MiniLuxe Wellesley

I used to love this place, but I feel the quality of service has slipped dramatically and I may not go back.
The last time I visited, the technician didn’t ask how I wanted my nails shaped and filed them to be completely square. The manicure is dull-​looking and sloppy where nail meets the cuticle. For the price, I expect consistent quality. Unfortunately, lately the end result has been bad more often than it’s been good.
The previous time, I got a gel manicure that chipped the same day I got it. Miniluxe offered to re-​do it for free when I complained, but I shouldn’t have to come back in and sit for a service all over again because it was poorly done in the first place.

Just had my second ever pedi here. They do a great long massage with a scrub and then a lotion, but I was not impressed by the polish job either time. Felt rushed on the cuticle trimming both times. Color selection is lacking. They only have about 20 Essie colors so if you know you want Essie brand you are limited.
The woman next to me was offered water and magazines. I was offered neither (and 9 months pregnant!)
Also my friend was late for her appt. and they refused to do her. Kind of a bummer. At smaller salons I feel like they would have squeezed her in.

Got a quick polish change last night and I was impressed. It was my first time at this location but I like it the best out of the three mini luxe locations I have been to. The décor was pleasing and very clean. The place made me feel relaxed and classy. Sue at the front desk was enthusiastic and helpful. Anotinise did my nails very nicely. She was personable and professional and my nails look great! I will be coming back!

Consistently good service. Have had regular and gel mani/​pedis. Have had eyebrows tweezed (trying to get them back into shape after they had been waxed too thinly at another salon). Had a thorough bikini wax. Everyone has been very professional and technically good. Very clean. Front desk is easy to work with for scheduling, upbeat greetings, like the text reminders. Definitely recommend for consistently high level of service and professionalism.

Fabulous, neat, unchippable gel mani! Cheerful, professional staff. Clean, peaceful salon. Would never go anywhere else in west suburban Boston.
Before wondering about prices, please read email rec’d from MiniLuxe:
«We have received many inquiries after Sarah Maslin Nir’s article earlier this month in The New York Times exposed some of the unfortunate truths and unsafe practices found in the nail salon industry. We are grateful that she shined a light on this topic and we are proud that her piece validated how fundamentally different MiniLuxe is from other salons portrayed in her story.
Eight years ago, the MiniLuxe founding team set out not just to create the leading nail and beauty concept, but to transform the industry by elevating values and standards. We love and respect the idea of beauty and self-​care. None of us can be good unless we feel good. But we commit to do this in a way that redefines the entire experience and expectation of nail, brow, and waxing services for both our clients and our team.
Our promise to you is to do better than the rest – much better – and ultimately be known for being the best at everything we do. This does not mean we have solved everything. We haven’t. We have much work ahead, but we are encouraged by the success we have enjoyed across our locations in both Boston and Texas.
As we take some time this holiday weekend to remind ourselves of what has allowed this success, we remember that true beauty must start from the inside. We therefore have committed ourselves to these five tenets that will never see compromise:
People — We are not a beauty business inspiring people. We are a people business inspiring beauty and self-​care. We want to be known as the place to go, the place to grow, and the place to dream. For every one of our team members, we offer not just a job at some of the highest compensation levels in the industry, but also a meaningful career path based on roles characterized by independence, development, and pride in the quality and craft of services.
Clean and Fair — We have taken clean and hygiene to a different level. In every MiniLuxe, our Clean Lab incorporates the same hospital-​grade equipment that sterilizes instruments for surgery. We never use bacteria-​circulating whirlpools for pedicures, and if we can’t autoclave it, we use it just once (e.g. files and buffers). And clean means being above board across the board: hiring legal staff, paying taxes, never holding back tips, all while offering paid time off, 401k, Flexible Spending, subsidized health insurance, and monthly profit-​sharing plan.
Better Products and Environment — Many salon products should be banned. Their manufacturing standards or toxic ingredients are simply bad for everyone. They will never find their way to MiniLuxe. We never have offered, and never will offer, acrylic nails. We encourage the use of 5-​Free polishes (void of formaldehyde, DBP, toluene, formaldehyde resin, and camphor), and use natural-​based products wherever possible. MiniLuxe’s own brand of polish is made in the USA made with the highest quality ingredients to show better color, last longer, and, of course, is 5-​Free. Our stores incorporate sustainable materials and low volatile organic compounds, from the floors we select to the paint on our walls — our choices are not only more environmentally friendly, but more people-​friendly.
Quality and Convenience — We have served clients hundreds of thousands of times and are proud of the quality of what we offer. Each day we commit to providing the perfect mani, pedi, or waxing service, and if we ever don’t get it right, we are here to fix it, like with our no-​chip guarantee. Today we have ten MiniLuxe stores and over the next year we look to double the locations from which we serve. We are growing to get closer to you. And beyond locations, we are investing in our online and mobile technologies so that it will become even easier for you to book appointments, remember your preferences, or conveniently check-​in and check-​out. Life should be simple.
Value — We recognize, and we know you do, too, that all this ambition costs more. We also realize that competition isn’t entirely fair since many of our competitors do not share these values all around. Our prices are set so that we can offer the standards we want and believe in for you and our team. But we work hard to be more efficient so that we can deliver this quality at the best value. We always want you to feel good about choosing MiniLuxe. And we will in return always look for ways to reward your loyalty and commitment. We can’t transform this industry without you.
With gratitude and thanks to all those who are part of the MiniLuxe team, and to all our clients and fans who help us become better each day»

I had been to Miniluxe Wellesley twice before and had been pleased with the service. A little expensive, but it is a treat for me. I booked my appointment days in advance for sunday. I had been there on a sunday before and it was really quiet. The technician that day told me that they were normally quiet on Sundays. Anyway, I booked my appointment online for a manicure and a pedicure and there were multiple appointment openings available for this Sunday.
I was just getting ready to head out the door for my manu/​pedi appt when I got a phone call from Miniluxe saying they had to cancel my appointment (this was only 25 to 30 minutes before my actual appointment time) because one of the technicians called out sick. What? I understand that people get sick, but that is the business’ responsibility, not mine. Your clients should not be the people who suffer.
The person on the phone explained that they were booked solid (?) and that they coud either schedule me for a manicure at a later time or a MINI pedicure at also a later time. A mini?
So I booked an appointment well in advance for a full mani/​pedi, got canceled at the last minute, and offered altermate time slots for not really the services I orignally booked for? Nope. Sorry. Not my idea of customer service.
Just lost my business Miniluxe Wellesley. But that does not appear to be a concern for you.

Mariana was the best waxer I have ever had for my eyebrows, but I have been informed that she no longer works at the Wellesley Miniluxe. Can anyone tell me where she works now? I’ve tried getting my brows waxed by others at Miniluxe, but it is no where near the same. She is the best and I need to find her!

While I appreciate punctuality, this branch of Miniluxe has zero flexibility for any kind of delay. Perhaps they should consider building in a grace period so they can accommodate women or men with lives that have multiple demands.

Unhappy.
My shellac is uneven, and the filing is just asymmetrical. Very disappointed.

I have been to Mini-​Luxe in Wellesley a few times. The first time I waited waited 20 minutes because the receptionist never told the technician that I was there. Once I got to the technician, she did a nice job. The second time I went the technician went over her time with her customer because the customer wanted her daughter’s nails painted with flowers and it took extra time that wasn’t booked on the schedule. So again I waited 10 minutes for my appointment. Once I got to the technician, she did an okay job.
Today I booked an appointment because I got some promotional email for mani specials and made an appointment same day for after work. I was late to my appointment by 8 minutes (traffic in downtown Wellesley was a bear and parking was a challenge) and when I checked in with the front desk I apologized for being late due to parking/​traffic. I took cash out of my wallet to pre-​pay and that’s when I got the attitude. The young lady/​receptionist told me that they could not take me, but not in a nice way. She looked down her nose in a snotty way, gave me attitude and said I could come back in 1.5 hours for the next appointment. Really??? I walked out and won’t be back.
I’ll take my business elsewhere to a salon who have friendly receptionists and helpful staff. The service is poor, the can’t seem to figure out the scheduling and this last experience is the worst experience that I have ever had at a salon. It is okay to keep me waiting more than 10 minutes every time, but when I show up 8 minutes late they turn me away with snotty attitude and nastiness. Okay, I’ll go elsewhere.

Staff is nice, location is good, place is clean.
Prices are way overpriced and not worth it. Everything costs extra– removal, cuticle work and paint are three different costs. My shellac chipped in three days on three nails. It is not worth the money. Very disappointed.

I don’t know why I keep coming back to Mini-​Luxe. The pedicure is decent, and I do love their streamlined appointment process, but $ 37 barely seems worth it. My technician was friendly, but the one next to us was so loud and talkative it was distracting and did not create the typical peaceful atmosphere. I think the service overall could be better, and the prices are just too high. It was disjointing to have a different person checking me out from check-​in and both were weird, although mostly friendly. I will say, they did accommodate a last-​minute change to my appointment time, which was appreciated, but I wonder if that’s because they are never fully booked? They do not accept tips on a credit card, so make sure you bring cash or a check. There is a free private parking lot in the back, so don’t go searching for those metered spaces.

The manager reached out to me via email, and was apologetic and offered me a discount on my next pedicure. However, I can’t say I’ll ever want to go back to a MiniLuxe now that I’ve discovered other salons with better pricing.

I’ve been coming to this Miniluxe location for over a year and a half now.
Lately, I think their service is slipping and making the higher than other salon price for services not worth it.
On multiple occasions, including last night, my skin has been cut while I’m given a manicure.
Last night, while I was getting a gel manicure, a technician behind me accidentally slammed her chair into mine. My technician got upset with her — but not because I could have been hurt! My technician was startled by the sound the chairs made when they hit!!!
I also got my eyebrows waxed last night and that technician was mad at the front desk staff for calling her to the front before my appointment time with her. (I wasn’t even ready yet because my manicure wasn’t done. It was 4:35 and my appointment with her wasn’t until 4:45.)
Whenever you get waxing services done now you have to sign a waiver at the front desk. Every time. It doesn’t matter if you’ve signed the waiver before. Why can’t the waiver be a box I check when I book the appointment online?
They also have been running behind schedule as the norm when I’ve arrived for my appointments over the last few months. If I have an end of the day appointment post work, waiting usually isn’t a problem, but when I’ve scheduled one to fit in a lunch break, the wait is a problem.
I wish I lived closer to the Boston Miniluxe location so I could go back to them instead of here.

I’ve always been a fan of MiniLuxe because they’re so clean. This was the first time I went to the MiniLuxe in Wellesley and it didn’t disappoint. I got a pedicure by Bohee who did an amazing job. The only reason why I’m not giving 5 stars is because of the bench seats. They weren’t terrible, but they weren’t particularly comfortable. I prefer the massage chairs when I get a pedicure.

I was not overly thrilled with the Miniluxe in Wellesley. People had raved about it and it’s quite expensive so I was really expecting more. The girl at the front desk was extremely rude. Their bathroom was out of order and she wouldn’t let me use the staff one. She told me I could go across the street even though we were in the middle of a snow storm. Then I saw her let another guest use the staff restroom!
I didn’t like how the pedicure seats were a bench either. I’d rather a more comfortable chair, this is supposed to be my time to relax. Instead I was on an uncomfortable bench.
Despite that, the woman who did my mani/​pedi was fantastic. Really friendly and she did a great job. I loved the lemon scrub they used during the pedicure.
The nails were good, but it’s too expensive for what it is. I most likely will not be going back.

My review is on MiniLuxe Wellesley, but my first time at ML was in Boston.
So this is how I compare.
I received an email for the New Year special for $ 49 Mani/​Pedi and decided my husband and I would start our year off right! I called and spoke to Cathy (who I realize is the Mgr from other Unilocal posts) she was friendly; answered my questions regarding the price and such. Cathy was friendly, prompt and I made the appt — I started off on a good foot!
We went the next day and was not greeted so well by Vivian at the front desk. I was almost 30+ minutes early for my appointment because it was our first time and I hate being late. I walked in the door and got a short hello, I asked if the street parking was free since it was NYD and she quickly said no. However, she failed to tell me like the woman next door at DD that there was FREE parking in the back.
Anyhow, I told her who I was and that I had a 4:30 appt with my husband. She cut me off to say «I don’t see a man’s mani/​pedi in here and if you are making an appt. for a man, you really need to let us know b/​c not all technicians feel comfortable doing men» I as politely as I could said «I called yesterday and spoke to Cathy and we talked about my husband, so It was noted on the phone and if it’s not in your system, then I don’t know what to tell you». Vivian said «oh well, this was not noted» … Not, oh sorry for any confusion or some sort of CUSTOMER SERVICE BS you can feed me. Ok — so that’s how we started. I did also want to mention I also babbled to Vivian about the SPECIAL I specifically was there for and spoke to Cathy about.
Upon returning from parking, nothing is said to us; we sit down for the 25 mins or so — and I’m ok with that since we were pretty early. I picked my color and made many observations of Vivian being polite to every other woman who walked in the door. What I did observer was all the other women were of money. It was not hard to see this based on the baubles on their hands and such. I was dressed in comfy sweats and a sweater, so clearly she thought I was not worthy of being nice too. Two things to note Vivian and Wellesley ML — I may not flaunt a look of (no money) but would Vivian care if I told her I pull in six figures, this is where «Don’t judge a book by it’s cover» comes into play. But I digress…
Where the fun begins — We see Be and Kadijia (sorry if misspelled) for our mani/​pedis. Both women were very very nice and super chatty to myself and my husband. They both did a fabulous job on both. I enjoyed their charm and their OCD of doing my nails :) I would recommend them to anyone. My husband esp. loved the attentiveness to his feet by Be!
We get done, feeling nice and I have my husband deal with Vivian. Funny — she’s somewhat friendlier to him, but I hear the charges in total and think that didn’t make sense. When I’m done — I walk up, Vivian looks up from her computer (says nothing),
I said I was wondering how the total came to price for our services as we had the special. She curtly said «Well, it was not noted in your appt. and how am I to know who received the email and who did not». Valid point Vivian, but was (again) the tone necessary? And again I said — I spoke with Cathy and if it was not noted, then I don’t know what to tell you. I only called b/​c of the email. Vivian said «Oh ok, then let me get you a refund». Gave me back cash and that was that — we left. *PS — Both ladies did thank us as we walked out*
High level comparisons.
Boston ML — Quirky girl behind desk, super busy on a Saturday, said hello, thank you for coming, were you happy with your appt, would you like to make another one. Is there anything else you need (i.e. polish, lotions, etc.) and would you like me to write down on a card who you saw today.
Wellesley ML — Vivian NEVER said hello, good-​bye, how was your service, would you like to make another appointment, is there anything else you need, and we had to ask who we saw and she wrote it on a sticky note — most importantly Vivian never said THANK YOU.
Cathy at Wellesley ML — you have a nice place, but I will not return with rudeness that starts from the beginning and ended the same.

Love that they actually honor appointments. Most nail salons schedule but then are running behind, etc. Here you get your full scheduled appointment which starts on time and goes for the entire duration intended for that service. Clean, like a medical office standard, and relaxing environment. The one thing missing that would bring it to 5 stars would be if they included a shoulder/​neck massage with drying like other day spas do. Otherwise, I have no complaints!

Worst brow wax ever. There were two woman who were working the desk who were too busy gabbing it took 5 minutes for them to notice I was there. When the esthetician came to get me I figured we were going into a room and she would do my brows. Nope she told me to sit in a chair right in front of people getting their toes done– right in the middle of the room– She slabs some wax on both my eyebrows, rips the hair out and tells me I am done. I look in the mirror and they are all f’d up– and I said um I think you missed some spots and she goes, «where I can’t see.» Rolls her eyes, throws some
More wax on and yanks away. Omg she was horrible– I will never go back there and she was majorly rude and I guess I was bothering her. Never again! Still waiting for my brows to grow out so I can fix them. Ugh!

I will not be returning!
I was absolutely disgusted by the service that I received at Miniluxe this past weekend. I went for a manicure with a friend of mine. I went when they first opened and wasn’t really impressed but thought I would try them out again. Big mistake!!!
The technician that worked on my nails was horrible. To start, she was incredibly unfriendly and rough while shaping my nails. She then used a base coat that was clearly too old and was clumping on my nails. I asked her to redo the base coat and she could not be more annoyed with me. Needless to say, she did a pretty crappy job on the manicure.
The atmosphere of the place is also extremely snobby. I know they focus on cleanliness but other nail salons in Wellesley are focusing on this too. Save your money and go to Juju or Mass Nails instead.