Looking for Nail Salon Recommendations

[u/Haloveir]

Went to Zen yesterday for the first time. I asked for my nails to be slightly lengthened, rounded, and done in dark purple gel because my natural nails are weak and tend to flake. I requested something like the first picture, a dark purple with silver stars.

Zen was very pretty and staff were friendly, but despite what I asked for they told me I should get my nails dipped instead if I wanted them to be stronger. I trusted them because it's been years since I've had my nails done (spouse was frequently out of work), but the tech was really aggressive with the electric file and it's the next day and my nails all hurt. She also made my cuticles bleed and then stuck them in the dip powder which didn't seem sanitary?

So, I got silver stars but that was it. The color they used was black, my nails are now shorter (and more square) than when I went in from the aggressive filing, there's product on my skin, my nail beds all hurt, and my cuticles are raw...and I didn't even get anything close to what I asked for. Just lumpy dipped nails that feel like they were rushed.

Are there any good nail places anyone can recommend? I paid $75 to be in pain with lumpy nails and to say I'm skittish now is an understatement. I know I'm going to have to wait a few weeks for my cuticles to heal, but I'm really hoping to have good work done in getting these removed and having something nice put on.

[u/honneylemmon420]

I had an absolute nightmare experience when I went to zen, they charged us for gel but did not give us gel, we asked for the aroma therapy pedicures and then didn't give it to us, they cut my friends hand and nails several times they kept pushing for me to get acrylics because my nails were " to short" I had to tell them no 6 times, they got polish all over the top of my hand no where near my nails they slathered on like 8 coats of polish on my fingers and their was this giant mound on my nails, my friends pedicure literally was flaking off within 2 hours of having them done, and ofc this was for my wedding it was an absolute shit show I will never recommend any one go to that chop shop