Belle Nails & Spa

I’m new to the DC area so Belle Nails was the first nail salon I’ve tried out in the district, and I must say I really enjoyed my experience. The salon is cozy, the massage chairs are superb, and the nail techs were careful and meticulous which is a MAJOR PLUS in my book.
I came in for a pedicure, acrylic take off, and gel manicure. The pedicure was spa like and the polish job was solid! The tech also soaked my acrylic nails for an extended period of time and used the drill minimally to remove the acrylic, PLUS! I’ve previously had bad experiences where the drill was used extensively to remove the acrylic and damaged my nails. With my tech at Belle Nails, I feel like my nails are stronger after the removal of the acrylic, PLUS!
Only minor negative (and reason I can’t give them 5 stars) was that I requested to keep the length of my nails and was more or less «persuaded» (basically told after the chop) that my nails were too weak to keep long. While I appreciate the professional recommendation, I want what I want, and at the end of the day I’m the one paying, so just give me what I ask for.
Nonetheless my nails look amazing and healthy, and I will definitely be returning soon.

This is a nice place and the staff are all very pleasant. I’ve only gone for pedicures (3x) as a drop in (usually on weekdays though) and haven’t had a wait. A good range of Opi and Essie polishes, the basic pedicure is about $ 30 and lasts 3 – 4 weeks.

I agree with the review Kristen J. gave below.
I had been going here for almost a year before I started to notice a decline in service. It’s a nice place overall, typically quiet and with comfy pedicure chairs.
However, the service has, over the past two months or so, declined greatly either due to a change in management or overbooking (I think it’s some sort of combination of both). Let me recount a few of the bad experiences:
1) I brought an out-​of-​town friend here in July, while gushing about the service and how relaxing it was. She had just gotten a pedicure 5 days before and asked for a polish change since there was a chip (her fault). The woman then proceeded to harass her through the entire polish change process about how bad the pedicure job had been and how she needed a new one. Oh, and they didn’t even sit her in a pedicure chair for this. She got her feet touched up in a mani chair.
2) I went in for a gel mani in late September with a bride-​to-​be prior to her bachelorette party. They sat us in chairs next to each other so we could talk. The place was maybe half full. The woman doing my manicure (Asian, long straight hair, maybe early 20s, and often wears her hair in a ponytail) was incredibly rude. Granted, I know I wasn’t 100% paying attention since I was talking to my friend, but she seemed overly aggressive about grabbing my hands or tapping them hard to get my attention and just seemed overall angry. Furthermore, the UV light machine she was using was very fickle and hard to activate. She kept telling me, «Touch the back» (of the UV lamp, to activate the light), and I kept telling her over and over, «I’m afraid I’m going to smudge my nails because there’s only one spot that works, and it’s hard to push.» She would then let out a huge sigh, take it off my hand, and activate the light by, as you may have guessed, pushing down really hard on one spot inside. I walked out a little bit on edge due to her rudeness.
3) This was on a Friday night. I walked in and was greeted by a woman at the register who asked me what I needed. I told her gel mani and pedi, and she told me to go pick colors. As I was taking my coat off, the same woman above yells over, «What do you need?» I repeat myself, and she was like, «Hold on. Not sure we can.» She proceeds to look at her appointment book, makes a phone call, and comes back and says, «We can’t do tonight. Tomorrow would be better.» I said, «Well, this woman here just told me…» and she cuts me, «Tomorrow. You can come tomorrow.» And I replied, «Actually, I can’t. I have a train first…» «Tomorrow,» she repeats again. I told her I would just go elsewhere (not even in a particularly mean tone), and she goes, «Okay, bye bye!» in this very singsong voice.
TL;DR: I think this place grew too fast due to good Unilocal reviews, but it is not worth your time. There are better and cheaper places in the surrounding neighborhoods where they don’t rush you and demand unnecessary services.
Sorry, Belle, you just lost what would have been a frequent customer.

I’ve been going here for over a year, but unfortunately the quality has declined. It’s only because of the previous positive experiences I’ve had that I’m giving two stars instead of one. After having the worst manicure ever (seriously, I could easily do better at home and am embarrassed for anyone to see my hands, a total waste of money) I’ll never go here again.
I went in for a manicure and had an older lady than I usually have, which was fine. However, things quickly went downhill. She made one clip on each nail and quickly filed them, with many of them ending up lopsided or uneven lengths (right side of nail is longer than left side). Some ended up square and others round, but I wasn’t given a chance to review or correct (she never asked if I wanted square or round, if the length was okay, etc., all questions they normally ask). Some were clearly not filed properly and have sharp points still, And some have a bunch of gunk from the mani under the nail (normally they quickly clean under the nail).
When it was time to pay before the polish, she asked me for cash for tip, which I’ve never been asked here. I try to tip in cash when I can, but if I don’t have any cash on me I will usually tip generously on the credit card receipt to make up for it. When I told her I didn’t have cash, she huffed and rolled her eyes .
Then the polish — for top coat and base coat she did one swipe per finger, none on the edges or to make sure the whole nail was covered. For the polish, some nails have polish on the cuticle, so the nails looking smudgy, others the polish doesn’t reach the cuticle, and the rest are uneven (one swipe reached the cuticle but directly next to it, on the same nail, it’s no where near the cuticle, giving a jagged look). She even smudged one of the nails while holding it but didn’t make any effort to fix it. As a whole my nails look HORRIBLE. And now I’m out $ 23 (mani + tip) and have a crappy manicure I’ll have to get replaced asap.
To their credit, I think two other manicurists saw I was unhappy (since I kept looking at my messy nails) and as I was leaving asked if I was ok/​looked at my nails, but they were working with other clients and at that point the only way to fix all of the mistakes (cut, file, polish) would be to start over, and I just wanted to get home.
So, if you go here, avoid the older lady in glasses and with a green jade bangle bracelet. Sadly, this was my last time here and I will now have to find a new go-​to manicure spot.

I’ve been searching for a place in DC that gives great gel manicures. I have this bad habit of picking at them if the paint is chipped or not evenly applied to my nail. I do know it’s bad to pick gel off, I have no self control. Yikes. Anyway, I went to this place for a classic manicure with out gel & it was amazing. I didn’t want to fork out the $ 43 for a gel before testing their paint application skills. It lasted for days! I ended up going back for a gel & am beyond happy. I think I found a winner.
I suggest making an appointment, sometimes they can take you and sometimes they ask you to come back.

Went here with my sister as a walk-​in and were seated very quickly. They did an excellent job on our nails. We both got gel manicures and the final product was clean and flawless. Love this place.

0 stars wasn’t an option… Don’t go here unless you’re into wasting time and money, want to bleed, or catch a disease. Tech didn’t know how to remove acrylics. Cut me, made me bleed, then proceeded to soak my bleeding finger in acetone… to top it off they expected to be paid for doing a shitty job. No other reputable place would dare charge for such an unforgivable mistake. This is your profession is it not? Techs should have basic knowledge and at the bare minimum know not to cut their clients. Also they reuse the same waxing stick in the so called sanitary pot… disgusting. Save yourself. Go anywhere but here.

This place was nice and clean. The lady who did my nails was sweet. It’s just overly priced for what you can get in NY. I pay less and get more there than here.

This was the best manicure I’ve had in a LONG time — maybe ever. I was in awe. Nikki was amazing and so sweet! They took me right before closing and didn’t rush me. Just such a phenomenal job, especially on the cuticles. I couldn’t believe it was $ 18 though… maybe that’s a normal price in DC? Either way, worth every penny!

Good color selection, massage, and nail outcome. The environment is relaxing and clean. I will be coming back here.

I usually wait until I’ve tried out a place a few times before giving 5 stars, and I’ve had some pretty bad/​disappointing/​inconsistent experiences at other DC salons. This place is definitely worth the 5 starts. Clean, friendly, and my gel manicures (once with color, once french tip) and pedicure were absolute perfection. I’m coming up on a week with my french tip gel manicure and it looks just as good as it did when I got it. The place is also very good with managing the busy times. I can only get my nails done during peak times (midday weekends) and they were able to commission people to get various steps started for me so that my wait was near not-​at-​all. The BEST part about this place though is that both times my nails were perfection with DIFFERENT people. I’m all about having a go-​to person at the salon, but consistency across technicians says a lot about the establishment.

Still trying to find a nail salon near home. So far this one is the best. Nancy was sweet and meticulous. There’s one nail that looks a little wide on the end so that’s why only 4 stars. Other than that, I enjoyed my Mother’s Day mani-​pedi!

I’ve been to this nail place 3 times so far. This place is cute, organized, and clean. I have found the nail techs to be very sweet and nice, overall. Around this neighborhood, I’ve had some bad experiences at nail places — I was nearly ready to GIVE UP and start hiking across town to one of the hotel spas for my mani pedis. My standards aren’t exceptionally high — I just want to go someplace CLEAN and NOT HOSTILE. I’m so glad I tried this spot. I finally found a place that does a great job, makes me feel welcome, and I can be confident in their efforts to be hygienic. Definitely the best place in this area. And close to my office, which is HUGE!

I came back with a friend for a spa mani pedi with Linda. My hands and feet were a mess. Linda made them beautiful. She and the other manicurist timed things perfectly so my friend and I had adjacent chairs for both the pedicure and manicure. It made for an especially wonderful afternoon. I couldn’t be happier.

Yay for quality gel manicures! My gel manicures at Belle consistently last longer than those I get from any other nail salon. The staff is always accommodating and the space is pleasant, if not a bit small. I recommend you call ahead to make sure they can fit you in — I’ve seen a lot of people walk in and been turned away because the place was full. Every time I have called, however, they’ve always been able to see me at the exact time they’ve scheduled. The only downside is that the quality comes with a price — manicures and pedicures here are generally more expensive than at other salons. But they last longer so, in the long run, I think it’s a win.

Went there this past summer, a little pricey but worth the money. Really clean and professional experience.

I’ve been here twice now, and I’ll be making it my go-​to pedi place. Everyone who works there is kind, friendly, and accommodating.
At $ 32 for a pedi it’s a little pricey, but it’s totally worth it. Both times, the technicians spent at least half an hour with me. When I walked in I was offered something to drink, and they made sure the chair was comfortable and that I had enough leg room in the tub. Their basic pedi includes a calf scrub and massage, and it feels amazing! Not to mention the whole place is sparkling and they always open up a fresh pack of sanitized tools. I’ll be singing their praises for a long time!

I wanted to be «blown out of the water» and experience «professionalism + great character» from one of their spa mani/​pedi packages. However, I did not.
When I walked in around 1PM on a Saturday afternoon, it was peaceful and calm, and there were several nail technicians sitting around chatting and laughing with each other. To my delight, there were only two customers. Most nail salons are overflowing on Saturday afternoon.
There were two technicians talking to each other behind the counter, so it took them a minute to notice me. I asked for a mani/​pedi. The girls looked at each other, and had a discussion in a language I didn’t understand and responded, «Can you make an appointment and come back later?» She then promptly went back to her conversation. I turned and left.
So even if by chance the 5 idle technicians sitting around laughing and chatting had appointments arriving within the next two minutes, why would you ask me to make an appointment and then ignore me?
Boooooo for Belle!!! I wish I could give it half a star. I’m big on customer service, and it’s obvious that Belle is not.

My cousin recommended this new salon to me, so we went to get pedicures.
When we walked in, we could tell it was very shiny and new! As soon as we walked in, we were greeted and taken care of! They have OPI and Essie brand nail polish. After we were seated, both technicians made friendly conversation. The chairs were awesome and comfortable! The techs showed us how to use the massage function and we went to town playing with the different settings!
The best part about the whole experience was the cleanliness of the whole place. The second best part was that I didn’t feel like the techs were judging my feet or the state they were in for that matter!
I will definitely be coming back!

What a pleasant surprise! This is a brand-​new and sparkling clean salon that blows the other neighborhood options out of the water in just about every category. I really can’t justify giving it fewer than five stars.
The space is two stories, although they mentioned that the owner plans to build a bigger client base before hiring more nail techs, and only the second floor was in use when I was there. They offer standard manicure/​pedicures at prices comparable to other local salons (about $ 50 for both), but what set Belle Nail apart to me is the upgrades they offer. There’s a paraffin option, several «spa» upgrades, and even some organic packages. I had the mango spa pedicure and paraffin manicure and thought both were excellent. There’s a huge range of both OPI and Essie polish colors (more than reds/​pinks — blues, greens, etc.) and they’re even grouped by color on the shelf so you can find what you’re looking for.
It’s really little things like that that made the salon stand out to me. I was offered a bottle of water or can of soda, my nail tech made sure to help me move my belongings around when my nails were wet, and he took time to explain that they use high-​quality products throughout the salon (like Seche Vite topcoat — no clear mystery liquids in unmarked bottles here).
Takeaway: this is spa-​quality service with lots of options in every price range, and it’s a great addition to the neighborhood.