Gardenia Nails in Kips Bay
Gardenia Nails is located right over on Second Ave, in the Kips Bay area of Manhattan. I wouldn’t say this is my favorite nail salon, but their services were reasonably priced. And I felt that they took the extra health and safety precautions necessary during COVID-19. There are a few pictures in this post of the nail salon decked out in plexiglass and hand sanitizer. Plus, availability and wait times for walk-ins are usually pretty open. But they do accept appointments, so I usually go with the scheduled route.
Keep in mind that some of the information from this post may have changed from the last time I went in for a service until now because lots of different COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted.
I noticed lots of customers chatting with the ladies in the nail salon, one of those conversations in which the manicurist asked if a client’s daughter had given birth to her first grandchild yet. That kinda shows that this is a neighborhood gem when it comes to nail salons because there are repeat customers and a sense of community within the salon. So, kudos to them on that.
I’ve also had my acrylics done at Gardenia twice and they came out gorgeous and durable both visits. The selection of color was easy because I let my manicurist match an acrylic color with my pedicure and a picture of my dress for a wedding I was going to. The shape came out perfectly and the length was ideal for me because I can’t stand long nails when I have to type for work and do chores around the house. Plus, I don’t know about anyone else, but my nails grow so fast. So I always have my acrylics put on nice and short, so that they grow out nicely, but last longer for me.
SNS Dipping Powder
My acrylics are the “natural” acrylics where they use a dipping powder, instead of the gel. I believe the dipping powder is a non-toxic option compared to gels and there is no UV light involved, which is better for your hands. However, while many nail salons offer both the dipping powder and gel options, it’s pretty obvious that they prefer you choose gels. This is probably because the gel acrylics are less work compared to the dipping powder, in which they have to file away and shape oh-so-perfectly.
The more obvious reason might be because the gel acrylics typically cost between $5 and $10 more than the powder. In my opinion, the acrylic shape is the most important part of the process and painting them is the easy part. Try to be as specific as possible when your manicurist asks you what shape (i.e.- square, round, square with rounded edges, oval, pointy, etc.)
The Service
Lorena is great! She gave me a great manicure and pedicure on several occasions and I usually prefer her when I go back. The owner; however, doesn’t do a great job with polishing. Sometimes when the salon gets busy, the owner will finish up a manicure or pedicure, while the rest of the girls take new walk-ins, which I usually don’t mind. But she doesn’t do a neat job with polishing and always insists on three to four coats of polish, which takes forever to dry.
Payment Methods
Of course, like most nail salons, they ask that you pay in cash. However, all major credit and debit cards are available. Don’t let them bully you into thinking otherwise... That’s low key illegal.
Garendia Nails seems typically pretty mindful of using a liner in the tub, in which your feet soak during a pedicure. But I do recall one visit when my pedicurist forgot to put in a liner, but was more than happy to use one when I reminded her. Especially now when people are so mindful of cleanliness, it’s important for everyone to be responsible and give reminders where needed.
Now I’m not saying you should make an announcement to everyone in the nail salon who doesn’t have a liner in their tub, but it’s important to make sure that there is a liner in your tub during a pedicure. Most nail salons, especially in New York City, have made it a standard practice to do so. And if they haven’t, then maybe you should reconsider going back ever again for the sake of saving your feet from all kinds of nasty fungi and whatnot.
Don’t forget to ask for a punch card! They “stamp” the back of a business card for each visit and you get a free manicure or something after ten visits.
By the way, for anyone reading this and thinking I’m some kind of germaphobe, using a liner in your tub when getting a pedicure at a nail salon is not a post-COVID practice.
Some more snapshots from my visit
Other Nail Salon Reviews
Here are the deets on the pearly whites I was flashing last month. These Vanilla Chrome nails were the perfect neutral for every outfit I wore.