Blush Nail Spa
Categories: Nail Salons, Hair Removal [Edit]
Neighborhood: Mission1003 Guerrero St
(between 22nd St & Alvarado St)
San Francisco, CA 94110 (415) 285-6245
- Hours:
Wed-Thu 11:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat 10:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m.
Sun 10:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m. - Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- By Appointment Only: No
183 reviews
Neighborhood: SOMA
"Have been back here several times since my first review and I have to say - nothing but absolutely fantastic customer service, great…" read more »
71 Reviews for Blush Nail Spa
I love this place. The women treat me like a star and the space is great. They are always so professional and the price is right!
Loved the atmosphere but she did not put the right color on my toes!! And when she went back to darken them with the original color I had chosen - it made matters worse. To top it all off - I have a bunch of tiny air bubbles on all of my toes. ???
Picking from my options this isn't the closest to my house but is definitely worth the trek up Guerrero Street. I was able to walk in on a busy saturday morning(they open at 10:00am)for a much needed pedicure. The ladies had no problem working me in among the scheduled appointments. The shop was buzzing with people coming and going, buying gift certificates and calling to see if they could be get in. I never felt rushed and the ladies were kind and very professional with myself as well as the other patrons that morning. The heated aromatherapy neck wrap kept me warm and in a relaxed state throughout the entire procedure.
I'll be back. . .
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I went in there one day for a mani and pedi. Thinking it was going to be a relaxing expirience. All I got was a really bad look from the owner when i went in. Like i wasn't good enough for the salon. Hello! I was wearing True Religion jeans and Burberry jacket and shades. I felt uncomfortable and observed( in a bad way) :( The mani was ok and the Pedi shouldn't even be called a pedi... more like a chainsaw. Not planning on going back
This place is fine, but nothing remarkable. It's really just a cheap nail salon that's more expensive and has a website. My mani/ pedi was okay, but my nail polish bubbled. I'd go back again, but I won't be going out of my way to get there. I also thought it was funny that they have one of those signs telling people to check them out on Yelp. With some of the reviews up here, I'm not sure that's such a good idea.
I was excited to see this salon open in my neighborhood, but right away was not impressed. The ambience is nice, mellow music, well decorated, but the owner is not very friendly (borderline rude, in my experience) and the polish doesn't last very long. In fact, on two different occasions the polish turned sticky and them gummy just 2 or 3 days after I went there.
They do have nice add ons, like a chocolate treatment, but since the service leaves something to be desired and the polish got gummy so quickly, I haven't been back even though it's walking distance from my place.
I don't get manicures too often but whenever I do feel like getting one, this is the first place I think about going to. My only recommendation is to go when it is not busy. They are alot more attentive and give great warm lotion massages when there isn't anyone waiting to be attended. What I loved about this place is how my manicure will last twice as long as other places I have been to. There is also a great vibe/atmosphere to this salon, because others I have been to are not very relaxing (choice of music or a tv with something that nobody wants to watch makes a difference to me). I will continue to go to Blush whenever I want to treat myself to some pampering.
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It's sad to think about the fact that I've fired this place. It used to be a beacon of hope among all of the cheap salons in the area. I wanted to love it. I wanted to be a regular.
But not anymore. I have no idea what happened bc the owner lady seemed like she really had her act together - maybe someone else is running the show?
As far as the comments on the bad polish - reeks of something being put in the polish to stretch out the use of 1 bottle.... Just a thought. It has been known to happen...
I would highly NOT recommend this place. If anyone discovers that they have turned it around here, please let me know. And for the love of my nails, people, please name names! A salon experience is 90% dependent on who you get, right?
In the case of Blush, no one could save it for me.
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the good thing: they almost always squeeze you in for a mani pedi with no appointment, do a good job and it's pretty cheap. the bad thing: the girl who does the waxing is a bitch! i've been to her three times (don't ask me why I keep going back) and she calls me ugly, says things like "oh my god what happened to your eyebrows?? They're so weird and ugly! You need to go to the mac counter and get some makeup for that? do you even wear makeup" and so on. thinking about it, most of the girls are snotty...
Blush is my back up pedicure place. It's close enough to home to walk over in my flip flops. I much prefer Silk but sometimes I don't feel like driving to get a pedicure. They have those big squishy chairs with the spa foot baths. Ask them to adjust the water to your preference because temperature varies by technician. They can get a bit overzealous with the cuticle trimming. A pedicure last me an average of two weeks at Blush versus four at Silk. For their prices, I'd expect it to last a bit longer.
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You would think that a place which charges a similar rate to Pinkie's or Lavande would have similarly good service... I haven't found that to be the case here.
While they did have lots of nice little frills, (like tea for sipping, warm lotion for massage, and cucumber slices for the foot baths,) the actual service was terrible. The last few times I've left with heels that are still rough, (as if they were never scrubbed,) and injuries, (one overly trimmed and bloody cuticle, and one battered pinkie toe, which took a full week to feel better.)
I've been here several times, and each time I go, I tell myself never again. (Looking at the other reviewers, I'm not the only one to tell myself this.) Then, when Lavande and Pinkie's don't have appointments available, I come back, but it's really not worth it. I'd rather do my nails myself than pay $35 for a painful experience.
So i'm still on the hunt for a good nail place in the city... one that's not too pricey and does consistent, good work on your nails. Anyone have any suggestions?
This place is okay. I've been here multiple times. I think that this place has a lot of potential... it's decor is pretty cute... very simple and modern... and the pricing is decent as well. $30 for a mani/pedi (in the spa chair). The only complaint i have is about their nail technicians. If i go, I think i will only request the service of one or two of their employees... and it sucks because I can't remember their names! Some of the technicians are great, some are blah.
I've been going here for the past two years or so and I've been pretty happy thus far. They are clean, professional and the manicures are decent. I'm not afraid of getting nail fungus because they autoclave their instruments. Jin does an excellent job at trimming the cuticles and listens to my silly request, i.e. cutting the rough skin around my middle finger.
I don't give them 5 stars because for the last 5 or 6 manicures, the nail polish bubbles and looks funky. When I first starting going there, this never happened. After talking to a friend, she asked me whether they let each coat dry before applying a new coat and I realized this was the cause of the bubbles. If they allowed time for each coat to dry, my manicures would be perfect. I did go back once when I had a bad case of the bubbles on my nails and they redid my manicure for half price which was pretty cool!
Aside from that, they are a-okay! They need to add lash perms and maybe better trimming and shaping of brows, let me add tip to my bill, and I'd love them even more!
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Sometimes a guy has go to get his girl on. By that I don't mean taking my shoes off and dancing at Harry Denton's Starlight room that would be classified as getting my cougar on. No I'm talking about a pedicure.
After a summer of bare foot volleyball on the grass, sand, wherever really - my feet are always pretty beat up. One toenail got stomped on early in the year and was still kind of tender but I figured the professional pedicure people would be mindful and kind to my feet. So there I am all 6'4" of me with my jeans rolled up revealing the sexiest pair of chicken legs this side of Market Street. And it begins.....
At first a lovely warm foot bath my pedicure lady building rapport with me......"you have nice feet for boy"......I say thank you as I blush. Flattery will get you far with me you nice lady. It continues some goop on my toe nails and cuticles. I politely tell her about my sore toe nail and that we can skip it all together. That's when Dr. Jekyll and Mrs. Crazy Pedicure lady switch on me....."No no no we do it all I take care of it you no worry." GULP.
Then the cutting of the nails.....a little bit more painful than I thought and then the sore toe nail - SHE CUT THE WHOLE THING OFF!!!!!!
HOLY FUCKING OUCH I say......."You stop acting like girl!!!! Let me do my job". I just felt so vulnerable sitting there with my pants rolled up chicken legs exposed as she had her way with me. I tell you one thing my yelp friends.........I am never I repeat NEVER getting a pelvic exam no matter how much I need to get my girl on in the future.
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They did a great job today. Easy to get appointments, good bang for your buck for the level of service. Nothing phenomenally special, but a good job in a low stress atmosphere. Not too crowded, not too over-the-top, a good option in this area for sure!
I keep coming here because it only a block from my house. It is very cute and when they first opened I really liked it here....but now it feels more like they want to rush you in and out and not help you relax at all. They give you really short crappy foot massages and it hurts. The last time I went I swore would be my last time....and I am standing by that.
Blush nail salon is located on a kind of an average block: Nearly every thing--Liberties, Que Tal, that French restaurant, and the sushi place next door--is just mediocre, in a town where excellence is the norm.
Blush is no exception.
It's nice enough, with friendly service and a spa-fabulous, clean atmosphere, but it's nothing extraordinary and it's awfully spendy. A mani-pedi costs $30 (mucho mas than our go-to dive spots in Noe Valley), and they swindled us into paying $10 extra for a supposed 10 minute long foot massage. Not even close to being worth it.
I'm not a mani-pedi expert by any means, and this place is spitting distance from my house so as you can imagine I'm there with some regularity, but I just wish the prices were a little more reasonable. I do like the service, though, and I've never come close to any of the near-death, hang-nail experiences mentioned in other reviews.
The WORST waxing experience I have ever had. DO NOT GET A BRAZILLIAN HERE!
This place has made me stop getting them done all together. I know I could go somewhere else, but this place jaded me.
The time I went there to get it done, the atmosphere was nice inside and looked clean. Once I went in the waxing room I had to completely undress below the waist and spread eagle. The lady roughly slapped baby powder all over my puss. Then she looked eye level with my vagina with a concerned look on her face and says, "Ohhh, weird." What the F is this all about????? She said ohhh weird? I asked, "Whats wrong?" and she didn't answer.
Then she repeatedly told me that I have "too much hair" and asked if I had a boyfriend---and by this time it was just the wrong question.
Humiliated....this painful PAINFUL waxing lasted 50 minutes! And she almost forgot to do the back! Then she left wax all over me including the used wax strips. Did I mention that she re-dipped the stick the whole time?
Putting my pants on, I felt worse than an exam at planned parenthood. Not sure whether to just leave or be a good sport and pay for the damage, I got the bill and there was an extra $10 charge added to the already expensive price for "TOO MUCH HAIR" in capital letters. The most UNPROFESSIONAL, PAINFUL, LONGEST, EMBARRASSING "treatment" I have ever endured. A week later I got the most insane ingrown hairs.
F#*K THIS PLACE....overpriced and the worst UNSANITARY nail/waxing salon I have ever been. The pot is probably crawling with HPV. Rad.
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Well, I'm sad to have to give a bad review, but this place used to be a lot better! I'm only giving it two stars because I didn't catch leprosy or any skin deteriorating diseases here, and the ambiance is nicer than a lot of places.
So, not catching a flesh eating bacteria - 5 stars
Greeting and appointment making - they act like it's a huuuge chore to fit you in. 1 star. but if they can take you early they'll come get you at Que Tal. 5 stars.
The pedicure - the water was scalding this time. I literally almost boiled my feet. She had "forgotten" to add the cool water. The cozy neck pillow is a nice touch, but not necessary. There are a plethora of trashy magazines to read.. but back on to the pedi. My "technician" if such a word can even be applied was unusually rough with my feet, clipping my callouses (and my feet are in pretty nice shape) so much I swear I saw spots of blood on the towel. She didn't file my toenails into an even shape on left and right either. 1 star
The massage - horrible. lasted all of 30 seconds. when this place first opened they gave nice foot and calf massages. I mean, a pedicure isn't just about making your feet look pretty, but also about taking a little stress off the feet and legs. 1 star.
The nail polish - It wasn't crusty or lumpy. She didn't put a top coat on though and even 30 minutes under the dryer wasn't enough to get it to dry because i screwed it up several HOURS later when I put on regular shoes. weird. 1 star.
Ambiance - a bizarre selection of Enya, Imogen Heap and other female artists. This should be relaxing but the snarky attitudes of the staff don't make it relaxing. At least they have good halloween candy in the bowl.
Overall, I won't be going here again.
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I love this place for two reasons: 1. I can walk to it in from my house in the requisite post-pedi flip-flop in less than 5 minutes. 2. On my wedding day, I was able to get the first appointment of the day, and they treated me like a complete queen! I wasn't much for talking that day, and was able to quietly meditate on this next phase of my life without any trouble.
I recommend the lavender scrub mani/pedi. And I also recommend appointments, unless you are down for the early morning beauty action. Then walk-in appointments have not been a problem for me.
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I live 2 blocks from this place and keep returning because it is so convenient. But I consistently have bad experiences. The atmosphere is nice and I do like the people that work there.
They try to make the experience relaxing with a constant Enya soundtrack playing (does anyone else find Enya depressing?) and a warm shrug on your shoulders which I always find heavy.
The quality of the mani/pedis is always disappointing.
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I like them, I do. Most times I get pretty good mani pedis here. Every once in a while, eh, not the best. If they could be a wee bit more consistent I would bump them up to 4 stars.
5 stars? Well, I'm reserving 5 for the place with the hot Grecian men in loin cloths massaging my temples while Black Sabbath screams out of the sound system.
That's a 5-star nail joint in my book. Or a drug-fueled paranoid nightmare. Perhaps I need to rethink that one....
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OOOOH NO! I have been going to blush for several months now with no complaints, but I knew there was something wrong with my last pedicure - It was done by a girl I had never seen before and it didn't look as good as it usually does and it seemed like she skipped a few important disinfecting steps. I decided to take the nail polish off today myself before going in for my next pedi and my nails are totally grossly discolored!!!! I am so upset - I am going on vacation next week!
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I really wanted to like this place cause it's in my neighborhood, but it seems like Blush is plagued by inexperience. My pedicure was actually painful, and I certainly wasn't able to relax, which is pretty much the point of any spa treatment.
All in all, I'd go somewhere else.
I went in for an eyebrow and lip wax and a pedicure, on my sister's recommendation.
They did a great job on the wax - the girl who does it has a quick wrist - and my skin didn't develop any of the post-wax weirdness that it sometimes does.
The pedicure was okay but nothing special. Wax girl should focus on waxing, I think. As she was filing my toe nails the skin on my other toes got filed...
I give it 4 stars for waxing, 2 stars for the pedicure.
This place is great! They totally re-did my toe nails for free (including the girlie little flower design I paid extra for) when I screwed them up Saturday night by being overly eager to get my party on (including the pointy-toe party shoes!) Thanks Blush! I will definitely be returning!
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I was generally delighted with my experience at Blush, however the quality of the mani and pedi I had was pretty mediocre.
The aromatheraputic neck thing was a nice touch, but way too hot and it burned my skin a little. After a while it became very comfortable and I was pleased to have it. I like that there are only 4 chairs, vs the salons I am used to in Oakland, where a dozen or so visitors are lined up as if in a foot scrubbing factory. I quite enjoyed my calf massage, I had forgotten that my shins need love and attention every so often, and with hot lotion, yum! I want a lotion warmer at home.
As I said, the pedi/mani were not all that great. I'm glad my cuticles were trimmed and I now have nice, clean feet, but I really prefer to have the hell scrubbed off my feet. I want my skin to look and feel as if it has never seen the sun. I want any trace of wear removed with a blade. I want my old, dead corns cut off at the root. Alas, I am left with remnants of the old, scaly skin I walked in with. I'd much prefer to go all the way back to Oakland for the factory experience.
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When this place opened, I liked the decor, the nice little touches, the location and even the prices seemed reasonable enough. I planned to become a regular. But I'm done. I've told myself more than once that I was on my last visit there, but I mean it this time. As others have said some of the techinicians are good. I've been happy with my pedicures before, but some aren't so great.
The worst thing to me is the attitude of the owner. With my idea that I'd become a regular, I tried to be friendly with her. I'm not a type to be overly chummy with strangers, but I wanted to support her business in the beginning. But she clearly is not interested in my business much less my support. I have felt on so many occasions that just by asking for a pedicure or other regular service, I'm really putting her out. Instead of nicely trying to problem solve, she's quite rude.
I have several examples, but the latest was when I was getting a pedicure and asked the technician for the extra 10 minute massage. The technician said OK and the owner ran over and scolded both of us, saying there was no time for that. No apology, no real explanation to me, but just mumbling to the technician and acting like I'd done something wrong. She seemed to imply that other people (who'd arrived after I did, may I say) immediately needed to get their mani/pedis or whatever. While I think a better business person would have figured out a way to let me have my 10 minute massage and keep the other people happy too, an even marginal manager would have nicely explained why it wouldn't be possible. So, she is below marginal in my book and it's just simply an unpleasant environment.
I got a mani/pedi and a brow wax here the other day. it was a lot more expensive than my old place (L&J on 24th) and the mani/pedi were sloppy. there was rogue paint on my toes when the girl was finished. this is not good. she was also WAY too rough on my feet. i asked her to be more gentle, but she didn't listen - ouch.
also, they cut and filed my nails into weird shapes that weren't what i asked for.
brow wax didn't come out great.
pretty unimpressed overall. don't think i'll go back.
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So I just moved up here a few months ago and have been making the cross town trek to the marina (cause I found a great place over there and well ya know you stick to what you know). Anyway my friend LZ recommended Blush and so a few weeks ago we headed over on an early Friday evening. I walked into a chill space, with friendly faces and was immediately seated. As I sat down I got this warm shoulder pillow, a hot yummy tea, and a pillow for my hands. Um "Princess" in the house.
My mani/pedi was great! Lasted long and $30 for the mission is a perfect price for me. The only feedback I have is, funk up the music. I was there today and felt like I was in an elevator or something. And well a little longer on the massage, especially the arches of my feet. Ouch they need love.
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These people are really nice. I went in for an impromptu service last night shortly before they closed and they were able to accomodate me with a smile, although the place was packed with clients.
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Five stars, first because the mission has no cheap nail salons and my joy in finding Blush is inexplicable.
But seriously, $30 mani / pedi with cucumber pieces floating in the water and aromatherapy, Fantastic. In NYC you don't get cucumber pieces for your $30 dollar mani/pedi, so I'm thrilled. :)
I loved my brow wax, she was super gentle and listened to me when I said "Not too much!"
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3.5 stars
I do love the fact that they autoclave their instruments. I'll take my pedicures without a side of toenail fungus, thank you very much. I do think, however, that this place is a bit overrated and overpriced. My waxing experience was unpleasant and completely rushed. My pedicure was nice, but nothing to rave about.
I prefer Lavande in Cole Valley. It's much more peaceful.
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I have to constantly remind myself NOT to go here. The only reason I cave in is because it's steps from my flat! I just can't bring myself to say anything nice about this place. I want to, but I can't. I moved in when they first opened and they still don't really get it. I've never had so many grumpy pedicures from the same place. I have to ride my bike all the way to opposite side of Noe Valley to get my toes done now. And it's totally worth it. Now I have happy feet.
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I went in just before having foot surgery...
I was frazzled and short of time. They women at Blush were kind, helpful and so patient!
They got me in right away, did a great job in a reasonable amount of time and my nails still look great despite the fact that I am not kind to my nails.
All the instruments were clean & fresh out of a sealed package. I love that!
I did not try the nail art, as I had planned but will do next time.
I got my eyebrows waxed here once and a few days later, I had painful pimples in the freshly waxed area of the brows. Thankfully I didn't get any other areas of my body waxed.
I also have had a few pedicures here, which are alright and redeem them from a one star review to a three. I love those big vibrating chairs with the pools to put your feet in. Somehow the water is blue- like dye blue. I wonder why your feet don't turn blue if there is dye in the water. Anyway, the first time I had a pedicure, halfway through it, I remembered the eyebrow experience and worried my toes would break out into some weird fungal infection. Luckily I came out unscathed.
I am super lazy about my girlie upkeep, so I will continue to come back here (only for pedicures though) since it is within walking distance of my house and the Lone Palm is on the way home. What's better than a mani/pedi and a cocktail?
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I had two services performed here for me on one day. Never again.
I had an eerily similar experience to Ashley's. Ok. Gripe #1. Okay waxer lady...you and I both know I'm getting a brazilian. You and I both know you are gonna see ALL my junk. But, do we have to remove all dignity from the situation? The girl made me strip down in front of her. She did not bother to leave the room and after I was on the table she didn't both to cover me up at all. I've been to other salons where the leave the room for you to undress and then they drape you while on the table. Much more comfortable and dignified. Gripe #2. I barely had any hair (ahem) "down there" and she kept complaining that I had "too much hair." Gripe #3. She did not do a good job of holding the skin taut like you are supposed to. Gripe #4. It hurt, HURT REALLY bad and it took forever. I was sweating like a pig by the end of it because it was so painful. Gripe #5 She re-dipped the stick in the pot over and over. Strikes me as very unsanitary. Gripe #6. She didn't clean me off afterwards to I walked away totally waxy. My underwear were stuck to me when I got home. The final straw was that after she told me she was done and she got up to do whatever.... I got up from the table and started to get dressed. She totally opened the door while I was standing there naked and proceeded to kindof hang out there and talk to her friend. Totally unprofessional! Totally embarrassing! It was a VERY bad experience. DO NOT GET ANY KIND OF BIKINI WAX HERE!
Pedicures: The leg massage was very painful. The lady stuck her long nails, point side down, into my calves and then pressed hard. I'm pretty surprised she didn't break the skin.
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I love this spot. This is why:
1. It is SO relaxing and spa-like in a store-front setting.
2. The nail tech's are extremely thorough and their number one goal is to assure you have a good experience and a GREAT mani or pedi.
3. The staff is friendly and in the 2 times I've been there I've never had to wait for service.
4. Parking is easy and the location is central.
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I was very dissapointed. $22 for a pedi - that was anything but ordinary. My experience was far from relaxing, they had a dog that kept barking, and then to make things even worse a customer walks in with two dogs - you can only imagine the joyous experience afterwards. I kept hoping for my polish to dry faster so I could leave the place.
I had better mani and pedi combined for the price that I paid at this price. I will surely not be coming back.
My favorite thing about this place, other than it's right around the corner from my house?
The aromatherapy neck pillow that smells like cinnamon buns!
Mmmm chomp chomp.
Great mani/pedis -- everything is very simple and soothing here. They only have 4 chairs, which keeps things from being too hectic in here.
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