Potala Nail & Spa

I had tips done with the owner’s daughter! She rushed me! It was so thick! ! Looked bumpy! And my index figure broke the second day!
But I got pedicure with one Spanish lady, it was great! Never be doing tips in this place again !
One dirty thing was I saw them recycled the paraffin after used one our feet! Ew!

I really like this place — great deal! You get a mani/​pedi that includes a scrub, parafin, foot massage and shoulder massage for $ 23.
I moved to LIC a few months ago and this place is worth the schlep! LIC is def lacking good, affordable nail places, of which I was spoiled with when I lived on the UES.
Super clean and friendly staff! I’ve been 3 times so far. 2 times were great, they really took their time and did a great job. Once I felt a little rushed but it was still okay for the price I paid.
Overall — It’s great and I will continue to come here as often as I can!

They do an amazing pedicure here but I was not a fan of their full set tips because the lady did them way too thin and they didn’t even last a week !

I gave this a one star because there is no way to give it a zero. I had to hand hold the manicurist Sri. Even then it was the worst mani. On top of that she was rude. Never again!!! How does this crappy place have decent reviews is beyond me. Taught me not to trust Unilocal !! Sticking with Athena

The nail lady I went to had this Mermaid looking color and I just couldn’t help it but to get the same color. Just beautiful. She did an amazing job. I always come here and will never change my nail place!

She did a great and thorough job on my nails. Friendly service, clean and good prices! Definitely will go back again.

This is a great Astoria spot. I’ve been here about 3 or 4 times and each time I’ve had a great experience. A regular mani pedi is $ 23. Today I came in to get gel soaked off as well and that was your standard additional $ 5. They have a great variety of colors (gel and regular), and the staff is always friendly and courteous. I LOVE the paraffin wax on the heel for no extra charge-it’s a great touch. The only thing I didn’t like is they have the 7 day polish but it costs an extra $ 5 per mani and $ 5 per pedi to use it. I’ll keep coming here regularly since it’s so convenient to where I live.

Humm Where do I start? I really don’t ask for much when it comes to service-​based places. Just do it right. That is all.
I stopped by because they open til 10 on fridays. It was a little bit of a wait but its Astoria so. Anyway, the pedicure was not all that and the gel manicure was okay, I had to give her a couple of instructions but my manicure came out nice.
BUT when it came to waxing my eyebrows, the lady did the most basic of work and called it «cleaning my eyebrows» when I pointed out to her that my eyebrows did not look done, she gave me some weird explanation and said I had a hole (her own doing) and that she did her best (PLEASE see picture). Since it was late, I didnt want to
Make a scene so I left. I woke up the next morning and I just thought «this is unacceptable» and so I went back. The manager was able to fix the mess she left and I was very happy. But I do not plan on being a regular in a place that has unqualified people doing specific tasks. Who knows what else goes on.

So disappointed because I really liked this place when I first found it. It depends on who is doing your nail. If you are unlucky you might get someone that cut you while cutting your cuticles, then tries to stop the bleeding with their dirty towels. My fingernails look like a kid painted them. I think there are other better choices.

I went in for a gel manicure & regular pedicure on a Sunday evening. The manicure came out very sloppy and was not painted down to the nail bed. Instead, my nails looked like I had painted them myself and were kind of rough looking at the bottom. After 6 days it started peeling at the base and chipping away. I only got 12 days of out it before it looked so awful I had to soak them off.
However, the pedicure was amazing. They spend a good amount of time working on your feet. Afterwards they provide a hot lotion/​oil in a plastic bag that they wrap on the heels of your feet (at no extra cost). Totally awesome!
Overall, I didn’t have many qualms about this place until it came time to pay. Apparently the nail tech wasn’t happy with my tip and gave me a nasty look. Guess I’ll be trying a new place in Astoria…

Had to bring it down to 4 stars, as they stopped doing the parafin wax on your heels. I was really disappointed, as it’s genuinely part of the pedicure I always look forward to at Potala.
Who knows, maybe the girl just forgot? Whatever the case, still bummed they stopped doing it.

For a walk in french for only $ 13 is pretty good considering they were packed… after 20 min, I found my nails to be chipped already.
My first time here but if I were to come back to Astoria, I would have to reconsider. I picked it because it was close by and it was highly rated.
It’s been awhile since I did a regular french (vs gel french). My sister got triple coats of some pinkish color and it was only $ 8. One of her nails was filed crooked. When we were drying our nails, my sister decided my eyebrows were icky and insisted i got it threaded. I’ve never got it threaded before so I had my sister in the room.
The threading part did not hurt, just felt really weird. For $ 7.00, it was decent.

Great, no frills place to get a mani pedi.
Last time I was here, I got a gel manicure and polish pedicure.
The gel mani was great and stayed on very well with no bubling. Like most mani pedi places in the area, the estheticians here also provide a short massage after the manicure. The massage was shorter than most but was certainly acceptible
The polish on my pedicure lasted a long time as well. In adition to the regular pedicure this spot also does complimentary paraffin on the heels of the foot. My main complaint is that the esthetician did not do a very good job scrubbing the bottoms of my foot. It seemed as though the others working were more thorough.
All said and done, the services were good and the price was right. This place also offers additional spa services but I haven’t tried these.

I really didn’t want to write this review. I LOVED this place, brought many friends here. But the Unilocal universe deserves to know the truth…
Went last week to get a gel mani and pedi. Once I was done with the pedi i go to the table and she starts on my nails. That’s when someone else walked in. They sat her down in the same pedi chair I was and it WAS NOT CLEAN!
That FREAKED me out! They did not clean after me! And I had gotten an infection years ago from a nail salon using dirty equipment. I was grossed out. She keeps doing my nails when I see a ROACH crawl out of the basin of the same pedi chair!
Ugh horrible! PLUS my gel mani did not last two days! It chipped immediately and I did nothing but go to school, no hard labor, nothing to get it bent out of shape. I am very sad about my experience here, even worse now I have to find a new place to go to — and Potala used to be my go-​to salon

Loved it! First time here, I was very impressed. At first glance, I noticed that things are much cleaner here than most nail salons, that makes me feel good. I saw prices posted in clear view which is a very good sign to me. The employees are vey warm and friendly and the massage that you get while your nails dry is a very nice touch. I’ll be back here soon.

Was given a gift certificate here so came in for a mani, pedi, and eyebrow threading. Good service, job well done, and very cute and clean place.

I cant believe I haven’t written a review for this place.
Thats how wrapped up in the experience i am.
This is about my 6^th time here.
I keep coming back for the service and the manager.
You can tell that she treats her staff with respect and care.
Although I do not understand the spoke language, i can tell by the body language, the interactions between staff & staff, staff & owner, and most importantly staff & customer that the employees are happy. That is admirable, and it reflects in the service and experience.
My services are always pedicure and Acrylic Tips, and i dont have a «go-​to» manicurist… They are all good at what they do, but for the most part the owner does my tips, and whoever is available does my pedi.
Your pedi here will be different from any other neighborhood spot. Here you will get a mini foot rub with a scrub and a wax setting for the heels of your feet. That is with the general pedicure $ 15. I’ve never seen this anywhere else.
My Acrylic tips aren’t anything special, but they will take their time. This always results in a beautiful hand.
I praise the experience because it is quiet and friendly, what a nail spa should be. I can actually come here and relax while i get my services done. Also the woman are professional careful and gentle.
They make you wanna come back, I’ve never consistently done my nails, but I’ve been here biweekly since my first visit.

Loved getting a pedicure and a shellac manicure here. The pedicure was good. The massage was nice and they do a standard treatment for your heel. Not sure what it’s called but it’s some sort of gel.
Manicure was nice as well. Honestly my nails were horrible and she did the best she could with what I had. I didn’t feel rushed — but the reason I gave it 4 instead of 5 is that I still feel like she was going a little too fast for my liking. But that’s with alll the nail salons I’ve ever been too. I just wish they’d maybe just slow down a little and let us enjoy the relaxation. You do get a good 1 minute massage after your manicure so that was nice.
I just wish the pedicure was a little more longer. Maybe I’m being greedy.
But I’d definitely come back here. Super clean, sweet people, and good results.

The BEST pedicures! Potala really spends a good amount of time on pedicures. They also put paraffin wax in a little baggy for the heels of your feet to have them feeling nice and soft afterwards. The massage chairs seem pretty new, at least compared to other places I’ve been to.
The staff is professional and very friendly. They like to chat! Great prices for gel manicures and pedicures. $ 40 total! They also have a stamp card for every time you go.
Didn’t give them 5 stars because their color choices are very, very limited. Not as many options as other places, but will definitely make this my go to place for pedicures!

I’ve been hearing about the amazing nail salons in Queens. So I was in the neighborhood one time and had the chance to try Potala Nail & Spa. It appears the staff are all from Nepal and they were very kind.
I got a manicure for $ 8. She did a nice job and everything was fine. Nothing magical about the experience but can’t complain with that price!