H&L Fabulous Nails & Spa

I was unimpressed with the service. I wasn’t offered anywhere to put my wet boots or scarf and coat (and in fact was told to leave them on – I got a lot of muddy snow on the table…). The esthetician got wax in my hair, poked me in the eye, and had a chronic cough. I was in and out in under ten minutes, but I’m not sure that’s a good thing.
$ 8 for pretty decent looking eyebrow isn’t bad, but this is probably the first time in my life I have opted not to leave a tip.

This place was terrible. I am a licensed manicurist from years back so when I saw some of the things there were doing, I spoke up and requested they modify (filing into the nail, cuticles bleeding). The owner then surprised me with an additional charge to paint the nails? What? Long story short, we ended the event with a bit of a confrontation and he asked me to never come back. And I haven’t…

I’ve been boycotting this nail salon because I thought it was pretty cheeky to set up shop next door to Q8 and declare yourself a super hygeinic (sic) nail spa. But summer showed up out of nowhere, Q8 was lined up to the door and I wasn’t ready to forsake Asian lady businesses in favour of whatever is beckoning from the surgical interiors of the newly installed Ten Spot further south on Roncesvalles.
I would not make the same decision a second time.
H&L is a cramped little space with banal music playing in the background. Maybe that’s better than TV; I was glad I brought a book. The ladies are nice, but unskilled; both me and the woman beside me got ouchies during our pedicures. Service is inconsistent– some get warm water, some get lukewarm, some get soap, some don’t, some get footcare, some don’t. All pay a very reasonable $ 23 for the work. Things seem Clean, but I’m just praying there are no fungal after effects.
Not an experience I’ll repeat.

Alas, my hairless back isn’t natural. It’s the result of a quarter-​annual wax.
Have been getting a wax here for the last year and overall I’ve been happy with the prompt, friendly, and attentive service.
Can’t say the same about my most recent visit. They didn’t change the paper for the bed I was going to lay on. That meant I could see hairs of a previous customer on the bed.
The wax was lukewarm which meant that the hair felt like it was being torn off my skin while the wax was applied (even BEFORE it was waxed off).
Finally, this place has never had a price list posted. Getting ready to pay at the cash register, I’ve always had the staff chatter in Vietnamese before telling me what I had to pay. It’s given me an uneasy feeling, but at least the pricing has been consistent. Again… except for today when I was told to pay $ 15 more than usual. I explained that I’ve consistently paid the same price and the staff looked at me questionably before taking $ 10 off the price.
After today’s visit I won’t be returning. It was just a bit too ‘hairy’ for me. Har har…