Ultra

I have been following Isabel to different nail salons for 4 years now, and even though I have moved out of the neighborhood, I still will make a special trip to LES just to have her do my basic mani-​pedi at Ultra.
For the price ($ 30, not on special), this is one of the best, meticulous, and long-​lasting mani-​pedis I’ve been able to get in Manhattan. Isabel is incredibly sweet, diligent, and she prices her services conscientiously and fairly (and lower than most others in the neighborhood!). She includes a nice hand and foot scrub with the regular mani-​pedi that I like a lot, and generally salons will charge more for.
The space at Ultra is small, but friendly, cozy, clean, and has about the most convenient hours possible. Walk-​ins are almost always served immediately, though it helps to call ahead for an appointment if you’re time constrained.
I can’t report on anything hair or waxing related at Ultra, but the nail service is great.

Totally unimpressive mani-​pedi services in a strangely underserved area. Service is, well, nonexistent. The girl was filing my nail as if she were sawing down a giant redwood while yakking away on her mobile, and I was getting more and more cross, until I overheard that a manicure is $ 10. I mean seriously, what can you do for $ 10 in the LES these days?
So yeah, it’s totally ghetto un-​fabulous and they have the charm of a Time Warner Cable location, but it’s $ 10 for polish that doesn’t spill onto my cuticles, and therefore I’ll be going again.
(Nail place is on the ground floor; hair salon is upstairs.)

Great little LES neighborhood nail salon. Mani and pedis are cheap and last at least two weeks, which is great since manis normally last me one week. Try and get the owner if you’re there — she is meticulous about painting and doing a great job!

I like this place for mani/​pedi but I would not return because it is way more than I usually spend on mani/​pedi. It’s $ 30, no special, and after tip, I spent $ 35. I came in with no appointment around 5:30pm on Halloween no doubt. And I told them I had one hour to do both MANI and PEDI. And they agreed– the main lady, Isabel and her helper. Two girls were still being worked on so I had to wait. But they did a good job with mani and pedi in 45 min, also with trick or treater coming in every damn 2 seconds.
They worked on me together. The helper with my feet, Isabel with my hands. But, of course, it was rushed. I missed out on some major massaging and what not but perhaps that’s just the way here. They didn’t use a nice lotion for the massage part– but a rough olive oil mix? It was probably good exfoliation though. They did most of the other steps though, without skimping on too much– just fast. I’d asked the girl on my feet to take extra care on my corners (ingrows) but she did not. Sorry if this is TMI but people need to be informed.
Anyway. the point is, this was on MOnday. It’s Thurs. Usu at the cheapy $ 15 mani/​pedi (and $ 20) places, I would have had a chip. I haven’t — not even a little. But they didn’t do the tips so those are going a bit. A lot of this could be the quality of the polish. They have Opi/​Essie but somehow, it seems better because of the no chips. I didn’t even spend a lot of time drying because I was in a rush. The dryers are a bit low power… but they’re new and good quality.
The décor is nice. it’s all white and girly. They sell a fair amount of stuff, and I think hair is upstairs (it’s better known for hair). It also seems like the one nail place in this hood. Maybe if i“m around I’ll treat myself but this was very $$ compared to what’s out there– esp if I question the polish, not the craftmanship. I’ll have to go back to one of my regular places (May’s in West Vill, or Annie Ji’s in Grammercy) to verify.

Ask for Kate for your hair cut or color. I’ve been going to her for a few years now and followed her from another salon. Want bangs? She’ll cut you the best bangs ever! Great layers? Yes, those too. She’s great at cuts that will grow out beautifully, and she’s so much fun, I always look forward to my appointments.

I’ve been going to Kate Werner at Ultra since my old roommate suggested her. She has always given me a great hair cut that is fun, easy to manage, and chic. Plus, she always make me laugh. Can’t get much better.

I used my groupon. Crystal did my leg waxing. She was very careful and patient, but I must say, not very good. She overlooked a bunch of patches and was at times awkward at pulling. Over the years that I’ve gotten my legs waxed, I’ve come to realize that it truly takes talent to do a good waxing job. I have only found 4 people in the last 15 years who possessed that talent. If you’ve been «plucked» the wrong way one too many times, you know what I mean. I’m thinking of going laser.

I only recently discovered this neighborhood gem of a nail salon! I have had both a spa pedicure and a spa manicure with Crystal, who is superb. Crystal is attentive, meticulous, and very sweet. The quality of the services is simply top-​notch. I’ve had my nails done at various locations around the city, and I must say that Ultra is definitely in my top 3. Add to that the very reasonable pricing ($ 30 for spa pedicure, $ 20 for spa manicure), and you’ve got a winner (and repeat customer!).
The nail salon is also open quite late, which is nice if you are running from work in the evenings. The work space is open and clean, though both times I’ve been there I have been the only nail customer. I have no idea why this is the case, but I certainly benefitted from the extra time and undivided attention. No complaints here!

100% the best manicure downtown in Manhattan and I know I’ve been to them all.

I have been getting a weekly manicure for, I’m ashamed to admit, more than seven years now. Today I stopped in to get a quick manicure and used Unilocal recommendations to find this place. Crystal gave me one of the best and fastest manicures I’ve ever had. She was thorough, fast, and careful with her details. And I don’t know how she made my nails smudgproof so fast, but she did. $ 10, cash only, excellent deal.

Can’t say more than what’s already been said. Great service, manicure that has lasted for WEEKS, one of the best brow shaping I’ve ever gotten and super affordable. $ 10 mani! — Cash only.

Great service and super experience for nails — I called ahead of time and spoke with Isabelle, who runs the nail/​wax area of the salon. She was very polite and the prices are so reasonable! For a $ 10 mani — you can’t go wrong with Isabelle! She is cash only

ok so i realize a lot of places might solicit good reviews by offering perks, which this place may or may not have done (and btw i am sure is done by way more places that we think), but i swear this is a completely unbiased opinion. isabel is the absolute best manicurist i have ever been to hands down. she is so meticulous its insane. she has an extremely clean environment and a huge selection of colors. i swear my manis last 2 weeks and my pedis last 2 mths. not to mention the fact that $ 30 for a mani/​pedi is totally cheap. go see isabel, you will not be disappointed!!!

I want to rave about my stylist, Kate, at Ultra. I see her for both cut and color and think she’s the greatest. I found her last fall when she was working at Seagull fell instantly in love (despite the much higher pricetag). I’ve been kind of a stylist whore for years and have really been around, always looking for something better, but I really feel with Kate that I can be monogamous for a while. So much so that when she moved to Ultra, I followed her.
She listens, she’s not afraid to give her opinion if what I ask for is absurd (hey, sometimes it happens!), and she’s willing to take risks but only when explicitly asked to. And if something doesn’t come out 100% perfect (which is rare!), she’s always willing to work to make it right. I trust her completely. To the extent that I let her make me a blonde. Also, she’s super sweet and fun to talk to, with not a trace of attitude. Well, a bit of an attitude, but the good kind: life isn’t fun without sass.
I highly recommend Kate! Everyone else who works at Ultra has been nothing but gracious and accommodating, and the space is airy and bright. No way you’re walking out of there and feeling fooled by trick lighting. Great place, great staff. High-​end work without the outrageous sticker shock. Go!

I’ve never used any of ultra’s hair services, but I exclusively get my nails done here.
there are two ladies who do mani’s/pedi’s downstairs — isabella, the owner, and dina. they are both GREAT! they’re very meticulous, and the salon is very clean. you know how you go to some nail salons and they just slap on nail polish in a big thick mess, and some inevitably ends up on your cuticle without your noticing until you get home? I hate that! well, that doesn’t happen here — every bit of polish is painted on with care, and they make sure they do it perfectly. NO SKIMPING OR SLOPPINESS! my nails don’t chip or peel literally for like 2 weeks after I get them done. also, everything is kept nice and clean so I don’t sit around pondering what fungus may invade my nail bed while my fingers and toes soak in water. totally recommend!

I’ve been going to Ultra for about 8 years. It used to be in the E. Village and it’s now on the Lower East Side. Randall — one of the owners — is a fantastic hair stylist. He also does an amazing job with color. I get compliments all the time about my hair color. Nobody knows there’s any gray going on beneath the highlights because it looks so natural. The man is an artist! And everyone who works there is really nice. They listen. I can tell that’s earned them a lot of loyalty because the customers are all long-​time regulars. And everyone I’ve ever referred was really happy. It’s like hanging out with friends. No snobbery, no attitude, just really nice people who do good work. They now have a nail salon on the lower floor. Oh, and treat yourself at Economy Candy around the corner while you’re in the neighborhood.

I have not tried this salon but I am not sure I can trust Unilocal anymore…
this comes from the salon Ultra web-​site:
«PROMOTIONS
want to receive a $ 10 coupon good towards any of our hair care and/​or styling products? all you need to do is go to
or
and write a fabulous review of your experience with your stylist. inform your stylist or any of our associates to redeem.»
Basically they are blatantly selling their own reputation… and note that they give you money if you write «a fabulous review»… not just if you leave your honest feedback! to me this is so unethical and even if I wished to try this place, I have totally changed my mind after discovering their dirty marketing tricks.

I can’t believe I never reviewed this place. I went to NY back in April and desperately needed a haircut to feel stylish enough to even step foot in Manhattan. I called Ultra and they kindly fit me in with Rusty last minute. Wow! What an amazing experience. Rusty was so fun to talk to, as well as the girl who washed my hair (sorry I forgot her name), and he listened to my concerns and whipped out a sexy, stylish haircut which was exactly what I asked for, but better! In fact, my friend had tagged along, saw my results and decided to get her hair cut as well. He did a great shag look on her which totally fit her rocker personality. Mine was more reserved, so he can definitely do both looks effortlessly. As a bonus, he turned me on to this product, «Its a 10» which is a miracle product, totally keeps my hair from snagging when I brush through it and gives you a great shine.

Not usually one to stumble into a salon I know nothing about and put my hair in the hands of a stranger but my locks were so overdue for a cut I would have given Fantastic Sams a shot. Such was the case when I literally walked by — and then into — this sleek and simple Lower East Side salon on my way to a nearby boutique. My luck was in full force when the personable receptionist said that a stylist could take me right away. She then handed me an Eagles T-​Shirt and told me to go find Rusty. I immediately liked this place.
Ultra has everything I look for in a salon… plenty of mindless gossip (ironically I overheard a conversation about my own sister — of Bachelor Rome fame) and stylists that are cool enough to know that the «Rachel-​do» is out but not everyone can rock a mullet.
Rusty turned out to be highly skilled with both the color bottle and the scissors and I walked out a new, darker, sassier vixen. With a quick «Bye Gorgeous» and a cheek kiss I was out the door. As I strolled down Essex I grinned knowing that the hair fairy (not to be confused with the scary HAIRY fairy) had led me to my new salon, and some new friends… ahhh.

I cannot say enough about this place. I put about no energy to put into making my hair look decent; any credit goes to Randall and Rusty at Ultra who are so talented, and whose casual cool sensibility means a great cut and color that makes my daily maintenance negligible. I love that! Plus, it’s always a fun visit.
They’ve recently moved to a beautiful new space on the LES and have added nail services on some days.