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Minna Nails
Rating Details »
Category: Nail Salons [Edit]
Neighborhood: Noe Valley1185 Church Street
San Francisco, CA 94114
(415) 206-9007
- Hours:
Mon-Sat. 9:00 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Sun. 10:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
- By Appointment Only:
- No
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"How to give a perfect review in less than 4 words. Wow!!! Nuf said!"
46 reviews for Minna Nails
I came here after seeing a friend's high recommendation of the manicures, and how they lasted for "1.5 weeks". This friend seemed to have high standards, and since she claimed she gets manicures once a week, I figured she may be as picky as I. I put this theory to the test and tried Minna Nails last Wednesday, prior to going out of town for Thanksgiving.
The manicure and pedicure was good, they had my favorite OPI color, and the apparent owner seemed friendly and eager to please. However, the chairs were old, the leather was peeling off, and quite frankly, I've never been a fan of massage chairs myself - largely because they're usually connected to those "bubble feet baths," and after having a best friend who's Swiss, I just know those aren't super hygenic (there's no way to clean the tubes inside the jets). I much prefer the individual bowls for pedicures, that are either washed each time, or a new plastic bag is placed in each time. Also, when I asked for "square" as opposed to "round," my nails were much to jagged, so I had to fix that. Lastly, the mani/pedi was not at all fast, and I learned that if I want to be in/out in a flash, I had to make an appointment (unlike I had to do at Hand Touch Nails in the Marina, where they're always as fast as possible - focues on turn-over - and always staffed up to meet the demand). But, c'est la vie. I moved out of Cow Hollow/the Marina, so I will have to adapt to new things in Noe.
Overall, though it was older, and I didn't love the chairs/basins for the pedicures, and it was slow sans appointment, I was happy with the mani/pedi - my cuticles were trimmed well, and the color was applied flawlessly. Though I will still be visiting Hand Touch Nails when I'm over in the Marina, Minna Nails will now be my go-to nail salon in Noe.
I love Tina of Minna Nails!
It is true that her salon gets busy--sometimes I'll step in and hipster girls roll their eyes at me as they get their nails painted orange/red, sheepish-looking dudes look up from their mani/pedi buff and mother-daughters who wait their turn with magazines look at me exasperatedly. Sometimes, Tina's grandkids will be weaving in and out of the throngs ecstatically and I just have to laugh. Apparently one of their favorite games to play is "let's pretend wax."
People, there are peak times for every business. Make an appointment if you want to come around lunchtime and be taken. When it's super-busy and you don't have an appointment, instead of jamming you into her shop, Tina asks you to come back in an hour. That's why when I come to get waxed I come with either work to do at Cafe Petra (a few blocks down and serves a mean breakfast burrito with cheddar and fresh tomato) or errands to run.
The best part--Tina's sweet personality, her girlish voice and her good saleswoman skills. She upsold me the first time I visited, but once I was savvy to her technique I let her know what I could and couldn't afford--so she threw in a free eyebrow wax! And told me to remind her the next time I came in of my special package price so that she could charge me the same! It really pays to be a customer here, and a nice one at that...take that, snobby missionites!
Lastly, their mani/pedi's are a real treat. Massage chairs, bubbling warm water for your feet and a great array of colors. Usually places like this don't carry the Essie brand, my favorite, but Minna Nails certainly does! I got a "Brownie Points" colored pedicure here that lasted well over a month.
Cash only for tip. They use the integrated, plastic whirlpool foot baths. They spritzed it with some blue solution between clients.
Quality of pedi was OK. Chip after 1 week, but otherwise held up. If I had that color at home, I would've just did a repair job.
The best part was sitting in the chair and turning on the massager :)
This is my mom's friends business. She is a very nice lady knew her because she was next to my mom's business. on New Montgomery St. and Minna St. That where she got the name from. My mom's business was where Chipotle (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) is. It right next to the painting lady where I got my tattoo. She almost didn't recognize me until I smile. I think i have a evil smile. I seen that she want to keep her customers happy she tries to go the extra mile but you have to communicate with her.
I love the fact that when I made a pedicure appointment for 12:45 and showed up at 12:43, I had a chair by 12:44. The employees were very nice, and although they tried to upsell me ("Manicure? Spa pedicure?" Hey, they have to make a living), when I declined the matter was dropped.
I also love that I wasn't chatted up. I don't mind initial pleasantries, but I generally like to read a magazine or be left to my own thoughts during pedicures... The whole "me time" and all. Antisocial. I know.
The space - small, simple, and unassuming - is kept clean (there was some floor scrubbing going on as my pedis were being cured), and I did see instrument sterilization equipment being used. I'm glad they agree with me on the whole "toe fungus is bad" front.
My tootsies hadn't been attended to in over six months, and I feared a belt sander would be required to get them back into shape. The woman uttered nary a "tsk" as she worked away on my scaly hooves, and now they sparkle like a teenage vampire.
There were no rose petals in my foot bath or fluffy slippers to don, but at these prices, you're not going to get that. What you will get is friendly service, a good mani/pedi, and a low price.
An emphatic five stars.
They are so friendly and do such a wonderful job, it's hard not to like them. The women here go above and beyond, often going outside to put coins in their customers' meters if time is running out. They genuinely care about their work....
and they are super CHEAP!
I was going to write these guys a decent review when I got home. Except, when I looked in the mirror, i realized that they had spilled gobs of wax IN MY HAIR while waxing my lip. So I just spent the last 15 minutes trying to pick it out, during which I ruined my manicure.
These guys are cheap. They're not graceful, they're not particularly discreet (see below), and they're not particularly skilled. But they are two blocks from my house, and dirt cheap, so I'll likely go back.
By the way ladies - if you're going there for a brazilian, make sure they close the curtain all the way. I accidentally saw wayyy too much of some girl, as did the guy sitting next to me. Very uncool that they weren't more respectful of her privacy.
DO YOU REALLY THINK THE INSTRUMENTS ARE STERILE??? SCROLL DOWN TO MY BULLET #3.
Today I went in for my usual mani/pedi and noticed some things that I felt were Yelp-worthy:
1: A business hog!! I totally understand all owners want/need customers but damn: if you only have 3 employees working, there shouldnt be 5 girls in the spa chairs filling up with water waiting for their pedicure while 1 of those employees runs to the back for half an hour to go wax some random walk-in. And then the next unknowing girl walks in for a pedicure and notices all the people and says, "oh if youre busy its ok, i'll come back" and the employee runs out and screams "no, im done!! I have space for you! Sit down!"
2: My time is precious. I was in there for a mani/pedi for over 2 HOURS! And its not like they were taking their sweet time or caring for me. They were rushing so they could move onto the next customer, and several employees doing multiple customers at the same time! And then they leave you in the chair for 45 minutes air drying your damn polish because theres no more fans left, and then they don't tell you when you're dry and ready to go. Did they think I just liked staying in there for that long because I liked being there? Just because you're taking on more customers than you can handle doesn't mean that your job stops as soon as my top coat is applied.
3: And you must be a fool if you think the instruments are new. I was sitting in the chair closest to the bathroom and and noticed that after each mani/pedi, they would bring the instruments and the silver platter to the bathroom and wash them with soap and water! No autoclave, no alcohol, no blue sterilizing solution. And they did the same thing with the purple box that contains the nail file, the buffing square, etc. Just imagine all the people who have been sharing those unsterile instruments and buffing sponges (yes the ones used on your feet too). If you watch them long enough you'll notice everything is not disposed of after each use, but instead is taken to the bathroom to be washed and reused. Right next to the "sanitizing machine", which is basically just a toaster oven that holds the "sterile" "wrapped" instruments, you'll see a box full of those new blue empty plastic baggies that they use to re-wrap the instruments once they're washed, but they'll rarely do it in front of customers although you can hear what they're doing if you're sitting near the bathroom. How sanitary. At first I thought they used a new set of instruments each time and was pretty impressed by their caution and sanitary measures but damn what a fool I was and its truly disappointing.
The pro's- they're still cheap... but dont expect to be in and out during your lunch break. It took me 2 hours to get my mani/pedi done and I wasn't even getting designs, not even a French manicure! Just two top coats=2 hours. If you have the time then good for you, but quite frankly I'm getting tired of always waiting on them, and starting to find more and more negative things the more often I go there!!
I have become super paranoid about these Dateline horror stories revealing flesh-eating foot fungi from unsanitary nail salons. Oh the humanity. Why must we live in fear? We need to be afraid of E-coli in most of our produce after our fearless leader decided to deregulate everyone who inspects it. There are sharks in the ocean that are going to eat us. Toys made in China are toxic and harm small American children. Liberals makes the baby Jesus cry.
But I digress....
Minna Nails surprised me with a fabulous, solid manicure/pedicure. My nails look and feel great (I was in need of some pampering) and we are still going strong with no chippage. AND all of their instruments were wrapped and sanitary! Minna is a small space, a bit overly-cramped for my taste. The spa chairs look a little janky, but I did see them cleaning out the foot tubs and flushing any funky, flesh-eating fungi out to swim which the fish....which we may eat for dinner.
ANYWAY
Though the space is something to the desired, the employees could not be more nice and the service more than adequate.
Made plans with a friend to FINALLY get our nails done. I'd been meaning to check out one of the nail salons in Noe, so we stopped in here. It's a modest shop with only five massage/pedicure chairs and two manicure tables in the back. Saw a curtained area in the back which I believe is for waxing.
The women were really nice and helpful as we selected our polish from the wall and sat to get pampered a bit. They take time to wash and scrub clean every foot bath in between clients, use sterile equipment, etc., did a fast, thorough but pain-free job on both my hands and feet. Honestly, I wouldn't have come here without my friend, since I rarely get my nails done and planned this outing so I'd be forced to go. But this place made me feel so comfortable and relaxed that I'll definitely make regular visits on my own.
Jan the waxist (is that a word?) is a consummate professional. She will twist your body like a pretzel into all sorts of contorted positions; implore you to help her stretch your own skin ("stretch, please"); and, in a flash, effortlessly rip your bikini hairs right off.
Jan promises it won't hurt. (Actually, it does. Particularly the hairs you thought you didn't have, way, way back there.)
But it's fast, cheap, and well done. Nothing fancy about these digs, mind you, (the waxing station is behind a simple linen curtain), but the staff is v nice, and the $20 mani/pedi combo cannot be beat.
I love this place, the women who work here are so NICE and do a SUPERIFIC job, i swear my nail polish stays on longer when I have it done from this place (could be in my head but i think not), It's a simple place with great service, very accommodating, and open late (til 730pm on weeknights). I found that making appointments does not necessarily guarantee you will be seen right away, but most I've had to wait is 20 minutes during a Saturday, during the week there is usually no problem getting a delightful spa chair asap. I recommend this place to ALL my friends (girls and guys).
Speaking of which, I've been here when females take their manfriends to what appear to be their *first* manicure - what a cute experience! You can tell these guys feel awkward at first (one dude was drinking a beer during his mani/pedi) but after a few minutes of soaking their feet in the hot tubs and being handled by a few women, they are chatting it up or relaxing in the massage chair like everyone else. love it!
5 stars if you get the right person.
Basically, avoid the woman who assaults you with "DO YOU WANT A MANICURE!" when you walk in. She means well, but she also cuts your cuticles while looking away, frequently interrupts the manicure to attack incoming clients, and abrasively tries to upsell you during the procedure.
All the other women are wonderful. Kha and Anna (?) are detailed and take their time. They sterilize everything.
Plan about 45 minutes to an hour for a mani-pedi. And tip them well, cause their prices are low!
Updated 08/16/07. I went there for mani/pedi post vacation and I was not happy with the sloppy job. If you're going to do it, do it right.
Updated 06/19/07. I'm very pleased because it's been two weeks and my manicure is still intact, see photo for visual.
Thanks to the ladies of Yelp I choose this place from the sea of cheap manis/pedis of strollerland Noe. The gals are friendly, quiet and hard working here. Tip them well-50%- and you'll be treated like the generous princess that you are. Besides what's 50% when manicures go for eight bucks?
I got a french manicure yesterday because some chica's from yelp referred me to this place. So here I go..
1. Very friendly staff. Kha was really nice and even though she's only been in the U.S. she still has pretty good english skills. And I told her don't worry cuz I'm trying to learn Vietnamese and it's hard.
2. She took an extra long time cutting my cuticles. I work and type all day, and even when I play I use my hands often (haha) so my cuticles can get kinda rugged. But she took extra care and she did a great jopb cuting cuticles.
3. Three is for 3 coats, yes... 3 coats of the white french tip stuff... which is has not chipped and I don't think will chip anytime soon. I mean there is a THICK layer of paint of my nails and that's a good thing.
4. The extras: She made sure that I stayed extra long so that my nails were fully dry. I got a very nice hand massage. THE TOOLS SHE USED WERE STERILE!!! And it was definitely worth $10!
Why not 4 stars? Okay.. I'm a french tip bitch, but from far away my nails look fabulous.. but up close, I can see a few (not all) of my french tips a little crocked. But as you can see, that's my only complaint.
This may be my new places for Mani/Pedis. But maybe not for french tip.
I plan to be a regular. The staff was very nice and it seemed that they were very careful not to carry on conversations with each other in front of clients. I got a very enjoyable spa pedicure while sitting in a massage chair and reading a cheesy magazine. LOVELY!
I also got some face waxing done (eyebrows and um, well just eyebrows) and they did a great job.
I've tried most of the nail salons in this neighborhood, and I've found this one rather lacking. They used to have the spa massage chairs, but now they have just the chair and do your pedi in a plastic tub with a plastic bag in it. The bag gets all wrinkly and sticks to you, which I hate.
They aren't particularly friendly or unfriendly, but one thing I don't care for is the owner's yappy little dog (and I'm a dog person!) who is unwelcoming to everyone who comes in.
Stopped in the other day to get my nails ready for our Dia de los Muertos celebration. (You guessed right - black!) My friend and I popped in around 6:40 pm and didn't leave until 7:45pm. Despite the fact that they close at 7:30, no one made us feel unwlecome, no step in the nail care process was skipped or hurried, and we even had to insist at 7:45 that we didn't need more time under the dryers and wanted them to go home.
The ladies here are lovely AND talented. The polish selection is great. The mani/pedis were thorough and artful. And although the ambiance leaves a little to desired, the price still makes it an excellent value.
I love Minna Nails. Both locations are great. The chairs are more comfortable at the Guerrero St location though.
My paint jobs last several days - much longer that at the expensive nail salons down in SOMA.
The staff is very sweet and they do a great job. I highly recommend. Very affordable.
This place is everything you want a neighborhood nail salon to be. The staff (and owner) are extremely friendly and go out of their way to provide the best service. Not only do they offer excellent manicures/pedicures (a particularly excellent value given the price), they stay open past closing time for those of us who find it hard to get out of work before 7. Every time I go there I not only come away with an excellent mani/pedi, I feel good for supporting a hard-working, local business.
When I go to get my nails done, I am not looking for a spa environment. I am looking for a quality job at a rock bottom price. This place fits the bill. I've never had a pedicure last as long as it lasts after a trip to Minna Nails. It's the only place I'll go now.
Minna, I have strayed. This is my third review because I need to make it up to you. I'm sorry baby, I love you.
So I have a problem, an addiction really. I have to get my nails done every week. I know what I like, okay? Short, square, with Mademoiselle or Wicked polish (it's a color by Essie, you should really check it out). In the summer, this also applies to pedicures, but for me it's really about perfect fingernails year round.
Dark polish manicures are lucky if they last a week- a single chip and it's game over. My Minna Manis easily last a week and a half- sometimes two! I just had the most horrible, scarring experience at a sub-par nail salon, and have had some non-horrible, non-memorable manicures at other Noe Valley establishments.
I've learned my lesson....you may have to wait 45 minutes or come back another day, or maybe feel a little rushed, and the purple walls are weird...but the results are worth it.
Wanted to like this place after reading the reviews but...
-many cuticles were left uncut
-nails are higher on the left then gradually slope down to the right
-cool water in spa chair
-spa chair control was broken
The woman who helped me was VERY sweet. However, she didn't speak English so we couldn't communicate. There was another customer there and we just smiled at each other and surrendered. I left a 20% tip but will not return.
2 stars and a *smile* for the nice mani/pedicurist.
Cheap, no frills mani/pedi. The ladies are nice and the tools shiny and sterilized. Fabulous paint jobs!
I'm a regular. I come here about once every 6 weeks for my brow and lip wax. At $15 combined, you can beat that price anywhere! I see Jan (i think that is her name) she is one of the only ladies who has a half decent English vocabulary. She's super nice. Every time I walk in the door she recognizes me immediately and says "where you been?" with a big smile. It is certainly not a "spa environment". There is a table in the back that is somewhat sheltered from the rest of the salon for waxing. I am not a leg or bikini waxer, and I think that if I were I would probably go elsewhere due to privacy concerns. But I've seen plenty of ladies come in for all types of waxing and I'm sure they pay a great price.
To be quite honest, I think the nail place across the way (Perfect 10) does a better job with the nails, but I definitely recommend Minna for a good, CHEAP wax.
I love this place. I have gotten many a manicure in my life and I will not go anywhere else in the city.
- The two women are great, super sweet and not pushy. My friend and I got to lounge for as long as we wanted in the massage chairs as our nails were drying.
- Their tools are CLEAN! (sealed in individual bags)
- Amazing hand massage, I may go back just for another one of those before I need my nails done again.
- Atmosphere is decent, no frills, but fine.
- My only small gripe is that the paint job was a little sloppy, a little on my cuticle, not completely uniform. But for the price no big deal.
- And lastly the price, a manicure was 8$! You can't beat that.
Yay for Minna!
Cheap nail salons out number coffee shops in Noe Valley, so choosing one can be dizzying. I thought they were all the same, until I tried Minna Nails. The pedicures last up to 2 weeks, the girls are super friendly, and the place is relatively clean. Spring for the extra 10-minute massage, you'll be glad you did. The only problem is that sometimes you have to wait because they are so popular, but usually it's not too long.
This is my favorite local nail shop in Noe. They do a really great job, and really take their time. I find their massage chairs to be the only ones where the massage is actually a pleasant experience. They sterlize all their tools, and my manicure holds up quite well! I never have to wait long, although I am usually going during an off-peak time anyway. It's a small space, but comfortable.
I've lived in Noe for years and have tried all of the nail salons within a 10 block radius. The ladies at Minna are wonderful - always so friendly and happy to see me. They are also the best mani/pedi people in the neighborhood. They take their time (definitely allot an hour for the combined service) but that ensures that they do a fantastic job. They are seriously the best painters, especially with the new chic dark polishes (it's crucial to get a good paint job!). The owner always comes over and checks up on me to make sure I'm happy with the job her employees have done. She really cares about your satisfaction. Give this place a try!!
I added the massage to the spa pedicure and it was great!
I have been going to Minna regularly for years. The staff is as helpful as they can be considering that none of them speak much English (a little leg tap and a smile go a long way). I go for leg waxing and mani/pedis and find that for either service, I get good value (perhaps not an entirely spa-like experience, but with the prices, I certainly can't complain). Enter the owner, who does speak English, and that is where I have run into problems. A couple of years ago, while cutting my cuticles, she snipped off a chunk of my finger which proceeded to bleed. She apologized, but then had the gall to charge me full price for the service anyway. I tipped, I left, I stayed away for a few months, but then was lured back because this was the only bad experience I had ever had there and I decided to give it another shot. I was also relieved that I didn't get any kind of nasty infection after being cut with one of their instruments (maybe because of the burny blue stuff she poured on it after - YOWch!).
After last night, I am done with Minna Nails. I got my regular leg wax, then decided that I should tend to the little moustache I had going. This is the first time I have ever had any kind of facial waxing at Minna. Again, the woman giving the service was the owner (I think she is actually the daughter in law of the owner). She came at me with the stick of wax with a blob hanging off of it and before I could say anything she had slathered the stick above my lip and the hanging blob landed right on my lips. Rather than using oil or something to remove the wayward wax from my admittedly chapped lips, she slapped a muslin strip right on top of it (all while taking a phone call on the cordless) and ripped off the wax along with the skin from my lip. I said "ouch!" and she babbled something about how she had used wax that wasn't too hot so that that wouldn't happen, but that "sometimes that happens". I pointed out to her that my lip was now bleeding and she told me to put vaseline on it when I got home. This is the first time that when requesting a lip wax at a salon, the person has actually waxed my lip - it still hurts.
I have gotten great waxing and mani/pedi services from the gals who work at this salon for a great price, but when dealing with the owner, I have had two rather upsetting and painful experiences. She is always frazzled, answering the phone right after slathering me with wax, so that I am left there hoping that she gets it off before it dries, rushing out to greet a new customer coming in the door, and just generally trying so hard to land the business coming in the door that she doesn't take the time to properly tend to the customer she is working on. Last night, for the first time ever, I left no tip and I won't return unless I know that one of the staff members will be doing the service instead of the owner.
$20 mani/pedi, super attentive staff. Tip them well! This is not in my neighborhood so I only go here once every couple of months but I am always treated warmly and instantly recognized. They are not quick - they take their time and re-do things if they aren't just right. The massage with the spa pedicure is tops and they take their time to ensure you are relaxed and comfortable. They are really adamant about letting the polish dry completely (maybe this is why it lasts so long), they seriously won't let you leave until they are convinced you have dried long enough. It is really funny actually and I usually end up walking out with saran wrap all over my toes but that is the only way they will let me leave! They have another shop in the Financial district (a little quicker) and I used to go there and loved it when I worked downtown, too.
Be warned, this has to be the worst nail experience I have ever had!! I went in for a fill, a fairly simple procedure, no? I let them know I had to leave for an appointment by a certain time (a full hour and fifteen minutes from the time I walked in), and was assured that I would be done by then. Well, not only did she run 25 minutes over the time I needed to leave by, my nails have NEVER looked this bad. Every single nail has ridges and bumps, some of them ridiculous looking (I look like I have haneously deformed nails, I'm utterly embarrassed by them). To make matters worse, she broke the skin on 5 of my fingers - yes, count them, that's every other finger that she drew blood on!! I have gone to beauty schools in the past (back in my poor student days), and gotten way better service than this. This was the salon owner's daughter, and whoever gave her an esthetician's license should be fired. When I complained, I got no apology, and was still charged $18!!
I actually demanded that I be able to come back and have someone else fix my nails. On second thought, I'll eat the cost of having my nails fixed elsewhere before going back there and letting anyone touch my nails again.
A twenty dollar mani/pedi that won't chip for two weeks! can't beat it! I've been there three times and continue to be pleased with the service and my nails! try calling ahead or going at off times or you might wait a bit...
You definitely get your bang for your buck here. They use brand new sterile tools, straight out of the packaging, which rocks. The woman in charge spent the whole time on her hands and knees, scrubbing the floors clean. She also convinced my male roommate to get a mani/pedi and my chick roommate to get a 10-minute foot massage. They lost a star with luke warm water though. That water gots to be hot!
This place is great! $20 for a mani-pedi, it's hard to find a better price in this city. It's very clean, all the tools are individually wrapped and sterile. The ladies are very nice and the wait wasn't too bad waiting for a pedicure chair. It's a small place, so I'm sure when it's really busy it takes a while to get a pedicure/manicure. All in all, my nails look great! I will definitely go back.
For an inexpensive spa, this place delivers service far above its competitors! I got a lower leg & underarm wax from Tina who usually works at the Guererro location. Very fast and very detail oriented. Took the extra time to remove stray hairs and bits of wax. Also received a really lovely pedicure with sterile instruments unwarpped in front of me.
Incredibly friendly, TOTALLY clean and top service. Try the DE LUXE manicure and pedicure with hands and feet massage. Really amazing, totally worth. A MUST GO at least every 2 weeks.
Out of the 10 nail salons on 24th St, I find Minna nails to be the best. The staff is super sweet and they take their time. The owner tries very hard to make her clients happy....I thinks this is HUGE.
LOVE LOVE LOVE this place and I think I will become a regular to Minna Nails.
They do a FABULOUS job and pedicure will last 3 wks and manicure will last about 6-7 days (I am rough on my hands). Good color choices and they are either OPI or Essies! Very clean and you are in and out promptly! Best to make appointment! Trin and her girls know how to give good massages too!
They can accommodate big group too! My coworkers and I would go there during lunch time! Just make the phone call ahead!
