South Philly nail salons going gel only?!

Submitted by Phila21767 t3_zyr0m9 in philadelphia

Nail salons that I frequent over the years have gone up 40% since the pandemic. No problem.. I would eat this cost by getting regular manicures instead of gel. I have a pretty extensive indie nail polish collection and I prefer to use my own colors. Gel is a 3 week color commitment that I don’t want to make. Anyhow I brought my own color to a nail salon in south Philly and she really gave me a hard time.. she kept repeating, “this not gel, this not gel, this not gel..” A little while later, this man brought his mom in for a pedicure and she told them $45 gel only! The poor lady didn’t even know what gel was! Gel is a way of insuring customers come back because removal at home is a pain! Ladies and gentlemen, what do you think about this? Is this happening all over Philly?

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ScienceIsMagic25 t1_j27g68t wrote

Thanks for the heads up... from now on I'm doing my own manicures at home

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Phila21767 OP t1_j27glg8 wrote

Replying to ScienceIsMagic25 (#1,170,944)

I would do that myself if I didn’t get fakies..I only bring this up here because this is the THIRD salon I have been to in south Philly where they heavily push for gel, so I’m wondering if this might become the only option! One salon completely removed it’s nail dryers and the other gives major attitude when you want regular polish. And then this one today!

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irishprincess007 t1_j27hulk wrote

I love walking into nail salons and they immediately yell “pick a color” and get upset if you haven’t decided in 2 minutes.

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myothercarisapynchon t1_j27lte0 wrote

my old nail salon in south philly would do regular polish if i wanted it. stylish nails at 20th and porter. in port richmond i pay $28 for a gel manicure which i thought was a good deal and i suppose it is

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PhillyMila215 t1_j28irqy wrote

I’ve noticed this too (not limited to Philly). Gel and dip. It’s all about money money and more money.

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pillingz t1_j28koar wrote

If they say gel only try getting up and saying thank you but I only want regular and attempt to walk out the door. If they want your business, they may change their tune. If they don’t you save money.

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defusted t1_j28ul2l wrote

I think I'd find a new place to take my business.

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kellyoohh t1_j28wup2 wrote

I’m in Fishtown and haven’t had this problem, that would drive me nuts! It’s also surprising because I have noticed a switch from gel to dip (similar pricing and longevity though). Hope you can find a place that isn’t doing this!

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kakonim t1_j290o6w wrote

I’ve been to several nail salons in South Philly in the past year and never ran into this.

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Karineh t1_j2940vw wrote

I like Queen Nails in Old City

They do it all and dip too.

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Hot-Pretzel t1_j2c91vv wrote

In general, I find that salons have been urging people toward dip or gel. It seems to be a real inconvenience for them to just do a basic manicure without either of these methods. I don't like the gel for exactly the reasons you stated. It makes you a slave to returning to the salon. I like easy on and easy off. I've noticed that although they will use basic nail polish, it's shit polish. My toenails would last forever before needing a redo. No more! I think it's a tactic to push you to get gel. I just walked away. I'm tired of the BS.

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