Have you noticed the fancy new nail salon on Franklin St called Latika Spa? It is my latest stop on the Greenpointers Mani-Pedi Tour. Don’t roll your eyes. Ladies need to know.
I am on a gel bender but I wished I’d started my habit after Latika Spa, because it is considerably more expensive than the other nails salons I’ve been to in Greenpoint.
It is also considerably nicer, more of a nail/spa hybrid than a straight up nail joint. They have loads of other services, like massage and facials. While there, a few ladies came in with a print out for savings. I felt left out.
“What’s that, I asked?”
My nail tech Kim, said, “Coupon. After.”
I thought maybe I could download the groupon online, but it had expired. They also didn’t have a mani-pedi special, which I think is key, but Latika, who is the owner, promised they would start summer specials the following week.
The ladies who work there are all dolls. One voluntarily scraped gum off the bottom of my sandal because I was got stuck to the tile floor. Gosh, I have never felt like such a d-bag. (Okay that’s a lie.)
Kim was my darling nail technician, of Korean descent and a 20 year Bed-Stuy resident. We talked about her two grown college kids and she questioned me about the other nails salons in the neighborhood and was eager to know where the nail techs immigrated from.
Kim also had a lot to say about gels. She unsurprisingly thinks they are safe. If you get a lighter color, you can go longer than the two weeks because its the growth that shows with the darker colors. She recommended to file them and brush on some alcohol, and they will be like new.
I was a little extreme with my bubble gum pink manicure, eating hot dogs and sticking worms on hooks. I believe that you can do anything with a gel manicure.
There were not a lot of gel colors to chose from and I wasn’t sold on the only pink available. Kim knew that and gave me three coats of color, which possibly led to some major cracking and chipping that happened after a little over 1 week. One nail chipped and took a big chunk of my real nail with it. Do we see some nail weakening as the result of gel happening here?
For a $35 manicure that was promised to last 2 weeks, I am disappointed, even though I love Kim; we had a real connection and she had a great haircut.
“Come back,” she said.
“Kim, I wish I could; you are great, but this place is so expensive.”
“Coupon, get a coupon.”
“Kim, I can’t live off of coupons, you know that.”
She bowed her head and knew we may never see each other again.
In the future I may try a massage or facial at Latika, but the prices are too unaffordable to sustain my gel addiction.
Latika Spa
200 Franklin St
Cleanliness: 5/5
Friendliness: 5/5
Quality of mani/ped: 3/5
Value: 1/5
Local Banter: 3/5
Variety of colors: 3/5
Bonus Massage: 2 bonus points – 2/2
No razor was offered.
22/32 points
Nobody will make your nails look better than Polish ladies in different places along Manhattan Ave. Amen.
Any places in particular that you recommend?
I go to latika. It is the cheapest and that place is great! you shouldn’t have any reason to complain about. Everything was great! Gel manis are always bad for your nails and it is because you put too much polish on. I did mine and it stayed over 2 weeks. It also depends on the health of your nails. Since they’re so rare the variety of colors are too, so its not the nail salon’s fault. I went to a bunch of nail places and the limited choices of colors are the same throughout. Also, purchasing the gel nail colors are very expensive, which is why they have to price it so high. How else are they going to keep their small businesses running? Of all the nail salon places I read online BEST SATISFIED CUSTOMERS AND MOST POSITIVE REVIEWS (10/10) ARE FROM LATIKA SPA!
I totally agree with you Sam. They always make my day and it really is a spa. Don’t get the coupon though. Its good that this person who reviewed it didn’t use a coupon. You get a lot more perks for your money without a coupon. Just go and see. The full price is worth it!
Nothing is ever perfect but I went there and everything was 10/10! First, gel manis aren’t healthy especially if you do it all the time. It also depends on how healthy your nails are in the first place. Yes, putting on more than 2 layers of polish will of course make your nails crack. Like you said, b/c you’re a gel addict I think it cracked as a result. Purchasing gel colors are expensive so they have to charge a lot to offset the price in order to make a profit. How else are they going to run and keep a small business in recession? Purchasing nail colors are expensive, which is why they may not have many colors. Like I read online, this is a new store. Perhaps with more people and when business booms they will be able to afford more colors. Duh! Like I said, they treated me great and I recommend this place to all!
Not for nothing, but even before I approved “Sam’s” review – Pauline had replied to it in agreement. There is no way that Pauline could have seen it unless you are the same person or are in cahoots.
Fair warning: my friend got that groupon, went to Latika, and promptly got a really bad nail infection. It’s a shame, I went there once without incident but after what happened to her I definitely won’t be going back.