My Nail Salon Horror Stories: A Botched Manicure and a Cash Scam

Hello everyone!

I've been a loyal customer of Pilki nail salon and pedicure since 2018, visiting pretty regularly - sometimes every month, sometimes with big breaks in between. It's been a year since my last visit, but I know I'll go back if I ever feel like getting a manicure. Over the past six years, I've accumulated a ton of photos of my nails, and I'll also show you some of my not-so-great manicure attempts and talk about the pricing.

About the salon:

Pilki is the largest nail salon and pedicure chain in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Oblast. They've got top-notch masters, a cozy atmosphere, and online booking for the best beauty procedures.

Pilki's advantages:largest network of nail salons and pedicure studioswholesale-retail stores Pilki Shopin-house brand gel polishes Trend&Hand, Glowmobile app with loyalty programPilki Start school for mastersTheir network is indeed massive, with studios in every district of St. Petersburg, as well as in the Leningrad Oblast. You can also find Pilki salons in other cities like Vladivostok, Volgograd, Voronezh, Yekaterinburg, Kirov, Moscow, Perm, Rostov-on-Don, Staraya Osikovka, Tashkent, Tver, Tyumen, and Ufa.

Interior:

I don't have photos of the salon's interior, unfortunately. The design is done in a 'queen' style, with huge glass chandeliers, monograms on the walls, plenty of mirrors - it's an interesting interior overall. All the salons are done in the same style.

Even though the rooms are huge, and sometimes there are even two rooms, the tables are pushed together, and if there are a lot of people in the salon, it's not very comfortable to enjoy the service.

Service cost:

The prices for the salon are average, possibly even lower than average.

I had to pay for the procedure in cash, which was really inconvenient. Sometimes I had to run to the nearby ATM building, which was a hassle. I guess you can do a transfer, but if you're a real rebel, I'm sure they'll find a terminal for you.

Why I chose the 'Pilki' salon:

For me, the first and most important thing is that I can book a manicure or pedicure at any time, as long as I can open the website or app. There are always suitable dates and times available. Most of the time, I can just walk into the salon and get an appointment right away.

I hate it when I have to book an appointment with a stylist a month in advance, because I never know what's going to happen tomorrow, and if I have to cancel, I'll have to wait even longer for an opening.

I like the service, the administrators are always friendly and offer me tea or coffee, and they hang up my jacket for me.

I also like that it's a big chain, so I can always find a salon nearby.

The app:

One thing I've noticed about this salon is that they have their own app, which makes it super easy to book an appointment - although, I have had some issues with their website from time to time.

Loyalty Program:

I've got to say, their loyalty program is a bit of a joke. When you sign up, you get a bonus card that automatically gets loaded with points. But here's the thing - the points you earn from each service are so tiny that it takes years to accumulate even a decent amount of money. I'm not even sure what the point of it all is.

Club Cards:

They've got seven different types of club cards, which basically allow you to pay a lump sum upfront and get access to discounts on services for a set period of time. It's a great option for regular customers, but I'm not sure who would want to shell out 62,000 rubles upfront - although, I've heard they now offer a payment plan.

My First Manicure:

My first experience with this salon was back in spring 2018, when I booked a manicure with my sister through their website. We were able to get seated together, which made the whole experience super comfortable. And the quality of the service was great too.

I went back to this salon a few months later and, just like before, I let the first available technician work on me. To be honest, the quality of my manicure was just as good as the first time. A few of my favorite manicure looks:

I'm a sucker for single-toned finishes, and to be honest, I'm not really fussed about design. The most I'm looking for is a bit of a 'French' touch and some subtle sparkle. I've also tried those sparkly finishes that really pop in the flash (sorry, I don't know the exact name).

Honestly, I wanted to talk about the "French" tip. It's weird to say, but it's the salon's weak spot. Not many technicians can do this design. For example, when I booked an appointment with one technician (despite specifying the design service), I found out during the procedure that they didn't do it. There was a time when the technician started doing it, but on the second toe, after struggling for 10 minutes, she realized she couldn't finish it. Luckily, another technician came to the rescue, but what if they were busy?

Technicians:I used to go to different technicians each time, based on their photos. Once, I met a really nice girl who did an amazing job with my manicure. I felt so relaxed during the procedure. Since then, I've only been going to her, except for one thing - she doesn't do the "French" tip, so I have to go elsewhere for that.

I've had some pretty rough experiences with young nail artists in the past, but I've been pretty understanding.

One time, I booked a manicure appointment ahead of time, and the admin asked me to wait because the nail artist was running a bit behind. It was a weekday morning, so I figured she was just rushing from home, not trying to get away from another client. But what really got me was when the appointment took way longer than usual - 2.5 hours, not including the nail artist's delay. I was exhausted by the time it was all over.

The manicure itself was pretty painful, and the nail artist was using the lamp for way too long. I ended up with some pretty nasty cuts on the sides of my nails, and when I got home, I noticed that they were all different lengths.

But don't let one bad experience scare you off - just make sure to check the nail artist's ratings and reviews before booking an appointment. If you don't do your research, you might end up with a similar experience to mine.

I have to admit, I was really frustrated with my nails at one point. The gel started to lift, and when I tried to fix it, I saw a dark stain on my nail. I was worried, so I ended up taking them off myself.

I noticed a green spot and immediately thought it might be a fungus. I booked an appointment with a nail technician, but I was nervous that they might turn me away because of the fungus. However, it was really important for me to have a professional take a look and give me their honest opinion. I ended up with a young technician, who seemed new because I had already gotten to know the regular faces at the salon. She turned out to be a total pro, explaining everything to me (it was a bruise, not a fungus) and doing the manicure very gently and carefully. In fact, I was so impressed that I decided to book another appointment with her for a gel polish manicure. Unfortunately, that appointment didn't happen because I was somehow booked with a different technician instead. I had to wait 30 minutes for her, but in the end, I decided to cancel and leave. This experience taught me that not all young technicians are bad.

As far as I know, there's a note on the booking system that indicates which technicians are newbies, and their services are a bit cheaper.

Pedicure:

I don't get my nails done that often, but when I do, I like to think I've got a good thing going. I found a great nail tech a while back, and I stuck with her until she left the business.The time I got taken for a ride:

So, one time I booked a pedicure with a tech I'd never met before. I'm not proud of this, but I booked it in the middle of the night and then showed up bright and early the next morning, thinking it wouldn't be a big deal. As soon as I got there, they whisked me away to the treatment room, and then the tech came in, still in her street clothes, and started asking me some pretty awkward questions. She was smiling and all, but I could tell she was less than thrilled about the situation. The conversation went something like this:

- Oh, you must have booked this early in the morning?

- Nope, I booked it last night.

- Well, I didn't have any other clients at that time, so I had to rush over.

I get where she was coming from, I guess. She could have shown up later, but the booking system is supposed to be 24/7, so I figured I could pick a time that worked for me. It was pretty cringeworthy, but she decided to teach me a lesson in a different way.

I started the process, but the technician turned out to be one of those chatty ones. I'm not a big fan of that. She started asking about my nail polish and when I was planning to book an appointment. Then she started telling me about the 'four-hand' service, and before I could even agree, she rushed off to get the administrator. I was left stunned – I hadn't budgeted for the time or the money for two services, especially the 'four-hand' one, which costs extra. To be honest, I'm not a fan of the 'four-hand' service. Firstly, it's a hassle for both the client and the technicians. Secondly, the extra charge.

So, they quickly found a nail technician, who came over but seemed pretty unhappy. And I could understand why. The space for the technician was tiny, so she had to sit awkwardly, and I had to stretch out to reach her (because she could only sit on one side). They gave her some weird stool that was uncomfortable to boot.

Since we started the pedicure first, and I had a correction on my fake nails to boot, we had to move to a different area. In the end, I wasted a lot of time and money.

Nail and pedicure quality:

I've never had any issues with gel polish. Even though I love to change up my nail polish, the gel held up amazingly well. The only problem I had was that I couldn't pull off long nails, no matter how they were reinforced – after a week, there would be cracks on the sides of my nails.

I'm happy with the quality and wear of the gel polish in my pedicure!

Lash extension:

I've been going to 'the nail place' for about 6 years now, and I've gotta say, they've expanded their services over time. Back in 2020, they started offering lash extensions, which not all locations offered, but luckily, there was a spot not too far from me that had it (although it wasn't the same salon I get my manicures done at). The price point was pretty reasonable for a salon, I'd say. For example, the technician who came to my place for a 2D lash extension job charged 1800 rubles, while 'the nail place' was 2000 rubles. So, I decided to give them a shot. I really liked the technician, and the procedure was done in a separate, small room with reclining chairs. It was all pretty quick and comfortable for me.

Roughly a month and a half later, my lashes were still looking great. At that point, I'd decided that I'd be sticking with 'the nail place' from now on. However, when I went back to book another appointment, neither my usual technician nor the alternative one was available. All that was left were technicians working in the city center, which wasn't exactly close to me. Now, it's even worse – the service is still available, but there aren't any technicians left in St. Petersburg or the Leningrad Oblast. What a weird situation.My takeaway:

As I mentioned in my review, I've had a few weird experiences over the years, considering I've been going to the salon for 6 years. These kinds of incidents happen maybe once a year, max. Nobody's completely immune to them. For me, it's really important to have a convenient time slot for appointments, so I'm sticking with 'the nail place'. If you find your go-to technician and stick with them, you shouldn't have any issues.