Bamboo

So disappointed to rate this salon that had looked to be a promising go to for mani/​pedi. I had a manicure and pedicure, the pedicure is what the 1 star review relates to. After the pedicure I noticed immediately both soles of my feet had these scratches /​cuts in the arch area (see pictures). Upon returning home I looked and found indeed BOTH my feet have numerous scratches /​cuts around the arch area and along cuticles. I immediately disinfected and applied antibacterial ointment. Being pregnant my OB is concerned about possible exposure to bacteria via these cuts (which happened either with the pumice, callous board and cuticle scissors they used. PLEASE use caution when having ANY SERVICES at this salon.

Best nail salon I’ve found in the Bay Area in the almost 20 years I’ve lived here! Try the Sayonara Callous pedi and the Paraffin mani for the healthiest nails around — a real medi mani pedi

ABSURDLY EXPENSIVE. Mani is $ 25 for regular non gel not including tip. Double anywhere else nearby and not a better Mani at all. Service is normal my nails chipped after 2 days… not worth it at all. Why did I ever try anywhere other than Boniva…

My husband and I love Bamboo! Everyone is so sweet and the place is ALWAYS super clean! I only trust Coco with my eyebrows and ask for Cammie whenever I want an extra special manicure!

A super relaxing and high end nail salon experience. They use great products, techs are sweet and communicative and know how to take care of nails. It’s clean and beautiful and they treat their techs well, which is a rarity in most nail salons. If you want cheap, unethical nails, go somewhere else! And just an FYI: just because someone is speaking in a different language doesn’t mean they’re talking about you. What a self absorbed way of thinking!

If you are into paying 100 $ to be humiliated, yelled at, and most definitely gossiped about behind your back in another language! THIS IS THE SALON FOR YOU! I have been a die hard fan of this salon, always taking my friends with me and introducing new customers to the spot.
However, today my experience was so horrendous I felt the need to warn everyone else out there.
I had initially booked two mani/​pedi however due to a mistake in communication (lack of language skills on behalf of the person on the other line!!) I was only booked for two manis and one pedi. I informed the owner that if my friend will not have a pedi then neither will I (I didn’t want her hanging around).
After a great deal of condescending glances and screaming and yelling (on their part which I understood half, apparently they managed to find two pedi spots for us. At this point I was so aggravated at their lack of manners I gave up and said I only wanted a mani so I could hurry up and LEAVE!
To add to this amazing experience the lady doing my gel manicure screamed at me for scratching my hand… she later continued to yell and scream every time I asked a question. She wouldn’t let me close the cover on the LED light, even though it was hurting my eyes (keep in mind it’s the same light you use at the dentists and there they make you wear safety glasses!!!) Please keep in mind I am PAYING to be treated this way!!!
To add the cherry to this lovely experience, the owner would pass by every 15 minutes and ask my friend who I brought in if she wanted tea or water and completely and utterly ignore my existence!!! Really???
In conclusion this will be my last time at this amazing salon, just wanted to share this with all of you out there who are interested in paying hard earned cash to be treated with zero respect :-)

More than just a manicure/​pedicure — it’s a full experience. I love having my nails done at Bamboo. The green tea they serve is fabulous and the atmosphere is very relaxing. Everything is extremely clean so I never worry about getting any sort of nail infection like I would at other salons.
I also like that they have a great selection of polish colors and use high quality polishes.

1^st time at Bamboo. Made appt and they were ready for me when I arrived. Polish selection is amazing –comfortableness is super amazing and the mani-​pedi $ 55 was worth it all. This place is CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN. My only reason for not giving 5 stars: I asked for a paraffin add-​on and was told they had no time. Yet many nail technicians were not working and enough empty chaise chairs — so why couldn’t i get that add-​on? Oh well. I will go back and the Receptionist & 2 techs who worked on my paws could not have been kinder (hey they speak English!) and I like that for nailing the communications. They even thanked me for coming. Superb!

I’ve been going to Bamboo for the last few months. It’s always been a decent experience — it’s nice and quiet, you can usually get a reservation pretty easily, and they do a good job for the most part. It’s not cheap ($ 75 for a gel manicure + pedicure) and there isn’t a lot of massage, but it’s usually fine.
However, their service is not the best. I tolerated this for a while but after the last experience there, I’ll never go back. My friend booked a manicure/​pedicure and a gel manicure. When the owner found out that we actually wanted two gel manicures and a pedicure, she freaked out. She repeatedly said «no, you booked a normal manicure» and said that gel would take too long. It’s not like they were at full capacity — there were empty chairs. We later saw 3 manicurists finish with clients while we were still there, and stand around chatting because they were idle. NOT the way that you treat repeat customers.
Also, more minor but still annoying — I was offered water by the owner when I walked in, but it never came. After asking for it twice, it still didn’t come. Meanwhile, the owner was just sitting around doing nothing.
Never again!

Bamboo nails does an amazing job every time I go there. The people there are always super nice and polite. There are billions of polishes to chose from, including gel ones. Also, the location is really convenient since it’s only two or three blocks away from my house. The only reason I didn’t give this place 5 stars is because it is extremely pricy. But if you want to treat yourself for a relaxing day, it’s worth it.

DO NOT GO HERE! I stopped in today with my male friend for a pedicure. They seated us and mid-​way through asked us if we had an appt. When I said no– they said they didn’t have availability to complete the pedicures. I literally had my feet in the water. They asked my male companion to leave and advised they could quickly finish my pedicure «express style» for full price. I have NEVER had such terrible customer service. DO NOT GO HERE! Rude and unprofessional.

Here’s what you should know. if you have any experience with mass market mani/​pedis you know the following.
There are really 2 types:
1) Cheap, churn style — wham bam strip mall types
2) Spa Style, expensive ‘experience’ type.
Both of them cut/​shape your nails, give you a hand/​foot massage and send you on your way. Spa mani/​pedis cost you a fortune, don’t do a much better job but you get to sit somewhere clean and nice and get some attention. The strip mall types are the exact opposite.
Bamboo is a great balance of the two. You have the ability to book at the last minute/​walk in and be given the time and attention that you deserve. The prices are super-​reasonable give the location and staff.
Per usual — I am pretty picky. I think this place is pretty good all things considered.
I am a HUGE fan of Ann — wont go to anyone else…

I was looking to get my nails done in the Marina and have always had horrible experiences with places there, they tend to be fast and not detail oriented. So I went to Unilocal and found this place. It was a gorgeous SF day so I didn’t feel like waiting in line which is why I didn’t go to the place I always go near my house, Bella Linda which I have to say is amazing at doing nails but always busy and doesn’t take appointments.
Bamboo is very quiet and soothing, it was away from the noisy part of Union and had a zen feel to it. I was able to sit right away and they asked if I wanted water or tea. So far great experience. I had two girls working on me, one on feet and one on hands.
The one doing the manicure left a lot of cuticles behind, I had to point it out to her and ask her to clean it up, that was annoying to me, instead of relaxing I had to monitor.
The pedicure seemed a bit rushed to me, she was very fast on the cuticles, the massage was almost non existent and she didn’t really scrub the bottom of my feet like I’m used to, it’s sandals season so yes they need a good scrubbing.
While I was drying my nails, I realized that she left my old dark nail polish behind on my manicure and the natural polish I picked looked messy, whey I asked her to fix it she said the polish was on my nail, so she was trying not to redo it. Really? I had to insist on it being redone on two nails, again no attention to details.
So now I go to pay, and the total was $ 55 for pedi/​mani. Sure I never asked how much it was, but the going rate in SF is $ 35 unless you’re going to some full service salon and overpaying. I didn’t get gel, it was regular mani pedi and given there was no special services or massage I felt like I just overpaid.

Mai is the best for waxing! She’s efficient, friendly and does a great job. Also, somehow, magically, waxing hurts a bit less when Mai does it.
As far as the rest of the salon, the staff are professional, the place is always clean and the prices are reasonable. The only other services I’ve received here are mani/​pedi. If you’re looking for something one step up from the terrifying $ 15 manicures on Chestnut Street, but don’t quite want to pay $ 90 and spend 3 hours in a salon, Bamboo is the way to go.

Worst manicure — it chipped within an hour of leaving. A $ 50+ mani/​pedi should stick around for at least 3 days.
The owner/​manager at the front is also pretty nasty and the vibe of the entire place is a bit tense.
BUT great eyebrow wax that I would recommend to any friend…

I has a massage and facial here and was disappointed in both. Facial was the worst. The woman just mindlessly rubbed bland creams on my face and then left the room for at least 10 min. No massage at all during the facial. They usually always massage at least your neck and shoulders. The woman did not say one word to me the entire time. I don’t like to chat but there was no explanation of what we happening and she never asked if I was ok. Dead silence the whole time. I felt like she had never done a facial before.
The massage was a little better, but not much. I told the woman and showed her that my foot and ankle were injured and she was still really rough.
I left feeling like I had paid a lot for crappy services. Maybe it’s more of a mani/​pedi place.

I agree with many of the other 4-​star Unilocalers about Bamboo. What a wonderful surprise! Shhhh don’t tell anyone. I was excited to find a new place to pamper myself in my neighborhood. It’s always great to find new gems after living somewhere for many years… Bamboo is what Lush Life Nail Bar on Fillmore wanted to be but could never quite accomplish.
You’re not paying for a mani/​pedi that’s better than anywhere else, but rather for a quiet, immaculate, smells-​delicious-​and-​non-​chemically salon/​spa where you might feel as if you’re on vacation vs. at home in SF. They serve good quality teas to enjoy, too. I also treated myself to a 15min shoulder/​neck massage and it was fantastic!
This is a great place for when you want to truly treat yourself and aren’t in a rush: they take the time to pamper you and I found it 100% worth the extra money.
Yahoo for Bamboo!!!

I don’t have a single complaint about this place.
Things I loved…
Since it is appointment based, there is no waiting
Atmosphere was very relaxing and quiet
No cell phone policy
Very friendly staff
They took their time on your nails and do an amazing job
Always checking to make sure you are okay
Very very clean
I have been to a ton of high end salons and this place is great for the money you pay. I would absolutely recommend this place.

I finally got the chance to visit Bamboo despite many failed attempts previously. The salon is very clean, quiet and I truly adored the décor. I was walking by and decided to stop in for a manicure. The Japanese lady who helped me was really taking her time even though they were close to closing time– I did not feel rushed at all to leave. Their salon chairs were sooo comfortable that I was literally falling asleep as I was waiting for my nails to dry.
$ 20.00 for a manicure — pricey compared to others but worth it for the environment.

CLEAN and COMFORTABLE
Did I mention that it’s super clean?
I needed a nail salon that was quiet. I needed a place that did not rush me. Bamboo is THE place.
Sure it’s not the cheapest nail salon place in the Marina. But it is the cleanest. Their mani/​pedi lasts a lot longer than some other places that cost half the price. They always use a new buffer and filer for each client. You get to take those home if you want. The massages are absolutely refreshing. The scrubs and lotions they use on your feet and arms are SO relaxing. The lavender smell was soothing too. (I fell asleep at one point… zzzzzzz)
The nail technicians are very meticulous and take their time. They don’t chit chat and there is no cell phone use AT ALL. However, during my quiet time, there was a client that used his phone. No one said anything… hmmmm… I was a little disappointed.
Overall, I still recommend this place if you don’t mind forking out a little more for the peace and quiet with green tea.
It is about 1 week and my nails still look good. Yeah!