Aqua Nail Bar

My mom and I came into aqua for pedicures because we had a gift card. Our experience was fabulous! Our service providers were very nice, gentle, and very good at what they do. They were honestly the best pedicures we have ever gotten! And they had is in a separate room with 2 throne chairs next to each other, which was so fun. And the chairs were very comfortable. The ‘pedicure tub’ was a (very fancy) sink, which made me feel confident that I wasn’t going to catch anything weird, since there aren’t any circulating pipes. And they disinfected the bowl right in front of us after the pedicure, which made me feel even better. They are very clean and good at disinfection. Overall, I cannot say enough good things about Aqua! We will definitely be back.

The shopping center that it’s in is really unassuming and kinda old. I was walking there and the person on the phone could hardly give me directions. I basically randomly found it myself. Once you’re inside though it’s very cute. I called late morning to schedule a wax and a change of polish. They were able to schedule me for later in the day with both services back to back. I like that they can provide multiple services in-​house. The wax was ok. First of all, she stayed in the room to set up things while I undressed. I’m not a bashful person, but I do find it a little unprofessional. Like, how much more time would it occupy if she stepped out and allowed people to undress privately? Also, she missed a few spots :(The whole process was very wham-​bam-​thank you ma’am. Definitely not what I’m used to, but the price was cheaper than a place that really focuses on waxing. After the wax the esthetician escorted me back to the front so I could pick out my nail color. The polish is in a super awkward place and almost makes it impossible for barely even two people to pick out colors at one time. At one point I had to squeeze past another person to stand in a corner to see colors on the other side. For just a change of polish, the manicurist was really meticulous. I really appreciated that. Looking around I could tell that they took special efforts to keep everything sanitized and clean. The woman at the front desk was really nice. I would come back here, but I’m not totally sold.

I figured my daughter and I should try this place since they were voted #1 in the Independent. Wow, what a rude surprise. I insisted that my gel nails match my toe nail color. The woman insisted she could match it. When she bailed without even a «goodbye» another woman took over my hands and said she could NOT match. I was visibly upset (I’m paying $ 100+ for services, so let’s try to actually do what I ask for). The white woman simply said a total of three words to me the entire procedure and acted as if I was out of hand for leaving unhappy. Most places have gel nails that last three weeks. These started peeling after a week. My daughter has simply taken hers off since they are all chipping slowly.
We will return to Modern Nails, just a few block up on State Street and they are SO MUCH MORE FRIENDLY. They have stunning murals and a nice, open space. Aqua has teensy little sinks like at home to stick your feet in.
I have no idea how this place won the award. I will spend my monthly budget of $ 140+ for mom/​daughter mani/​pedi at MODERN NAILS on upper State.

Aqua is such a treat to visit! I love that it’s clean and well ran. I’ve been going to Aqua for years and for the most part, the same men & women have been working there. I don’t even bother requesting a specific person to do my nails, because I know all of their work is consistently good. I like the way they do my nails so much, I’ve started going there to get my brows waxed. I’m sure I’ll be happy with their estheticians too!

I LOVE this place! Great products, highly skilled technicians. Clean and reasonable prices.

Went in to get a gel manicure a week ago with my friend. My friend had a nice woman doing her nails who seemed to do everything to make her feel comfortable. The person who did my nails on the other hand didn’t really seem to wanna be there. He kept looking away, sighing a hundred times over and over again. He was even rude to his coworker when me and my friend both wanted the same color. It didn’t really seem like he was fine with sharing the bottle, when he wasn’t even close to needing it yet. My friend got a nice hand/​arm massage after her manicure and she got to keep the file they used on her. I on the other hand didn’t receive any massage, and the file he used on my probably went straight to the trashcan. For me the whole experience was really uncomfortable. It felt like I was just a disturbing object in his way.
After two days it started chipping. The gel lifted from almost all of my nails, and it looked terrible after 4 days. It was like it was just regular polish on my nails. I called back for a refund since I felt mistreated and because of the poor job on my nails. I got to talk to the owner who set me up for a re polish, which I was really thankful for. She told me who would do my nails instead, and promised I wouldn’t have to meet the guy who did my nails last time again.
I went back yesterday to get them re polished and I was greeted by a really sweet girl who examined my nails. I went to sit down to get my old gel removed, and who shows up do it? The guy who made my nails the first time. That was the most uncomfortable 20 minutes I’ve experiences in a really long time. I was about to just leave the place. Who would ever wanna sit down with the person you had complaints about in the first place? He even brought up the fact that he did my nails the first time, and how I thought he did such a bad job. When he was done removing them the girl who I was told was gonna do my nails wasn’t even the one who did them, but someone else.
The new polish ended up looking good and hopefully it will stay on longer than two days. Unfortunately I’m not going back there again.

What a cool little spot!!!
Today was my first time in after hearing such rave reviews from so many people!
And…boy, were they right!!!
I will be back!!! Thank you Aqua Nails!!!

I’m so happy this beautiful salon is in Santa Barbara! The manicures and pedicures are excellent. The staff is wonderful and welcoming. The owner, Claudia is always helpful and gracious. I highly recommend Aqua and am always pleased with the results!

Came her w/​a friend and I love it. They do a very good job USE NEW files and buffers witch is nice because I don’t want a fungus just because someone has a dirty toe nail before me.
They polish very good!!!

I just had my first spray tan for a wedding I am attending in Santa Barbara tomorrow. I usually tan in beds so I was little nervous for the result. However the tan looks amazing. The color is beautiful and really brightened the natural color of my skin as well. I am so happy! Great service, efficient perfection, and friendly staff:)

This is one the nicest nail salons that I have ever been to! I have never been to a salon that adheres to such cleanliness! Bravo!!! They use disposable liners for pedis and sterilize after each client. I had a French gel mani & paint change (toes) with Mr. H and it looks fab! The best part is having 2 technicians work on you at once and getting out in an hour! Whoever owns this put a lot if love & TLC into designing it. Thank you and I will be back!

$ 50 before tip to remove gel polish and get a french gel polish manicure. The male tech I had took a very long time to do the manicure, which seemed like attention to detail, but upon closer inspection there was some marbling in the white tips (ie, inconsistent application/​too thin.) He originally tried to make thick, unnatural white tips and also tried to use hot pink nail polish vs. a nice natural color. To his credit, he did understand me when I asked for thinner tips and another color. A week later one of the nail coats cracked and the one next to it is starting to crack.
Personally (some may disagree with me on this) but I also didn’t like that when you walk in, they hand you a scrub brush and tell you to go scrub your nails. I do like the idea of being cleanly, but I’ve never encountered this before. Normally your nails are soaked or cleaned by the techs.
Not a fan of this place. I paid $ 60 for a very mediocre gel polish job and I was there for about an hour and 45 minutes.

Aqua bar is clean, friendly, and has a great atmosphere. It is a bit more pricey than other options in SB, but I think their services make up for it. I like that they use sinks instead of spa chairs that can get bacteria trapped in them. I also appreciate that their polishes are high quality and current with the season. They invest in good equipment and tools. The environment is always clean and doesn’t smell strongly of chemicals like a lot of the other salons. They’ve created a great space to relax and enjoy. I’ve been multiple times and always been pleased with my services. This last time, I had a problem with my gel peeling. I went back a few days later and they fixed it with meticulous care.
The owners are very attentive to their clients and offer excellent service. I am very happy with this nail salon and will visit them exclusively in SB.

Aqua nail bar is the cleanest, friendliest place in Santa Barbara. It is the only place I go for pedicures and manicures. They do an awesome job, my pedicures usually last a month, so my toes always look pretty.
Cleanliness is very important to me and this truly is a spotless place.
Everyone is friendly, you will get an incredible leg massage and keep coming back just like I do.
Waxing and spray tanning are available also. I have had my eyebrows done, and once again, a super job.
I love Aqua Nail bar

manicure stations are super clean, but now I mostly come for Mickie for waxing, facial and lash services. LOVE her. I had another waxing gal a few months ago — awful, i was marked for days. Now only Mickie. Making appointments /​calling was a bit of a chore, and once I figured out how to use the online booking system (not a breeze) i generally avoid calling.

My daughter and I enjoy going to Aqua for a mother/​daughter time to relax together. They do a great job, and the staff is always friendly and helpful. What I love about it is very clean. I recommend Aqua Nails to my brides and bridesmaids all the time for them to have fun before the big day arrives.

Well, I guess my threats to post a negative Unilocal review probably didn’t hold much value, as it appears that just about everyone that visits here ends up leaving a negative review.
I came in on a Friday night, paid $ 20 for a basic manicure, I asked for black with matte top coat. The manicurist was very nice, but I was sort of irritated that it took over an hour and a half to perform a basic manicure. She finished the polish, coated with matte, and walked away. The polish never turned matte. I showed the owner, Claudia, who asked a different technician to repaint the matte coat. He did, I waited another 25 minutes, it never dried or turned matte.
I finally just went home, and, about an hour and a half later, the polish dried, not matte, but covered in air bubbles, looking awful. I called the owner, Claudia, who offered to have someone repaint. I declined, as the original manicure took MUCH longer than it should have, and I work 80+ hours a week, with no time to stop in and fix their mistake. Claudia said she would have the customer service manager call me Monday. She didn’t. I called her Tuesday, we played phone-​tag, and then finally I asked to speak with the owner again, as I couldn’t seem to link up with the customer service manager. Claudia informed me that they would not be issuing me refund, that the customer service manager has decided that they would only offer me a repainting. I, again, explained that I do not have time to come back in, that my work schedule allows for one manicure a month. Also, I do not want to spend such a long time on a basic manicure again. Additionally, their technique was DEFINITELY substandard, and I really feel I should just have the refund, which I hoped she could authorize, as the owner. She was incredibly rude, and declined to help at all. She insisted that she had no authority over issuing a refund. AS THE OWNER. Don’t waste your time on this pit, you’ll have to listen to the owner chat with her trashy friends at full volume about vaginas and body waxing and basically just gossiping like a snide little schoolgirl. They are overpriced and don’t live up to their costs, and, as I got to learn, won’t take responsibility for their crappy work. Now I get to walk around with nails that look like they were painted by a fourth grader. Awesome.

I really do want to love this place, but every time I try to schedule an appt. to come in it seems like I have to fill out archaic forms and go through way too much communication to even get scheduled. Too easy to go elsewhere with great service and ease of interaction. Today as my last attempt.

It really is not worth it to come here. I came here with a party of 5 girls and made a reservation a month in advance. They were really adamant about coming on time. I specifically asked if they could seat all of us at the same time and they said yes. During the week of, they confirmed the reservation for 430pm. Then they called me again the following day, confirming again. At this time, I told someone I had confirmed. And then they re-​confirmed via email the day prior for a later time of 445pm. Confusing. We arrived at the nail salon at 440pm. First of all, they did not seat us at the same time. The first person started at 515pm, and although we technically were in the same area, we were all called one by one to the seats. Hence, it defeated the whole purpose of being a group thing, as we all finished at different times. The majority of us got the aqua signature pedi. We were all surprised, because considering the cost, they did a really fast and sloppy job. The massage was not a massage at all. They just put lotion on your legs. And the honey scrub? They put it on your feet but there was no scrub. For calluses, they barely touched my rough surfaces and did not work on it at all. At the end, they did not wait for the paint to dry and rushed out to bring the bill. So we assumed it was over because they did not come back. At the end, the lady figured I needed some quick spray and sprayed it as I was walking. These nail technicians did a sloppy job. The Polish is already chipped and they did not even put a top coat.
Also, the whole time they were speaking in their language about us and then they would ask us questions, like where we are from and then proceed to talk in their language and laugh. Although I do not know what they said, it is apparent they were taking about us. It felt unprofessional.
One of the reasons we chose this venue was because of its décor. However, it is pretty dingy compared to the pictures online.
Overall, the job was sloppy, fast, and unprofessional. The management seems really nice, but they need to focus on providing good nail service.

I haven’t come here in the past due to the high prices, but I had a gift card so gave them a try. I got a manicure, and it was bare bones — I paid more for a bare minimum manicure when I could’ve had a better manicure somewhere else for $ 5 – 10 less.
Also, I got A TON of bubbles on my nail polish because they made me sit under a fan to dry the polish. Everyone knows drying nail polish with a fan causes bubbles… And I said this, but they insisted… And now I have bubbles. Thanks, Aqua Nail Bar for convincing me to never come back.