Yen and Crew Nails and Spa

Best Mani/​Pedi in Melrose IMHO. The only reason that I’m giving it 4 stars instead of 5 is because it’s a very no-​frills salon (no wine while you get your pedi, very basic chairs/​atmosphere. I’ve had gel manis at most of the Melrose salons and find myself returning over and over to Yen & Crew because their manis actually last. I typically get 2+ weeks on my gel mani, and only go back because my nails are growing out, whereas at other salons locally I’ve had gel manis last only a few days and a week max.
I hope they start doing gel pedis too!

I REALLY REALLY REALLY wanted to like this place. However, it was a total mess!
PROS: Clean, lovely salon, nice décor, clean and spacious.
CONS: Terrible manicure.
I went in to Yen and Crew based on Unilocal (you have failed me this time Unilocalers!). So many positive reviews, I just HAD to try it out.
I scheduled the day before for an appointment and it was pretty easy. The phone person’s manner was lovely and I was excited. I requested a gel polish removal and a regular mani.
I walked in today and was pleasantly surprised by how nice and welcoming the space felt. Unfortunately, just the space. The other nail technicians couldn’t bother to say hello. Alright, fine, not a deal breaker.
This older technician (50+) with short hair took me in. She asked me to pick a color. I picked my favorite hue: OPI TAUPLESS BEACH. I’ve gotten this color a million times and I just love it.
I sit down and she wraps my nails in the typical cotton ball/​acetone/​foil wrap. So far so good, nothing crazy.
60 seconds later, she unwraps my nails hoping to scrape off the polish, I’m like, «ummm, I think you have to wait a little bit more.» Ignores me.
Tries to scrape, nothing. Proceeds to use the spinning filer machine (which I hate because it’s not good on regular nails) to take off my gel polish. She does this for all 10 nails and I’m just like, what was the point of wrapping them then?
***And it goes downhill from here on***
This «technician» proceeds to give me a manicure in less than 10 minutes. The best way I can describe what she did was that she went through the motions of a mani without actually paying attention to what she was doing. EXAMPLES:
–Clips my nails in odd shapes (fine, she will probably file them into shape).
–Barely files OR shapes my nails. I have to ask her two more times to actually shape them square. Still, they look shitty. I let it go, pick my battles.
— Cuticles, ummm, she didn’t even want to touch them. She just rubbed the cuticles with the clippers and tools… I was shocked. Fine, again I am letting it go.
–Polish: The final straw came with the polish. This woman took GLOBS of polish and threw them on my nail. She didn’t even polish the nail vertically. Instead she painted in weird patterns of curves and streaks. She event painted them horizontally (WTF?!). Again, i give her the benefit of the doubt, maybe it’s a new thing? Nope. As the polish dried you can see the streaks, bubbles and layers of polish. The polish that I love was no unrecognizable because of the amount of polish she put on.
To add insult to injury, she doesn’t even clean up my nails. I had dry crusty polish all over my nails.
THE ENTIRE THING LAST 15 minutes…
I WAS PISSED. The WORST manicure i have EVER had in my life.
Usually I keep my mouth shut and keep it moving. But for a $ 17 manicure I expect a normal job.
So, I went back and said «I’m so sorry to do this, but i really don’t like my manicure.» She proceeds to ask why, I explain and show her. She stares at me with a blank face. Then she says «i think it’s the color, it doesn’t look good on you.» I was shocked. Ummm no lady, I’ve been getting this color for 3 years, it’s my go to color.
She recommends me go with a clear polish. I tell her nope.
I tell her I want either a re-​polish or my money back.
«Fine, I do it again.»
For the next 30 minutes she proceeds to do what she SHOULD HAVE DONE the first time. Carefully and correctly paint my nails. She even cleaned around my nails. She pulled on my hands, said nothing to me, didn’t ask if it was fine. I tried to be polite and said «Thank you, they look perfect now»…crickets. So she was mad at me because I expect her to deliver her service correctly and actually do her job… great.
Her colleagues were less than pleasant. They’d walk up next to her and whisper to her in Chinese (obviously about me) and they never asked me what was wrong. Such shitty customer service.
To be fair another woman that was there showed me her mani and it looked fine.
I will NEVER return to this shitty place.

I’ve been getting my nails done here for years and now go out of my way to come here since I’ve moved! I love the friendly and relaxed atmosphere. Rose is my go to girl! She does an amazing job with my pedis and I always receive compliments on my manicures. I highly recommend this salon.

Ask for Dao. She is amazing. My eyebrows have never looked so great. She does great manis and pedis too. Takes her time and she’s so sweet!!! Prices are reasonable too.

ROSE is the best! Pays attention to what you need, takes her time and does a beautiful job!

Not very clean, does not even use a new nail file for pedi, I won’t not come here again

Love Yen and Crew. Recently switched to here from a nearby salon because they are much cleaner and more professional.
Rose is my fav for gel manicures and pedis!

I’ve gotten two mani/​pedis here, and absolutely will go back! The first manicure didn’t last long (I’m a teacher– they never do, therefore my fault) and the pedicure was awesome. Second time– I had sprained my ankle but needed a pedicure and she was incredibly gentle. The shellac is still going strong (it will be 3 wks Thursday!) with the normal growth gaps. I’ve never had a shellac NOT peel off & this is nothing short of awesome! The staff are very friendly and helpful, the place is immaculate and the bathroom (for those of us who hydrate often) is spotless– something not often seen in salons.

Went here for the first time & for the last time. Had a pedicure and the woman never put separators between my toes despite me asking her twice to do it. I then had the worst French manicure that had one mail chipping the next day & 2 nails chipping by the second day. If I was not out of town I would ask for a refund

Outstanding! Finally a place in Melrose that’s tip top and not sketchy… like Anna’s Nails (across the street toward Malden) and Melrose Nail Salon (on the same side of the street and a few doors up toward Mexico Lindo) Do NOT go to either of those salons. Ended up with a toenail infection from Anna’s and had to listen to the most annoying voice ever from the manager at Melrose Nail Salon. I dropped into Yen and Crew mid-​morning on a Saturday after a big snow storm that had all salons closed for 2 days I was able to be taken within minutes. Yen herself did my nails. I DID NOT feel rushed and honestly received one of the most beautiful gel manicures I’ve ever had including salons in Atlanta, Raleigh and downtown Boston. The Boston salon is Town Nails on Charles Street. While I loved my manicures by Ann at Town Nails, they are usually very busy, loud and I’ve had the same fly issues described by another reviewer.

I had a great experience at Yen. I got my first gel manicure the other day and they also squeezed me in last minute for toe polish change (half the price of a full pedicure). Rose and the rest of the staff were very sweet and accommodating. I will definitely go back to Yen when I need my nails done!

I don’t have my nails done on a regular basis but when I do I always go to Yen and Crew. They call me by name as soonas I walk in and always ask about my family. I never make an appointment but they have always been able to take me. The shop is clean and all the staff are very professional.

I’ve been going to Yen for over a year now and they care about the customer. It’s not a nail factory where you get in, get out, they actually want to build a relationship. At least that’s what I have with my manicurist. They are clean, prompt, friendly and an overall great establishment. There is no other place in Melrose ro the North Shore for that matter, that I would go.

This is the BEST nail, wax, facial Salon around. The staff is unbelievable friendly and cater to your every need. I have very dry hands and nail polish is not my friend — My manicure lasted 2 weeks and my hands never felt better. Well worth the $ 12 weekly treat!

Hate this place. I’ve only been there once and I won’t go back to try my luck with a different manicurist. I heard good things about this place from some girl I used to work with. Figured I’d give it a shot. So here’s my experience:
(Not sure if I should limit this review to the girl that did my nails or not)
Unfortunately, I can’t remember this manicurist’s name. I went here for a fill and color change. It took this girl an extremely long time to fill my nails, almost 45+ minutes. It took her another 25+ minutes for her to paint my nails. Last time I checked, I should be in and out in about 45 mins-​1 hour. It probably took her a long time because she was too busy gabbing with the other chicks that worked there.
I’m a recent graduate from the University of New Hampshire and used to go to this place called «Eternal Nails» all the time. Since I’ve moved back home to Mass, I’ve been looking for a place that does nails the way it should be done. You know…*symmetrically* meaning symmetrical color/​shape etc.
Not sure why many people rave about this place.
The only good thing I can say about it is that at least one girl speaks English well and the place looks pretty clean.
I’ve been having such a hard time finding a good nail salon in Mass, that I resort to driving 1 ½ hrs back up to Durham, NH to the old nail place that I used to go to. Can anyone help me out and give me some tips? I’m not an extremely picky person. But I expect that my nails are at least shaped the way I want them to be shaped and to be symmetrical.

So after reading the other review on this place, I figured I would also check out Yen & Crew. I am so glad I did. I went in for a toenail polish change and a manicure. Both were fabulous experiences and I will definitely go back.
The place is VERY well run, clean and they have very talented staff.

Fantastic! Yen runs a wonderful business!.. I have manicures and pedicures regularly there and am thrilled with the care and precision. I had a pedi/​mani on Thursday before my florida vacation and it was the best pedi I had ever had. my feet still feel fantastic and here we are a week later… and not a chip on my mani yet either! Well done Yen and crew! I will continue to reccomend you and give gift certificates to my friends and family. This is the best nail salon in Melrose!

If you’ve ever driven down Main Street in Melrose, you know there isn’t much to see besides pizza shops and nail salons. Even with the abundance of places to get my eyebrows waxed, I haven’t trusted any of the Melrose salons since the time one of them actually used pieces of scrap paper instead of waxing strips to remove the wax from my face. However, I recently ended my boycott and tried my luck with Yen and Crew.
The staff here is incredibly friendly. The space is clean, modern and welcoming. The prices are comparable for the area. My eyebrows weren’t tweezed to within an inch of their life. Basically, I have no complaints and will happily return here anytime I am in the area and need to get my unibrow under control.