Sekai Nail & Beauty Bar

I got a mani & pedi there recently. I mean, not the best manicure or pedicure I’ve ever had — but the place is gorgeous and clean and the people are incredibly nice. For the price, I’d expect a bit better for polish application and cleaning. I’ll probably try it out for other spa services but possibly not nails.

Originally, I was going to give Sekai a 4. It seemed really hot when I went in, and they didn’t have the usual chairs with the tub below, but just a plastic lines bucket that they fill.
But I had my mani/​pedi on Tuesday and it’s now Saturday and there’s not a chip in sight. What??? Regular polish and I handle silverware every day, which is notorious for making nails chip. My dishwasher also broke and I had to handwash dishes for the rest of the week.
As you can see, the acid test for me is how smooth and even my mani/​pedi is and how long it lasts. On this front, Sekai did a remarkable job. There’s nothing worse than paying for someone to make your nails look great and the next day (or often even later that night, they chip.) Lately, I’ve been to a lot of places that really fail on both these fronts and it’s kept me from going for regular visits.
The girls who did my feet and hands were very professional and friendly. The receptionist was great on the phone, fitting me in for a simultaneous mani/​pedi within the hour. Everything inside the salon looked clean and fresh. The best part? $ 40.00 for a great thorough mani/​pedi. With tax it comes to $ 47, and i always leave a nice tip. But it’s a good price for a proper job.
This was a great experience and I think I found my new place to get my nails did :)

Great spot, for the price of the asian spots this place will blow you away. The staff take their time and do a very good job and everyone speaks perfect English. Plus it’s extremely clean, your feed soak in sterile bins that are changed each use. You won’t find better value downtown than this place. $ 40 for a mani/​pedi.

I do not write reviews. In fact, I’ve written one on Unilocal — ever. I needed to come and tell you that it does not get any better. I’ve moved out of the area, into Etobicoke and still make the trek to Sekai. I’ve tried nail salons near my home, near my office in midtown, and frankly none compare.
There’s a lot of areas for consideration when it comes to a great nail salon. Cleanliness, friendliness, cost, ability to accommodate, variety, environment… etc. Sekai gets a gold star in all categories.
I always feel at home when I visit. All of the girls are super nice and friendly and put up with me when I’m being too chatty with a smile. I’ve called merely hours before I intended to visit and have been accommodated.
Every time I go I get the same services (shellac mani and regular pedi, which both seem to last a life time) so I can’t speak to their other services, but my friend swears by Sekai for her eyebrows. I promise I will expand my horizons and report back one day.
The only thing Sekai is missing is some sort of a «frequent flyer» card to reward me for making my mission on TTC from Etobicoke, other than that I will never leave you or run astray Sekai!!!

I’ve only gotten manicures here, but I can attest to their top notch service. Polite, friendly, professional, and most of all, an amazing manicure. Their shellac mani is worth the money and lasted much longer than I expected.

I walked into Sekai, hoping to get a manicure/​pedicure after hearing positive things about the services there from my sister. Unfortunately, I found the woman at the front desk to be extremely rude. She greeted me with a dismissive tone; making it seem as if I was inconveniencing her by simply inquiring about availability. I gladly took my business down the street where I was treated me with respect.
Antoniette

Quick/​friendly service (walked in, seated right away), but left with a lot of ingrown hairs after upper lip waxing (with more than half of the hair noticeably still there after it was done)

Amazing and friendly service! Always very accommodating when booking appointments. The prices are great and the environment isn’t pretentious. Love the entire team and only wish there was another location in the East End.

I was looking for a good nail salon closer to home and stumbled upon Sekai. I booked an appointment for a manicure and pedicure and was very impressed! The women at the front desk was extremely attentive to everyone who walked in the door, as well as each person who was in the salon already having a service done. She was constantly checking in to make sure everyone was okay. My aesthetician was extremely meticulous when applying polish which is greatly appreciated because nothing is worse than getting home and finding the polish is not perfect. I will definitely go back to Sekai, and I am very excited to try out their other services as well!

I had such a pleasant experience with the service at sekai! The atmosphere is cozy and clean with sterilization equipment in plain sight. The lady working at the front desk was friendly and attentive even at the end of the day as I was the last customer there. I received a deep tissue massage and a facial from Joanna and she was simply amazing. I can’t wait to go back here.

Lovely women work here. Very conversational and polite. Prices and packages are fair and the spa is very clean and fresh in appearance, they were very professional and honest about there services and when they didn’t offer the one I was needing they refered me to a nearby spa which I thought was very caring and professional. Is recommend them to anyone and will go there for future treatments

I got a deep cleansing facial from Joanna and it was heavenly! Joanna took all the time necessary to do thorough extractions unlike others who rush through and miss areas. I was surprised to receive a foot massage while the mask was left on my face. So nice! She removed my milia without leaving scars as I have experienced at another salon. My skin looks and feels great. Would highly recommend Joanna at Sekai.

LOVE LOVE LOVE this place!!! Its hard to find a good spa that you can keep coming back to and get consistently good service… well I found one! This place is amazing from the people that work there to the owners that run the place. They do a phenomenal job every time and my shellac lasts at least 3 weeks each time I get it done. They are friendly and accommodating and considering the service they provide I would say they are reasonably priced.
I have referred many people here and every person loved it!
If you are looking for an amazing spa in Toronto you have to check this place out!!!

Absolutely amazing experience! Came here all stressed and tired and left feeling rejuvenated and relaxed. I got an amazing facial done with relaxing warm scents, fresh hot towels, and a great neck and arm massage. Extractions were easy and not painful, and my face has been glowing ever since! Thanks Sekai :)

I came to Sekai in two different occasions.
I got my face threading during the fall and was pretty disappointed with the result for the price I paid. Over $ 50 for full face thread and came home to notice how the aestheticians have missed many spots all over my face.
Was kind of debating whether or not give Sekai another try, but I’m happy I did! Went back for a pedicure today and it was very well done. They were gentle on my feet and the lady made sure I had no issues with what she was doing (making sure the water was alright, making sure she was scrubbing too hard, etc.). They let me hang around for over 30 minutes making sure the nails were completely dry before letting me slip my socks and boots back on. Came home to freshly painted nails with no chips/​smudges!
The service here is extremely welcoming and warming — probably one of the nicest and comfiest I ever experienced. Definitely going to come back for more mani/pedi’s in the future!
One thing I’m skeptical about is their cleanness — the place is generally spotless, they saran wrap their foot tubs for each client, and they use gloves during pedicures; but I what I noticed is that when they cleaning the foot tubs, they would just remove the saran wrap on top and nothing is done to make sure the tub is completely sanitized after each use. These small extra-​precaution is what really gets me when I get my beauty services done — I need places to make sure they know how clean they are.
Will definitely give an update this review once I have more services. Plus, I think this place should have a loyalty points system going on!!!

Two great pedicures! One with Fotini and the second with An. Both were so professional, patient, precise and kind.
My feet LOVE sekai!!!

I’ve been to Sekai twice now and unfortunately had one ok experience and one horrible one.
The Pros: Adorable salon, feels very clean/​sanitary and the women running it couldn’t be friendlier/​more hospitable.
Cons: I had both a mani and a pedi during my first visit and it wasn’t the best that I’ve had but it was good enough to come back when it was convenient. The exfoliation/​scrub process was pretty lacklustre and my polish (both toes/​hands) only last about a day and a half. I get manis/​pedis done all the time and don’t have this issue with my regular salon.
The second visit was the deal breaker. The girl doing my nails was incredibly aggressive with the cuticle pusher and ended up cutting four of my fingers. I left the salon actively bleeding and my hands hurt for days. The polish was applied pretty poorly, bad enough that my partner noticed as soon as I got home. The weirdest part was that the manicurist didn’t really acknowledge what she had done. I’ve had an accidental nick at the salon before but to not apologize or say anything?
I’ve got all kinds of painful hangnails forming now, it’s definitely going to take a couple of weeks for my hands to recuperate.
I really do think that the women running the place are doing a great job and I feel bad that I didn’t speak up when I was leaving. I was a bit shocked at the time and wasn’t even sure where to begin.
The guy behind the counter where I usually go always checks my nails before leaving and once he even insisted on a polish change when he wasn’t happy with what he saw. He’s also always walking around and watching people to see if they seem happy with the process. If he catches someone repeatedly checking out their nails he always comes over to make sure they’re happy. I really appreciate that attention and it ensures that the customers are getting a good service, even the ones that feel uncomfortable speaking up in front of the manicurist.

This place is amazing! I’m so glad that finally a nail salon that actually does a good job and is clean has finally arrived to downtown Toronto. Often times, there are many places downtown that will have decent pricing but as soon as you walk in, you realize you should be running out! But Sekai is the total opposite! For the price that they offer ($ 40 for mani/​pedi combo), they do an amazing job and even have little perks that are normally offered at higher end places (nice décor, new equipment and free tea/​water).
The girls that run the place are also exceptional about customer service, always making sure you’re happy with the service and are comfortable for your entire appointment.
The only thing that I would comment on is that they sometimes use styrofoam cups when they run out of the other cups for the tea/​water which kind of goes against the eco-​friendly vibe that are trying to uphold. It’s no biggie, but the environmentalist in me notices these things…

Great space, friendly and professional staff, and a really good pedicure. Highly recommend Sekai!