look of it from the outside. There are about 5 other nail salons within a 3 block radius of this place, so I will not be going back. It’s too bad.

There are things I love about Golden Tree and things I wish were different.
First the positives.
Location — Super convenient on 3^rd Ave. Very close to Union Square, easy to spot.
Space — The interior is laid out well, everything is clean and new, lots of room to move around. The pedicure chairs are comfortable, and have a ton of settings. The drying station is relatively spacious, equipped with lots of magazines, and so on. The manicure tables are what you would expect. The waxing room is also pretty standard. I couldn’t imagine getting a facial or anything more than a quick eyebrow wax though since it’s not the most relaxing or well laid out room.
Service — The amount of included massage time that comes with a mani pedi is practically unheard of. Every step of the way I had someone offering me a free massage, and a good one at that. All the girls were very nice, and took the time to make sure everything was done properly. Not feeling rushed is a huge plus in my book. When I left I was relaxed, my nails looked great and my wallet wasn’t hurting either.
Now some of the negatives.
Waxing — Got an eyebrow wax as I was heading out of town and didn’t have time for anything else. It wasn’t great. Definitely not the worst, but the girl didn’t really listen to me and my eyebrows came out smaller than I would have liked.
Longevity — My manicure was chipping the next day. I barely did anything between mani and chipping, except sit on a plane for 7 hours, then sit in a car for an hour, and then go to sleep. I couldn’t help but wonder if this was because I refused the extra special top coat for $ 2 more.
Upselling — This was constant. Every step of the way it was «special top coat $ 2», «extra 10 minutes massage $ 10, etc. Not terrible, but certainly not relaxing.
At the end of the day I may or may not come back to Golden Tree, but if I do I’ll know I’m really going for an ok mani pedi and tons of great massages.

I’ve been going to Golden Tree for about a year now, regardless of the 30 minute commute. They are the most consistent and affordable gel manicure I’ve found in the city… trust me, I’ve done my fair share of research. I work in the beauty industry, so I have high standards on how things should be done. At Golden Tree, I just walk in and am assigned the next available girl… unlike other places where you pray you get the only good one. They stay busy, but it is well-​staffed and the technicians are efficient, careful and so sweet.
Perks: rewards card and shoulder massages during your manicure!

I want to give this place four stars bc it’s clean, sanitized, and Lisa did a nice PAINTING JOB. I docked two stars because the atmosphere is an upsell flea market and you can’t relax. The second you want to close your eyes and relax they are asking if you want this this or this… and even if you say no they ask «are you sure?» UGH! SO ANNOYING! No means NO SHUT UP!
I will not be back. And unless you’re ready to play the question game during what’s suppose to be your «downtime» I would never recommend this place to any of my friends. There are too many nail salons in ny that are not upsell flea markets.
Oh and I got the regular mani pedi package with 10 min massage for $ 49 and my feet are not soft!

Danica gives the best gel manicures and pedicures!
They give back massages during your manicure. FREE. That means tip them well so they can keep it up!