The Critical Consumer

I’m no expert on Nail salons, but I have been to a few in Nashville. My need is very specific, I usually just want a french manicure on my own nails, so I don’t know much about silk nails or fills, or anything like that. But, I didn’t think that should stop me from reviewing the two salons I’ve frequented most and advocate for my favorite.

When it comes to nail salons, I care less about how the salon looks when I go in and more about how my nails look when I leave, as well as how they look 2 hours later and 2 days later. That said, I have found the salon that works best for me, and that is Le Le’s Nails in Hillsboro Village.

First, the logistics. Parking is not great since it shares a parking lot with Domino’s Pizza, a liquor store, Pancake Pantry, and all the other very popular restaurants nearby. Luckily for me, I work within walking distance and find it best if I take my lunch break to get my nails done. The salon itself is nothing fancy. They just “renovated” but really, they just rearranged furniture. They have one old television in the corner that has the captions on, but if you ask, they’ll turn the sound on too.

They offer the full range of services, including spa pedicures, silk nails, and Forever French. They have 3 or 4 spa pedicure stations, and 6 or 7 nail stations. However, I have never seen more than three people working anytime I’ve ever been there. When I was looking for somewhere to take my girls to get pedicures and manicures the day before my wedding, I asked if they had more staff that could do all of us at once. They said they did, so I imagine at busier times, they have more people on site. I’ve never had to wait more than 5 minutes to take a seat.

But the real praise should go to the quality of the final product. The benefit of only having a few long-time people on your staff is that you know that they all know what they are doing. I love my nails when I leave there and I’ve never had a snaffoo after leaving. They don’t use any fancy lacquer or UV lights to dry your nails. Instead, they use a top coat that is the best I’ve ever seen. 5 minutes at the fan, and my nails are good to go. The paint lasts for about 2 weeks before it starts to crack or flake, but until then, they look really amazing.

Like I said, I can’t speak to the more advanced and expensive nail services at Le Le’s, but if all you need is a nice manicure, this is the place to go.

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Update – 09.19.08

As mentioned in some of the comments below, Le Le’s Nails is no longer in business as this location.  The salon is under new ownership and it is unclear if Le Le’s relocated or just sold the business. Jacqueline (comment below) called to see if they would honor the gift certificates her husband purchased for Christmas and the new owners would not budge. I have been in the new salon and was not impressed. The dependability I had become accustomed to with Le Le’s went right out the window. My nails started peeling within 3 days. I can do a better job at home!