A Disappointing Experience at Manifix on Shelkovskaya

I've been going to the Manifix salon on Shelkovskaya for less than a year. It's super convenient, and they make it easy to book an appointment – they've got their own app, website, and the administrator even keeps in touch via WhatsApp.

The main draw for me was the low prices and regular promotions on manicures and pedicures. Sometimes, a gel-lacquer manicure with removal would cost just 950 rubles, and a pedicure was 1300. I haven't found anything cheaper in my neighborhood.

Manifix is a chain of salons, and this one is located in the First of May shopping center. It's not exactly the most impressive-looking place – the salon itself is probably only 20 square meters. And yet, they manage to fit in manicures, pedicures, brow shaping, and lash services on that tiny space.

I've always been a fan of bold nails with a bit of an edgy design:

I used to get my nails done by a master who lives outside of Moscow – it was a two-hour drive each way, plus another two to four hours for the master to work on my nails. But it was always worth it. Every design he created for me was a favorite of mine.

Last year I got pregnant, and I wasn't excited about getting my nails done in the area, so I found Manifix in Shchelkovo. As a rule, you don't expect any crazy designs from budget salons, and you're happy with cozy, one-toned finishes. Because even a pretty old-fashioned and simple French tip (in a good way) can be made even older and simpler (in a bad way).

I was generally okay with these one-toned stories at Manifix in Shchelkovo - simple, quick, cheap, and beautiful.For a long time, everything was fine with me and Manifix in Shchelkovo. I had my own permanent nail technician, with whom I had already done not just one-toned finishes, but even that classic French tip, without feeling like it was going to turn into some kind of chaos and mess.

But as often happens, she quit, and I started experimenting and booking appointments with other girls.

Gradually, this branch changed: the flow of clients at the salon increased, it became harder to get an appointment, the service started to feel rushed, many materials were missing, and I had to choose from the colors that were available. But I still didn't want to look for a replacement, I wasn't paying much attention to it, and I kept going there.I booked appointments with some technicians multiple times. I wouldn't say that I was thrilled with the manicure after their work; I just felt comfortable with them - I could listen to music, but we still had contact, and we understood each other. With some technicians, I sometimes chatted with them, and they told me that the salon mostly takes on people without experience, so they can gain experience there. They're probably paid little, so there's a high turnover. Classic.

I'm totally cool with a beginner nail artist as long as the end result is good.In May, I asked the Bronze nail artist to recreate a design I found on Pinterest.

expectation vs realityThe nail artist had no idea what she was doing, thought it was stickers or stamping, and there was none of that in the salon, so she just did what she wanted. The result was more marbled than ombre, but I was okay with it, or maybe I've just gotten used to not having a uniform look.

Here's a photo of my nails two days after the manicure, and the main issue isn't even the design, it's the lifting of the gel polish on my index finger and the cuticle care.

I messaged the salon on WhatsApp

It's all pretty cute.

As I mentioned earlier, the salon often has promotions and combos like 'gel polish application after removing old nail polish' for 950 rubles, and the Bronze nail artist's price is 950 rubles, while the Silver and Gold nail artists charge 1250 rubles as usual.

In June, I opened the app to book an appointment and saw that they were running a promotion, so I could book an appointment with a discount:

When I arrived at the salon, I noticed that the team had changed even more. There was no usual chaos in the salon for some reason.

I've never had a nail technician like the one who did my mani. We just didn't click from the get-go, because there was no conversation to speak of. I'm not talking about asking about my husband or job, but about questions like 'does it hurt?' or 'do you like it?' Although, she did accidentally poke me once, but it was totally brushed off. Throughout the whole process, I just sat there, stunned by her demeanor - it was like I wasn't even there. Instead of asking me to adjust my hand, she'd just grab it roughly. A few times, I'd pull my hand back, telling her I could hear her despite wearing headphones, and that she didn't need to yank it. We both laughed it off, but it would happen again a minute later.

I quickly realized that the technician had just gotten used to working this way - it was her style. Clients didn't exist, only hands.

The actual mani she did was actually pretty precise (the nail file, clippers, etc.). I asked her to do a strengthening gel instead of a base coat (something I've always done with previous technicians, and it lasts longer than two weeks). She said I was booked for another procedure and needed a base coat. I started explaining that I always do this, and just pay extra at the counter. She looked confused, went to check with the receptionist, and came back to just apply the gel without any further discussion.

At the counter, they charged me 950 rubles for the service, and I mentioned that I needed to pay extra for the strengthening gel. The admin seemed flustered, unsure of what I was talking about, and was really distant with me. They ended up charging me an extra 300-400 rubles and I left.

Only about 10 minutes after I left, I looked at my nails and couldn't help but chuckle. It was such a ridiculous situation. I immediately decided to write a review on WhatsApp, but they beat me to it and sent me a message first:

I didn't attach those photos here because they might get blocked due to blurriness, and I took them on the go while driving back from the salon. The gel applied unevenly, with some areas having a significantly thicker coating - over a millimeter in some spots. By the second day, I noticed peeling on two of my nails.

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I guess this is the story of how I decided to move my review from a private conversation with the salon's account to here. Either they completely misunderstood or understood but didn't care - I'm not sure. Maybe I was holding onto Manifix for the wrong reasons - not just the discounts and speedy manicures, but a couple of specific nail technicians and the admin staff. I think I'm done with Manifix.

I wouldn't recommend this product.