Serendipity Nails & Spa 84

Most of the women here are wonderful but the owners are awful. They treat their employees terribly and there isn’t even heat in the store. The place is freezing and the owners don’t care. I have heard the male owner be rude to his employees and have heard that they are afraid of them and has made them cry. I wish I could get additional attention on this place and how poorly they treat their staff.

Sharon gave such an expert and nurturing massage (chair by my request) that I joked she was my new mommy. She did everything to work out my very stubborn knot, akin to physical therapy techniques fused with some Asian massage moves. Environment is soothing and quiet and no nasty fumes. Also no pressure to add on services like I’ve experienced at other salons.

These guys are good, quick, clean and efficient. Chair massages are really good too. It’s quiet in there also which is nice. Solid neighborhood spot even though I’m sure there are cheaper ones. Also the place is not cramped, which is usually my first complaint.

Super rude place. I’ve been going there for a year now but noticed that their services had become increasingly rushed. Today i got this lady Maya, who i have had before, but always felt unconfrotable around. This lady never smiles, always has a grim face on and never makes you feel welcome-​I understand you hate your job but clients are paying for a service. She kept pushing for her 20% tip and even took my card at some point without me giving consent for her to cancel the payment. I always tip on cash and use their ATM but it was broken today and she had already made the transaction. At some point she brought the manager out who kept yelling Tip Tip! you Need to tip! While i had told them that i would go get some cash around the corner – Im a regular there so obviously if i wanted to keep coming back I was going to go get the cash–
When I was done drying my nails the manager rushed to get Maya and kept saying I was leaving. I could over hear everything so I told them I’ll be right back! The manager then trailed me and kept saying you Need to tip! You need to come back! I told her to Stop harassing me and that she already said that 5 times and i understood!
It was so disrespectful of both the nail lady and the manager. I don’t recommend anyone to go there specially since their job is always rushed and trying to get to the next client.

$ 40 for a pedi and I was in and out in 20 minutes? They basically just painted my nails. The lady who did mine (who obviously wasn’t striving for perfection) also did not give a massage at the end, while other employees were. Overall, just a bad experience and a bummer since I live only a block away

Don’t bother– don’t let the nice deco fool you. This place is just as bad as the others. I paid $ 43.00 plus $ 10.00 tip, a total of $ 53.00 for a basic mani/​pedi with no extra service. Not even a quickie back massage which is standard at most nail places in some areas of NYC.
I’m very upset that I threw away $ 53.00 when I could of done a better job myself.
BTW I even took off my own nail polish, cut, filed and cleaned my finger and toe nails before I went. She had so little to do, so she did little. Was on her phone the minute she placed me under the dryer and paid no attention to me at all after that. No «GOOD BYE» when I left either–
I felt bad when I read the article in the NYTimes a few weeks ago and since the crack down on some places in NYC due to unpaid and over worked. But some places should be closed, they’re dirty and the work is bad quality.
I haven’t had a seriously good mani/​pedi in years. :(
THIS PLACE SUCKS!!!

Really disappointed in this nail salon. I came here for gels and the did an okay job but didn’t seal the tips of my nails with the polish so it started peeling off in less than a week. Gave them a second chance for a soak off and a manicure. They charged me $ 10 to soak the gels they put on and did a terrible job painting my nails. I would highly recommend to skip this place. The prices are too high for the quality of service they provide

This place has bad service and you get average manicures at best for a very high price. The staff couldn’t care less. I’m a regular customer who has been too lazy to find another place because it is right near apartment. I always go, am polite and tip well even though I don’t think it is merited.
Today I finally reached my limit. I have a friends wedding coming up and needed to get my nails done. I often work late and was so happy when I made it before close. It is possibly the only time I’l have free all week. It was just short of 9:20 when I walked, and the lady told me to come back because they close at 10. She couldn’t be bothered to perform a 20 minute service a good 40 min. before close, never mind that I customer coming in at 9:20 after work may not have the luxury of coming back at a time when it may be convenient. This is they typical indifference you can expect here.

pricey, but good mani/​pedis. don’t try the facial — not worth the money

I came here yesterday bc I was in a rush and didn’t want to walk the extra 4 blocks to my usual place (lol also it was really cold!) This place is completely overpriced and gave below average to poor service. I went to get a color gel removal and a regular mani. They charge $ 10 just to remove the gel. I’m not cheap by any means but I’ve been to a lot of nail salons before and gel removals ALWAYS cost $ 5 or less. As well, they did a piss poor job removing the gel — instead of first scraping off the gel after soaking and then filing off the remainder, they just started hacking at my nails with the file and so now my nail bed is extremely thin since they didn’t remove the gel the correct way. Then for my mani ($ 12) I had asked for three the coats since it was my own polish and I know how this particular polish behaves. The lady (I think she was the manager/​owner) kept fighting me and trying to argue that 2 thick coats is better than 3 thin ones. I kept saying I wanted 3 but she wouldn’t listen. I got tired of fighting her and just let her do 2. Then after all is done, I had noticed that everyone else got a mini massage after their service yet I never got one.
In manhattan where there is a nail salon literally on every block, I would never come back.

My favorite nail place (Grace Nails) on 85^th and 1^st recently closed down, so I’ve been giving the other salons in the area a try. I always pass by Serendipity on my way home, and it looks so relaxing and spa-​like instead of busy and crowded.
The overall experience was pleasant. I definitely relaxed, and you get more attentive service for what you pay for, so I anticipated the high price. Well, the bill ended up being $ 57 (almost $ 70 with tip) for a mani-​pedi and 10-​minute massage. A woman did the massage while I was getting the mani, and it was probably the best chair massage I’ve ever had. But, the callouses on my heels are rougher than they were before, and I noticed when I got home that the paint on the edge of my nails was uneven and the edges splintered.
I got better service and better-​looking mani/​pedis for $ 19.99 at Grace. My technician was sweet, but I’ll never go back, even if it’s right around the corner from my apartment.

Haven’t even gone there and this place irritated me! I called to ask if they had an appointment tonight at 730 for mani pedi, and they said yes. Then when I mentioned I had a groupon for it she suddenly said «actually sorry we don’t have time tonight». I was about to buy the groupon but glad I didn’t!

Great place, friendly staff and reasonably priced. Definitely making it my regular.

$ 12.50 for a mediocre eyebrow wax. No eyebrow is this important. By far the most overpriced ‘spa’ joint I’ve ever patronized in the five boroughs.

Nice nail salon, however I didn’t feel that it was anything special. Don’t getting me wrong… I loved the spa-​like atmosphere, friendly staff, and massages, but I felt that I can get the same mani/​pedi elsewhere if not better for less. I would go here for special occasions or if didn’t mind paying a little extra every now and again. I really liked serenity and will go back since it’s so convenient to where I live. However they are not my regular salon… I found another place that’s about $ 20 less for mani/​pedi where they do a great job too.

They really have a nice big space and are able to get you seated almost right away, but there are a few issues I noticed after going here a few times. First, they do not make an effort to show you where the instruments come from before you start and where they go after you are finished. The impression I got was that the person went straight to the next client without changing or cleaning the tools. If this is true than its horrible and they run a serious risk of infecting their clients. If this is not true and they do change instruments for each customer they need to make it visible for their own good.
Your experience really depends on the person performing the service. Sometimes mani-​pedis look great and massages are relaxing, other times it feels like they just rush through the whole thing and the results are far from good.

I have been a loyal customer at Serendipity since December, going once every two weeks, where I get a shellac manicure, and a 30 minute massage each time. Last month was the first time I had an issue here, where my (natural) nails broke two days after the manicure. When I returned for my biweekly manicure, they said next time just come in and they’ll repair them, no charge.
I had my manicure two days ago, and while I was there, one of my nails was broken, and my manicurist Julie decided to go ahead and wrap my nail without asking me, and knowing it was a charge I didn’t need, I declined it, as all the other manicurists usually glue my nail and add nail filler, then buff and continue. She gave me an attitude about it and basically called me cheap, but I let it go.
Yesterday, two of my nails broke, and this morning one more. I decided to go there and get them repaired just now. I walked in and waited, and lo and behold Julie (apparently the manager) came to repair my nails. Before she even sat down she said «I told you so», which was before I was even able to explain to her that it was two OTHER nails that broke before the one she was referring to, which broke this morning. She said again «well you didn’t want to PAY for the wrap, so this is what happens». I told her if she kept talking to me that way I would leave, as it was the same condescending tone she used with me during my original manicure. She just gave me a look of amusement, so I decided to leave.
I went back in to ask to speak to a manager, which is when I learned she was the manager, and asked to speak to the owner. I am hoping to hear from the owner soon, or I may go back in and speak with someone again.
Very disappointed in the customer service provided by the «manager» Julie. If you did a poor job during the manicure, you should apologize and fix it, not tell me it’s my fault.

No, I don’t do manicures and pedicures. I was sitting here watching my bride and her bridesmaids get pampered and have their nails done.
I saw that there was a masseuse carefully and energetically providing services to a young lady in the back. I decided I wanted that, and so I got it and didn’t regret it. I felt less tensed and more relaxed afterwards.

I have been coming here for years as it is very close to my apartment and although there are a ton of other places around, I think Serendiipity offers has the best «spa» like experience — much more relaxing than the others. Great for manis/​pedis, waxing, massage. The owner Sophia is very sweet, and she and her husband run a tight ship, the place runs well and is spotless! I go often, so I have a few people I always use and all are great. Ask for Terry, if you need a facial and Alex for the best chair massage ever, you will leave relaxed and feel pampered in less than 2 hours! Love this place!

Serendipity is close to my job, which makes it extremely convenient when I want a quick mani-​ped. They give wonderful foot massages and I’m always pleased with how my nails and toes look when I leave. I’m not giving it five stars, though, because the mani-​pedi I just got cost me $ 45 which is expensive ANYWHERE you go.
Although I understand that if you live and work in the city, you must be prepared to pay city prices, there is a limit to how frequently one should be willing to shell out inordinate sums of money for a manicure which I could just as easily do for free myself (were I so inclined and not so lazy). In any event, on those days when I am too lazy to do my own nails, this place works just fine.