Tracy’s Nails

The first time I went here was for a pedicure that was a gift from my sister who, along with her daughters, comes here regularly and loves it. It went well, the pedicure looked good, though it had its moments where it became a bit painful, but the massage was heavenly. Unfortunately it was downhill from there. My second visit was with the same girl and this time it was definitely more painful as she gouged too deeply and roughly under the toenails and I flinched and quietly said «ow!» a few times. The massage wasn’t quite as good, but again, it was decent so I was content enough with the service but began to have some doubts. The third and last time was a disaster. She poked under the nail so hard that it bled a bit. That, along with what was clearly an improperly sanitized basin, is certainly why I ended up with a horrible infection in toenails on both feet. The infections became nasty and had to be drained and tended by my physician. That was many months ago and I ended up losing most of my toenail on the left foot which has yet to grow back fully. Unfortunately I cannot recommend this place to anyone.

First let me say, I’m not from this area. I live in Tahoe, and have a wonderful nail technician. I had to miss my appointment while I was out of town and after reading great reviews online for this place I decided to try it out. Upon walking in, I was very uncomfortable but chose to stay because I desperately needed my acrylics done. Nobody spoke English besides the woman at the front desk. The lady who did my nails, was super aggressive and mean! (I don’t know her name but she was at table 5) She couldn’t speak English to tell me what she wanted, and instead she smacked my hands and jerked me around. I simply wanted my pink and whites shortened and filled. She ground my nails down to practically nothing. The whole time, she wouldnt say anything to me or even look at me. She did however talk to the technician next to her and laugh quite a bit. It made me feel very awkward. My nails look horrible! The length was what I wanted, but thats about it. The white tips arent even. I cant stop looking at my nails in disgust. Not even 2 weeks later (only 10 days) and my nails are chipping and breaking. I strongly regret going to this place.

I absolutely love this place! Tracy is by far the best nail tech in the county. My nails are always perfect. I’m extremely picky and she kills it every time. Yesterday she did my nails for my birthday and they turned out amazing. I’m so in love!

Newly remodeled and Excellent service NOW! Check it out Gals no waiting same great service and lots of room for pedicure manicure party’s

I go to get my pedi and nails done here after work they do a great job 2 visits were very disappointing but I expressed my frustration to Tracy the owner and she resolved it right away so ill definitely keep comibg back

I went with my two girls a few months ago and it sucked. My youngest said the tech wasn’t even paying attention to her, and actually looking at her own nails. My teen daughter had acryllics done and was furious that they were uneven and poorly painted. Never again!

Tracy contacted me herself very quickly after writing this review. She asked me if I could come in within the hour to have it fixed. She paired me with Heidi who is adorable and very nice. She redid some of my nails and repainted them so perfectly. She added clear gel onto my nails so the color and condition of my nails would last longer without even asking if I wanted it, all free of cost. I have made my last two appointments with Heidi and will continue to see her. If you want a nail technician who pays attention to detail, is a hard worker, and aims to please Heidi is your girl! Thank you Tracy and Heidi!

This was a clean establishment and a friendly staff! They have great prices and were PACKED for a Monday morning! I kept thinking it was Friday– that says a lot about them. I left the salon with beautiful nails and a wonderful experience. I would recommend to someone looking for a reasonably priced nail salon in Capitola.

I’m bummed that I have to give a negative review but I had the worst experience the other day. It was my first time in since the remodel so I was looking forward to coming back.
The woman who gave my pedicure rushed and the whole job was so sloppy. She would pause throughout my service and stop to watch the tv. The massage was horrible. Looking at my toes a day later I noticed there’s absolutely no top coat and the polished is all over my cuticles.
When I would ask her questions about getting additional services like a manicure or color change she couldn’t understand me and would look at the technician next to her and laugh.
When it was time to pay she was extremely rude and asked about her tip and stood there waiting. The service I received deserved no tip (I’m a great tipper when I receive a great service) I gave her a couple bucks so she could leave. She didn’t say thank you and just walked away. Sad to say I will not be returning.

As a first– time customer who had really long and already shaped nails before they worked on them, I wouldn’t go here again. After being asked to take off my own nail polish myself, the lady recommended that my nails be cut «a little bit» and I was ok with it. She not only cuts ¹⁄₃ of my nail length but decides to ROUND them without asking or saying. After telling her I want boxed, she still makes them oval. I had a woman name Holly. I recommend not to go to her but I mean, people can change. Hopefully she learns from MY experience and makes other clients happy/​satisfied.
Also, was charged $ 13 for a manicure– with NO NAILPOLISH, wtf?
Never AGAIN, am I coming back.

This is the best salon I’ve ever been to. My nails have always come out crooked or just ugly everywhere else. NOT here. I will never go any where else. I had Mi Mi do a special design and she ACED it. My nails look perfect. Completely in love.

I love this place! Top notch service, designs, EVERYTHING! I had Jenny do my nails and eyebrows and she did fabulous on both! Thanks Jenny!

Tracy is an owner and nail technician and a serious hard worker, paired with an essential staff that aim to serve and have been serving the locals of santa cruz for years.
I have sought their manicure service for specific detail and advice and the technician was ready to work and definitely sage in their experience. Also, there is a customer spending card available for a free manicure. I will return for future sessions and appreciate the fast service and attention to detail here at Tracy’s Nails.

This salon gave me the best nail experience yet! She was fast kind and asked me questions! I will decently come back!!!

I don’t always review– unless the service was HORRID or AWESOME… with that being said; Tracy’s is AWESOME!!!
About me: I am a nail tech. I have worked at HIGH-​END shops and don’t usually recommend my clients going to «cattle call» shops or «chop shops». They are dirty and rude!!! Diseases are spread by these shops and they give shops like, Tracy’s, a bad rep. They can and WILL destroy your nails in minutes. Do NOT let that happen by going to a random shop!!!
As for me, everyone is different and their idea of what quality is, is different. Tracy and the women that work under her are highly-​experienced and I love them. She offers high-​quality products (other chop shops have high-​end containers with black-​market products– BAD news bears!!). Her shop is CLEAN (and her implements are maintained/​sterilized after each person), and takes pride in keeping it that way! They put their best into the work they do and work hard to please every customer (and Tracy trains each girl). I have been coming to Tracy, the owner, for my own nail needs since she opened. She is friendly and VERY good. They, more often than not, run on time. All the time. Weekends are CRAZY at her shop. Please don’t act like a jerk if you’re in a hurry. Their English isn’t perfect but, the girls are sweet as pie!!!
You can’t beat the prices for the service you’ll get. Definitely a nail shop worth reviewing!!! Don’t look at my check-Ins…I’m awful at it!!! LOL. I go every two weeks for my fill and am happy every time. I’m weird about pedicures so, I do those myself. No toe shots by Tracy! LOL!!!

I love Tracy’s! I used to come here a few years ago, but stopped when another shop opened closer to my house — now I’m thinking it’s worth the drive after all.
My tech helped me pick out a great color, and filed a beautiful shape out of each of my not-​so-​pristine nails. It made my stubby nail beds look way longer, which I’m always irrationally happy for. My tech was ready to go 30 seconds after I arrived, so I can’t say I echo some of the sentiments I see here about wait times; my color indecision was the only thing that held up the process. I was in and out in less than an hour with perfect gels!
The staff was friendly, the service was fantastic, and the price was super reasonable. I’ve got nothing but positive things to say. I’m sure I’ll be back to feed my gel addiction again here soon.

I’m tired of nail salons telling you they can take you but end up placing you in a seat for up to an hour before a technician is available to service you.
My sisters and I had the worst experience last week. We walked in, asked for 4 pedicures and by their eagerness to get money they sat us immediately. They filled up the tubs with luke warm water and said someone would be over soon to start our toes. 45 minutes later we were still sitting there, toes undone, and tubs full of cold water. It was an absolute joke! My mom ended up leaving because she couldn’t wait any longer and when she tried to leave they basically barred her from leaving the store and kept telling her she should stay and that this isn’t their fault. My mom still wasn’t having it and left.
10 minutes later, my sisters and I finally got technicians to start our pedicures. They never asked what we wanted in regards to a package deal and gave us the basic pedicure. We tried to argue with them at the end that we wanted a discount due to their horrible service and lack of customer service. Even other customers spoke up in response to our statements saying they all felt the same way. But they completely disregarded us and kept demanding we pay full price and tip.
Honestly, this place used to be amazing until it became a nail factory just wanting more money. They have zero customer service. Bottom line is that you shouldn’t tell your customers you can take them if you can’t meet the demand. It’s that simple and will make people appreciate the honesty and want to come back.

The two-​star review is mainly for the long wait and, as other people have commented, the way-​too-​hectic atmosphere.
I wouldn’t have minded the waiting – they were clearly busy – except that I called in and actually made an appointment, to avoid what they said was a fifteen-​minute wait. So I booked a time, then ran some errands so as not to lose those minutes sitting around. Then when I was running about 5 minutes late for the appointment, I called to let them know.
I showed up 5 – 7 minutes after my appointment time, ended up waiting about 20 minutes to even get a chair, and then another 25 – 30 to get a *person*. She did a fine job on my manicure and pedicure, but next time I will certainly ask for a better job on the callus scrubbing – I did book it, but what she actually did was pretty minimal. I’ve been to places that are much more thorough about it, and basically keep working until the job is complete, whether it requires a Microplaner or a Dremel tool.
The place was so busy that they had trouble manning the desk; at one point the boy who was manning the desk and phone was running back and forth, in the middle of doing someone’s nails. I think if I was that customer, I might have been pretty miffed. And I found myself wondering if I was getting shorted on services *because* they were so busy.
Their starting prices are fairly low, however. When the lady gave me my total, I couldn’t quite understand her, I assumed it was $ 54 (because for a mani + pedi, I’m used to paying around $ 50.) It was $ 34, for a basic pedicure + callus scrub, and a basic French manicure.
So, my first experience there was kind of a toss-​up.
Pluses: price, decent spa chairs, very clean, techs seemed competent and friendly to me (although I didn’t get anything fancy like gel or fake nails.)
Minuses: organization and hectic atmosphere
They can’t do a LOT about the atmosphere, when they’re that busy – I do understand that part. If the techs moved slower or tried to be more relaxed, there would doubtless be people complaining about *that* instead. But I think appointments should be taken before walk-​in customers. If I had known I’d have 45 minutes of sitting around, I wouldn’t have come in at all; I had a lot to get done today, and lost WAY more time than I planned for.

There are soo many people working here it’s insane but you will definitely be helped and your wait probably won’t be long because these women are fast!
I just felt like treating myself one day so I thought I’d try out this place. I’m glad I did because they have a ton of regulars and everyone is nice. The Vietnamese women do talk a lot and they talk about you as well like a typical salon. But they are quick, take care of you, and have a lot of options for you. Those are probably the reasons this place is so popular.
I’l be back just because the price is so reasonable.

This is one of the better places I have gone to get my nails done! This nail shop is run by several women who are eager to give you exactly what you want. When I asked for a gel manicure, they responded with genuine enthusiasm, «Of course!». Immediately, I was seated and taken care of.
My manicurist was Yvonne (sorry if I spelled your name wrong!). We had a great conversation and she made me laugh several times. The other awesome thing is I am almost instantly irritated when the workers in a shop start speaking to each excessively in a foreign language, only to look up at you, laugh, and keep talking. It is one this to have a conversation with your coworkers and friends, but another to make it obvious that you are talking about the client. These ladies did not do this at all. If they talked to each other, they almost always filled you in on the conversation just so you knew how hilarious it was. I don’t even care if they were lying — they made me feel like I was someone they respected. Haha.
While your nails are drying, you get a neck/​shoulder massage, too! I have never gotten one of those when I’ve had my nails worked on. It was perfect after a stressful week.
Anyway, I got cute black gel nails, with a white flower on the fourth finger. 3 weeks later, and they still look perfect! The total came to $ 30, not including tip.
I rated only 4 stars because the place is very cramped and busy — but I know it’s not their fault! They are quite busy, even late at night, so that’s how you know it’s worth it (:
Needless to say, I will be coming back!