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| - My gel nails were growing out, so I looked up a place nearby to get them off. Searching Yelp, I called Nails 4 U, mistaking it for another salon where I had had a regular mani/pedi for a pretty good price.
It was a good thing I called, because Nails 4 U is by appointment only. While they take walk-ins if slots are open, call in advance because there are fewer chairs here than at other salons. Luckily, they got me in that afternoon, and as I walked in I realized this was my first time here. Glancing at the wall, I saw prices were higher than expected, but I like trying new places so I stuck with my plan.
This is the best mani/pedi I've had in Madison, not for the atmosphere or the price, but for the quality of work. Let me qualify by saying the space while small, is clean and organized and there are a couple of flat screen TVs to zone out into. They are open until 6pm on Sat and closed Sun.
Sounds mediocre so far? Let me break down for you why my experience was so great. If you prefer a more spa-like experience and open atmosphere, you may need to find a different place, but for me this is always secondary to workmanship. The whole point of getting my nails done is for the detail, so when I see even a slightly crooked paint job at the cuticle, a polish gap on the side, or without wrapping the tips with polish, I feel like I might as well paint my nails at home. I've tolerated relatively sloppy work before, particularly at salons that lean more towards getting the job done fast rather than done well. At Nails 4 U, the service is conscientious, the staff are knowledgeable, and my interactions with staff felt genuine rather than transactional.
Thanks to my nail tech Shirley, I was schooled on the difference between gel manicures and SHELLAC®, because I had no idea. Apparently there is a big difference in the quality of materials salons can buy, though they often charge customers the same price. SHELLAC (a branded product by CND) is much easier to remove than "gel polish" (a 5 min soak for SHELLAC versus a 20 min soak with scraping...) and thus you're able to maintain the health of your nails better without needing to rest your nails between manicures. FYI, for gel removal, if you got it done elsewhere it's $15 a la carte, or $10 with service -- around 2-3x more than the cheapest places.
They also carry CND and Opi "weekly" polish, which is between regular polish and SHELLAC in terms of drying time and lasting/chipping power, but you can remove it easily at home like regular polish. There is a $2 upcharge for the CND weekly polish and $4 upcharge for the Opi weekly polish, but if you're prone to chipping and still don't want SHELLAC, you might find it worthwhile. They also have a great selection of Essie colors if you just want regular lacquer.
They've been open for 11 years and the fact that they're still around attests to the loyalty of their customers. I regret ignoring this place for so long because of its generic-sounding name. My final bill was 1.5 times more than what I was planning to spend, but was the extra cost worth it? For me, a definite yes.
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