Brittany S.
Yelp
Alright, I never write reviews but my experience at GJS has compelled me to do so. Let's start with what I liked:
-Pretty facilities
-The water lounge was great
Onto what I didn't:
I was given a gift card for GJS and wanted to treat myself to a mani / pedi ahead of my birthday. I arrived on time and was given a brief tour of the facilities by someone at the front desk. My plan was to put my stuff down in a locker, change into a robe, and then head upstairs for my manicure, after which I would grab my book from my locker and relax in the water lounge.
Before I could do so, I was intercepted by the nail tech who said she needed to bring me upstairs right then. She told me she was on a *very* tight schedule (not my problem) and that I could leave my stuff upstairs while getting my manicure. I told her I was hoping to change and use the water lounge, to which she replied that she would grab me a robe and I could get changed upstairs. Frankly -- I was uncomfortable with this. I was hoping to organize my locker so I could easily grab my book with damp nails without ruining them, and preferred to have my items locked up.
I got changed in the waxing room and when the nail tech returned I told her I really would feel more comfortable putting my stuff in a locker. She was visibly annoyed at me. She then grabbed my hand to look at my nails and said, "Do you even need to get your nails done? These look perfect." Yes, I had polish on my nails, but it was a hastily done home manicure that was chipped -- meant to hold me over until my appointment that Friday. Even if I got my nails done the day prior, it should not matter! I am here for a service. I informed the nail tech that I would be moving forward with my appointment. Again, she seemed annoyed.
I put my stuff in a locker and came back up for my appointment. We started with the pedicure, which was fine. I booked the "Coconut Paradise" mani / pedi which included a sugar scrub -- incredibly overpriced as just the scrub bumped the appointment up to $109 before tip. As the nail tech was exfoliating my feet, the metal piece of the tool fell off and skin went *everywhere.* It was really repulsive and because the nail tech was the only person there she just had to leave it.
Onto the manicure, which was truly the icing on the cake of this horrible experience. My nails were filed SO oddly -- every nail is a different shape. What's more is that she opted to cut one of my thumbnails but not the other, so they ended up as two completely different lengths. The manicure HURT -- I have never had my nails bent to the degree that they were bent during t his manicure.
The polish application was, by far, the worst i have ever had. The nail polish was barely shiny, uneven, and SOOOOOO BUBBLY. I chose OPI brand nailpolish but the tech used some sort of nail hardener underneath and a likely thinned out top coat which may have caused the bubbling. I am not the greatest at doing my own nails, but I genuinely could have done a better job. She then forced me to sit for 20 minutes to dry my nails so that she "doesn't have to redo them" if I "ruin them" by the water lounge. Honey -- they were already ruined. My cuticles were covered in polish as well.
Luckily I chose a polish color that I owned a similar color to at home, so i was able to go over the color with that + another layer of topcoat to remove the awful look.
I will absolutely not be returning and I recommend you look elsewhere for a manicure.