Magic Nails & Tanning

I must say I was very underwhelmed with my overall experience here. I came in on a Tuesday evening for a gel pedi and a regular mani. Theresa did my pedicure and did a fantastic job! Linda did my manicure and seemed very pleasant during my initial visit. When I returned on Thursday because of EXCESSIVE chipping on my hands — her attitude was VERY rude. I’m sorry but after a day and a half of polish my nails have NEVER responded this way. When I asked if she would be able to fix them — she said yeah I can but its not going to last– regular polish just doesn’t last. Ok, I totally understand the difference between gel and regular polish. But at WORST I can typically squeeze out 5 – 7 days of wear before chipping. I was very turned off at how rude she’d become and her attempt to make this appear to be my fault.
She asked if I could come back the next day at 11 in which I could not because of a noon flight. I asked if I could come as soon as they open at 9:00 am. She said yes (again with a terrible attitude) and that someone else could fix it for me. The following morning MiMi helped me out — meanwhile Linda glaring during my time there. When I asked Linda the name of the color she’s recommended to me — she replied in a rude manner «I’m getting it now.»
The only plus was Theresa’s pedicure — that’s about it.
I would not come here again. Linda’s energy was toxic in my opinion. There are other places that are much more appreciative of their customers.

I’ve had about six or seven shellac manicures here. I have not tried their pedicures. As they’ve gotten more popular, service and quality have both declined and I’m at the point where I’m going to have to try some place new. Theresa and Linda do a wonderful job, no mistakes and it lasts over two weeks. The other techs really struggle with shellac. I’ve had two of the other techs. If I don’t get Linda or Theresa, I get a thick, sloppy manicure that is stuck on my nails for two weeks. In the evenings when it gets most crowded or when they are trying to close, they rush and you feel like a burden. This last visit was the end for me. The tech was friendly, but not at all tidy with the polish. My nails came out thick, dented, and messy. The final straw was when he took my used alcohol (from stripping the old polish) and used a funnel to put it back in the bottle. I know it’s alcohol, but gross! If you’re going to go, wait for Linda or Theresa — chairs one and two.

I was just there to treat myself to a pedicure while getting some laundry done. This is the second time I’ve been there and both times I have had the same curt, abrupt service. The second you walk in the door the technicians yell at you to ask what you want. Then they barely make eye contact with you as they perform your pedicure/​manicure. The foot scrub was less relaxing more like he was trying to rub all of my skin off of my legs. Then he sat me down in front of the dryer without a word or setting the timer so after a little bit I just got up and walked to the front desk where again someone yelled and asked what I wanted and then the technician ran over to ask if $ 30 would do it. I work in the food industry and I never tip less than 20% but this experience was so bad that I refused to tip this guy. I definitely will go somewhere else from now on. Overpriced and terrible service here.

I never call ahead when I want to get a pedicure/​manicure, but this time I called and scheduled an appointment for 3:45pm to have Theresa do my pedicure. When I got there on the dot, Theresa told me it would be 15 minutes because her clients showed up late. I was kind of mad, but waited because I like how she does nails! I did some grocery during the waiting period and then when I got back to the nail salon, I was still waiting another 10 minutes! I let it go because her clients showed up late and she knew that I was waiting my turn patiently.
It was a very busy Friday afternoon and I get it… our nails need to look pretty and it takes a while do get them done. Finally, it was my turn and when she came over, she apologized repetitively and I thanked her for squeezing me in regardless. When it was time for my nails to dry, she asked if I wanted any designs and said no because it’s extra. However, she charged me NOTHING because how long I waited and ended up getting flowers on both big toes.
I will keep going back to Magic Nails because of this kind of service that I received. I waited 25 minutes, but that’s okay because Theresa is worth the wait!

Awesome place. After having a couple of problems with different places in Portland (i.e. whole fingernails of polish coming off in a sheet one day after getting them done) we’ve found our place. My mom, my sister and I all got amazing nails — and though its on the pricey side, we definitely will be coming back!

I recently moved back to Maine from NYC and have been searching for a nice, clean, friendly nail salon. The market in Portland is definitely different from major cities like NYC given that there is less competition therefore price tends to be high and and sometimes quality tends to be low. That is not the case at Magic Nails. I’ve been quite a few times since moving back and this is how I see things:
Pros: Always clean, always friendly, every technician takes their time and doesn’t rush through, fair prices, great selection of gel and regular polish
Cons: Usually a wait. But that is the nature of the beast. Its the only decent nail salon in a somewhat populated city. What good place doesn’t have a wait?
Its not the best nail salon I’ve ever been to, but its the best Portland has to offer and for that reason its my go-​to salon. I’m happy to support the owners here and you should too.

As a licensed nail tech I tend to stay away from these assembly line «salons» for I have and continue to hear horror stories about them. I decided to give this place a shot because my friend (a nurse but no nail tech) said she get the place seemed pretty clean. I wasn’t impressed the first time I went or the second but I figured third chime is either the charm or you’re out, it’s so out.
(Side note I’m not an overly critical person, it really doesn’t take a spa service to please me and I hate leaving such negative reviews but people have to know. This can be health issue.)
I had three different people work on me during my mani pedi service and felt uncomfortable the entire time.
My gellish manicure pealed after 3 days and the polish on several of my toes chipped because they didn’t buff my pealing nail.
No foot scrub and the «massage» felt more like she was squeegeeing my legs and didn’t even touch my feet.
I paid too much for the service I received. I’m sure the woman who took my money didn’t even notice I left out a tip since she was busy yelling into her phone. There’s plenty of other salons in the area I’m sure you’ll get better service elsewhere.

I will never go back. A group of friends and I went to get pedicures and a fill, the water was lukewarm almost cold. I was then forced into getting a full set instead of a fill when all I needed was a fill. The man who did my friend cut her nail too short that she screamed in agonizing pain. They were so pushy on what to purchase never once telling any of us prices, $ 5 extra for scrub, extra money for shellac, she tried charging me to remove my nails for a new set. They are very aggressive about payments as well, your’e halfway into your pedicure and they ask for payment, then they tell you they want a tip in cash! Very rude and pushy!

I came here after I went to another nail salon in south Portland where they really butchered my shellac manicure. I’ve only had Linda do my shellacs and she us absolutely wonderful-she’s meticulous, friendly, and a great manicurist in general. Definitely recommend this place. $ 25.for shellac mani and they do NOT charge extra for removing shellac (unlike the previous place I mentioned in South Portland).

I have been coming to magic nails since I got my first job after college and lived in the Forrest ave neighborhood. The service is wonderful. The staff is consistent. They always do such a great job that I am never concerned about getting one person or the other to do my nails. I took a brief break for magic nails and went to another salon bc my friend insisted it was great. I found that the service was not as good and that they didn’t take the time to perfect your nails the way magic nails does. I’ll never go anywhere else. They are the best!

This place was a big disappointment. A bunch of us came here as a bridal party last Friday morning. I asked for gel and the guy who did my manicure was in a huge rush. First, I told him I didn’t want to have my nails buffed. He proceeded to buff over half of my nails. Then, before beginning the polish, he didn’t use any more polish remover, even though he had just buffed my nails and they had powdery, nail residue all over them. One of my nails chipped yesterday (less than a week later). I would’ve gone back to get mine re-​done if I lived in the area.
The icing on the cake was when a few of us were under the fans letting our nails dry and one of the guys came by and just said «you’re done» and turned off all our fans. It’s not like anyone was waiting to use them, or there weren’t other open places to sit and dry your nails. We all left, kinda pissed about the customer service experience.

Walked in and was asked to pick a color. Sat down to wait and we were ignored for about 10min until we stood up to leave then they told us to come over. I said, «we’re all set.» Have been here once before without this happening. Not going back.

The best pedicure in Portland. Never a wait. Quality work. Comfortable chairs. Lasts forever.

I’ve gotten two pedis here. Now I am not a pedi-​expert who does this every two weeks to make sure that I am still a woman. But every so often (especially in flip-​flop season) it’s nice to get compliments on your toes! Magic nails is clean, set up well, and the employees do a nice job. Feet feel nice, toes look cute. Back gets massaged by a giant chair. I’d go in more often if the cost were a bit lower. It’s hard to relax completely when you can’t help but think of how many frozen burritos you could have bought with that $ 30 (answer: 60 burritos.) Anyhow, it’s a nice place and a nice experience. I don’t feel rushed but I also don’t sit around waiting. Grab a bestie and have a catch-​up session while giggling because the foot-​scrubber really tickles.

There isn’t any place better to get your nails done! I’ve been coming here for almost eight years. Aside from their great pedicures, I have been getting shellac manicures for a long time, as well. At minimum, they last two weeks and the amazing people at Magic Nails do a terrific job. Don’t waste your time trying to find another nail salon… this place is the best in the Portland area.

I’ve been to Magic Nails a couple times for mani-​pedis, most recently with my mother-​in-​law for her birthday/Mother’s Day.
Here’s what I liked:
— It’s clean, the massage chairs are good quality, the water in the tubs is nice and hot.
— Almost no fumes.
— Lots of chairs and staff = no waiting! We could’ve come with a group and they’d be able to accomodate us.
— There’s a great range of nail polishes.
— Pleasant staff who do a nice job. I dig the callus remover.
— Lower prices than boutique spas.
Here’s what I didn’t:
— Prices aren’t cheap, which wouldn’t be a big deal if it weren’t for the…
— CONSTANT UPSELLING! Each time I’ve been there, I’ve had to constantly fend off up-​sell attempts. I’ve been on voice rest for medical reasons and felt like one staff person tried to take advantage of that multiple times to get me to agree to services I didn’t want or need, even insulting my (normal, not grody) feet. What? Have they been reading The Rules?!
I’ll go back, even if I don’t love it. And if you’re going to a full spa pedicure and gel manicure, then don’t worry about the upsell – you’re already getting the full meal deal! Otherwise, just be aware.

Magic Nails does an excellent job! I have a shellac manicure done by Linda every other week and it is always done expertly and quickly. I usually make an appointment, because I understand that they get busy at certain times of the day and can’t be expected to rush. Also, there was one time that a newer shellac color bubbled, and after a day I came back in and they fixed it for me at no charge. They are very good to repeat customers and I would recommend them to anyone!
Also…for people not from Maine who comment on prices. Magic Nails is one of the most inexpensive salons in the area and does one of the best jobs, which is why they are often busy and you have to be patient if you walk-​in. I used to live in Chicago where Mani/​Pedis where $ 25 for the pair. It’s not like this in Maine. There is not the same competition, so our salons, both hair and nail charge more. Please don’t come into our market without this knowledge and then rate a place based on that. It’s like trying to compare pricing of lobster at a restuarant here… just don’t do it.

i don’t know why everyone’s giving this place such good reviews. First of all I went in here with my mom for her birthday because we thought we’d do a walk in to get our nails done together. I asked how much a manicure was and they said $ 25. really… we go pick out our nailpolish thinking hey we might leave and then another woman comes over and says «are you ready?» and i say «no. how much is a manicure?» and she says «$ 25. well regular is $ 14 and gel is $ 25» and i say «ok i don’t want a gel so, $ 14?» and she says yes and tries to sell me on the gel. If you’re good at giving a manicure then you don’t have to do gel now do you. Also, $ 14 is kind of expensive but I get there’s little competition compared to salons in NYC and Boston.
Anyway they sat my mom and I on opposite ends of the salon to get our nails done, and it all happened so fast I didn’t even know. Also my manicurist made my cuticles bleed, which I’ve never had happen before. She was in a bad mood about something else and kept trimming my cuticles very quickly without looking at them… really?
I usually go to places in my neighborhood in Boston for $ 10. I’ve never visited any other nail salons in Portland so I don’t know what the competition’s like but if I ever move to Portland I won’t get my nails done if this is the best place in town.

Nice and spacious, with minimal noxious fumes. The ladies (hey Teresa!) were very sweet to my friend and I, both guys, who kind of zoned out while getting our feet and hands done.
Priced right, not quick but efficient, and really relaxing. I’ll be going back.

I got married in Maine in June. This is the place we came to get our nails done. My mom, myself, my Matron of Honor and my Maid of Honor came in with an appointment on a Saturday morning. They do take walk ins as well.
The reason we chose them is because they had shellac. If you have yet to do shellac it is amazing! I now swear by it.
The pedicure was long about 40 mins. It was very nice and soothing. They did a great job cleaning up our feet.
They did a great job on our nails and the prices where probably a little high for Maine and about what I regularly pay in Boston.
It is near USM so I would assume it is popular with college students and right on Forest Ave. They have a big parking lot. I would highly recommend them!