SimplyBe Salon & Spa

Love this place in downtown PA. Very clean space and good quality service. The nail techs aren’t rushed, and you feel relaxed getting a mani pedi. Color selection is slightly limited or not well displayed, so come prepared with your own colors or arrive early to dig through what’s available. This is definitely one of the better nail salons in the area imho if you’re looking for a spa-​like experience.

Very nice, clean and not so expensive nail salon in University Ave. Came here for pedis. Good selection of nail polish, very nice staff. Made appointment and was seen on time. Def recommend it.

This review is for Alan’s coloring skills. If you want to look like 1980s 2 weeks of root growth barbie, waste 3+ hours in the salon and pay top dollar, he’s your man! He’ll waste your time with his stories, and leave you in tears when you see what he’s done to your hair. He will misquote you the price, leave you a Brassy blond and not tone, nor fix his work… Unless you waste more money on him. So if you have any desire to have modern color, avoid this place.

I just wanted to again compliment Alan for his styling and coloring. He has been working with me, as well as my two teenage girls, for over a year now and every cut and color (I color; my girls do not) have been just amazing. We couldn’t be happier with Alan as our hairdresser!

In from out of town and this salon was incredibly disappointing. I got a manicure and my acrylics removed. They were hurting my nails so much that I just asked them to stop trying to remove them. They didn’t even paint them the shellac color that I chose. Would not recommend coming here.

I came here on ¹⁰⁄₁₆ with my mom and 6 bridesmaids for our mani/​pedi appointments for my wedding the next day. We called and booked these appointments over 2 months in advance for all of us to make sure they could get us all in, and it all seemed fine with each girl scheduled for a specific time. On the appointment day, one of the nail techs was sick and couldn’t come in so they were short a tech. They never called us to let us know, and did an AWFUL job of managing 8 of us. My mom ended up staying at the salon for a mani/​pedi for 3 HOURS because of their horrible time management. She finally had to ask them to start doing her pedicure or she’d leave. I would have excused the fact that it took so long for them to finish, because I understand that there were a lot of us. But just 2 – 3 days after getting a shellac manicure, it started to bubble underneath and chip. I’ve never had that problem with shellac before and am disappointed in this salon.
I will not be going there again and will make sure to let all my friends know that it’s not worth it.

For quality, service and value, this is THE place for nails, hair and spa. I have had the most reliable manicure, pedicure, hair and massage appointments of anywhere in the Bay Area.

Went here for a pedicure with my friend and I would say it was fine. The place is very clean and has a nice ambience. The pedicures were pretty thorough but for less than this price, I get excellent pedis at Shiny Nails in Redwood City.
I would give it 3.5 stars if I could

Unfortunately, the manicure I just received was quite awful. As a New Yorker, I do have high expectations when it comes to a manicure, however the experience here was just plain bad. If you are looking for a place for a manicure, I would look elsewhere in Palo Alto.
1. Slow (took over an hour for a manicure)
2. Painful (the woman kept using a sharp tool when trying to do my cuticles. I told her it hurt at least 5 times and then she gave up on this step in the manicure process)
3. Speaking of cuticles, she didn’t even clean them up very well (I had to push down the cuticle when she got up to get something from the back)
4. Poor paint job (I expect that anyone painting nails can do it without getting tons of excess paint on my skin, but that was far from the truth with this woman. I had so much extra pain on my skin that she had to clean up my nails for an extra 10 mins)

Simply Be is my favorite nail and brow salon in Palo Alto. Yes, there are other higher priced and better known place, but hands down Simply Be is my favorite.
The salon attendants are meticulous with their attention to detail, and in focusing on the customer experience. If you want an excellent manicure, pedicure or brow wax, look no further — Simply Be is the place for you. As a bonus, the prices are very reasonable!
You should call ahead to make an appointment — they do book up quickly.

Reasonable prices, clean booths, nice people. Also, fairly easy to get appointments on the phone.

My boyfriend gave me a gift certificate to SimplyBe. I had a fantastic, top-​notch experience from start to finish. My facial with Susan was amazing and relaxing and left my face feeling so fresh and clean. Alan Scott did my hair shampoo and styling, and he did an amazing job. He paid attention and was attentive, and styled it as I asked. The mani/​pedi was fantastic and relaxing, and I loved the massage! Overall fantastic experience, and my boyfriend was pleased with the value for the dollar as well.

Just had a muscle relief pedicure spa from MiMi and OMG I am requesting her from now on!!! I just came back from three weeks of work travel so I really needed a good massage. She spent ten minutes per leg massaging it through. I almost fell asleep!!! I usually don’t ask for a specific person but I will be asking for her specifically from now on!

Rose and Nancy did a great job on my mani/​pedi. However, the lotion they put on me had such a strong scent that my husband made me wash it off when I got home. So I wish they had unscented options.
Also the Pureology shampoo they have in the cabinets in the waiting area is really strong smelling. I wish they wouldn’t have it there. I can’t use that shampoo because I hate the smell. But the people there are lovely and they did a great job on my manicure and pedicure.

Such an amazing place and great service. You can tell the owner really treats their workers well because I can sense the family atmosphere here compared to other nail salons (I am fluent in Vietnamese so I listen to their chatter), which result in happy workers and good work (nice nails!). It’s peaceful, never rushed, and the décor just makes me want to relax.
They always do a good job with my manicures and pedicures. I’m a bit picky and particular about how I want my nails and they’re always patient with me and take their time.

I normally really like coming to this place. They have always been really professional and have done awesome work on my nails… Until today. I was given a nail tech I haven’t seen before to do a shellac removal and regular manicure. I had a nail split and also asked to have it fixed. From the time she started to the time she finished, I felt as though I was an inconvenience. She never completely removed all the shellac as evident from the nail she «fixed». She decided to fix the nail before all the color was removed and then couldn’t get it all off. Well, duh! And when I showed her a few places that still needed color removed she said «yeah, I’ll check that it all gone before I paint your nails.» Well, she didn’t. The massage was like 15 seconds long on each arm and then she squeezed my shoulders so hard I winced. When she was all done with my nails she got up and said «I’m done» and then got up to walk off. Nothing about if I wanted to go to the nail dryer or anything. I’m not saying I have given up on this place but I’m definitely not happy.

What do I like about this place? Lots. It’s serene and clean. There are no TVs throughout the establishment and I love that. No distractions, all you hear is the fountain of water running and relaxing music playing softly. Parking was pretty easy since this is located right at the tip of University Avenue. This seems to be a one stop shop for all your beauty needs, though I just came for a pedicure. They had a nice selection of OPI, Zoya & Essie to chose from. The pedicurist took her time and thoroughly cut, filed, massaged, & painted. The price is a bit more expensive, but well with it for the time and quality of the pedicure you receive. I would definitely come back. And I’m coming from Fremont :)

I really like SimplyBe. Every time I’ve gone (only for nails!), it has been a great experience. Friendly staff, they don’t rush through the service, plenty of color options and decent prices for downtown Palo Alto. One time I got a Shellac mani with a special glitter design and they did an AWESOME job. It was perfectly done, and lasted for over a month! Love this place and sad they have to move soon for the construction.

This is THE BEST salon in palo alto that I’ve found. I’m super picky about my shellac manicures and SimplyBe does it the best. They use CND shellac polish, which in my opinion is the best.
The manicurists take EXTRA good care to make sure the polish is even and perfect, after they spend extra time prepping your nails to make sure the manicure lasts for weeks.
Also, I’m not big on the wild colors so nude knickers and satin pajamas are great neutral colors and definitely my 2 go-to’s from this day forward.
PLUS if you go online and sign-​up, you get 15% off your first visit!
I also forgot my wallet one time and they let me do my appointment anyways, and then I just called in later and gave them my credit card info over the phone. Super understanding and convenient!
They’re always PACKED though so make sure you call a day or 2 in advance to make an appointment!!!

So this is my first review ever on Unilocal and I’ve had an account for a while; therefore, SimplyBe Salon & Spa is pretty darn special. It is. I went there recently for a haircut with Alan, which I was able to schedule just an hour beforehand through a very professional and accommodating receptionist. I had spent the entire night before looking for a new salon because I had been planning on cutting my hair short for the past half a year or so and needed the perfect place since my last attempt had been traumatic.
BUT I took a chance and I’m so glad I did. Alan was patient and informative during the consultation and was extremely knowledgeable about what might look best with my face shape and hair type. The entire haircut itself was a joy and even midway through it, I was already loving my haircut which has legitly never happened before. I usually start regretting it at that point and pray that it’ll get better by the time I’m done.
So what does this mean?
Alan is a magician who imparts not only a fabulous haircut but also priceless advice and an unfailing reason to smile whenever you look into the mirror. I used to cling to my long hair because I thought it was an essential piece to my self esteem, but now I feel even more confident! I walk around with my head held high and my roommates have commented on how much I’ve been smiling and dancing recently. But they are also ready to throw me out because of it.
Fo’ reals though, I love my new haircut and will definitely be trying to maintain it. I never thought I’d be so happy with shorter hair but it provides me with so many different possibilities since it can easily work for all styles including professional, edgy, and adorable looks. Also it’s incredibly low maintenance. I’m so lazy when it comes to getting ready and fixing my hair so this has been a life saver. Plus I’m saving a lot on beanies, hair ties, and hats since I no longer need them to cover up whenever styling my hair is more trouble than it’s worth.
To summarize…
PROS:
–Awesome receptionist
–Awesome Alan
–Awesome consultation/​shampoo/​haircut/​styling/​etc
–Awesome price (Gotta love promotions)
–Booming confidence (You’ll definitely have one)
–Continuous compliments (Strangers and friends alike)
–Popular new profile pic
–More smiles and urges to break into dance
–New opportunity to try different styles and fashion
–Easy maintenance
–You’ll fall in love… with your hair (Who needs guys?)
CONS:
–Newfound vanity
–Roommates might kick you out because of it
–That’s it.
TLDR: I’m a cheapskate. A HUGE one. But this is my one exception. Go to Alan. Fantastic promotion for first-​time clients. You won’t regret this.
P. S. It might seem like I might have been having a little too much fun with this review especially towards the end, but really all jokes aside, I definitely think you should give SimplyBe Salon & Spa a try especially if you’re looking for a new haircut and a short one to boot. It offers a great promotion and you really don’t have anything to lose.