I'm settling on a 3 because I have nothing to compare to. I got my first manicure a couple of weeks ago and it was a pretty "A-OK" experience. I just wanted my nails shaped and painted (and to use the value of my Groupon that I never cashed in on :(...). Everything turned out great--my nails looked fantastic and even lasted through the weekend until I went back to work (a coffee shop) and beat the crap out of them. I think if I worked in a less intense nail-killing environment, the manicure probably would have lasted longer! My only complaint is that after all of the cuticle trimming and what seemed to be a tad too violent cutting, my cuticles are peeling more than ever now and I've even had to bandage a finger because it's bloody and won't heal from the chopped cuticle. This is more than likely because my job won't let it stay moisturized and heal, but if it weren't cut so deep in the first place, I think it wouldn't have been as big of a deal.
Anyways, I've always done my own nails and have gotten pretty good at creative little things, so I think I was predisposed to not care for manicures. I'm more of a do-it-yourselfer when it comes to things like this.