What's going on here? What am I missing? I liked this place.
From word of mouth (and the fact that the nail salon on University I'd gone to in the past was booked up for the day), I decided to try Shine on a random Saturday. I'm a grad student, but when I worked a "real" job, I would get my nails and toenails done every couple of weeks. Nowadays, I get a pedicure twice a year maybe. It's a special treat to me, so to speak.
I called ahead, even though I was told by friends that they just showed up and were taken care of pretty quickly, even on the weekend. I came about 15 minutes before my "appointment" time and asked if that was fine or if I should (shop around and) come back in a bit. They told me no problem and to pick my nail color. They didn't end up getting to me until closer or even five minutes past the time I'd scheduled. I sat with my feet in bubbly, hot water and read so that wasn't the worst thing I could be doing.
I got the basic pedicure for $38, which included quite a few extras salons normally up-charge for. The wax felt nice on my legs and feet. The hot stone massage was just okay; I didn't see the point in that part necessarily. The color still looks really good on my toes (and it's a week and a half since I got them done).
Summary: give this place a chance and see for yourself. I see other poor reviews, but I enjoyed my pedicure.