Alex's Salon and Day Spa

Went in for a pedicure and then got a manicure and then root touch up and highlights and a hair cut! I love all of it. Mary was amazing. I love my hair and nails. Highly recommended.

I used to love Alex's - it was always busy, staff was nice, and prices were comparable to other salons. I came today (it was empty) with my 10 yr old niece who they charged full price for. And their regular pedis now cost as much as their competitors gel. They also pressure you to tip in cash and if you don't have cash to use their atm - no thanks!

IG down the road is a newer
salon with much better prices, and Julep near Ft. Belvoir is a more upscale salon but their prices are still slightly better with a much cleaner aesthetic. They also both offer 10&under pricing and you can tip with venmo.

Great staff
Good location
Awesome service

Made an appt for a gel mani/pedi and Tim did a great job pampering Ms. D who got the Luxury pedicure with mint scrub. He brought us snacks and tea. I love when a place have snacks and drinks.

Nice and clean

Only thing missing was the mimosas which is under review.

Pros:
1- Immediate appointment available when I called at 1100 on a Sat.
2- Young lady at front desk was very kind and offered a variety of beverages (tea, water, coffee, soda)
3- Manager Alex overheard me say it was my first time there, came to introduce himself and let me know additional services offered there.

Cons:
1- $37 basic pedicure (regular polish) lasted about 15-20min. If that's normal, they should advertise it to be an express pedi. With that expectation in advance it could marketed for people that prefer fast service.
2- 3-4 attempts to upsell the service I selected.
3- Execution of Pedi was not great. Lots of texture noticeable on finished nails.
4- At checkout, electronic payments weren't available (temporarily). They do have ATM inside. I was told to prepare for next time with cash because they prefer that. I found that to be rude. They could offer incentives for cash but should allow the customers preferred payment method.

I would not go back for or recommend the basic pedi.

I made an appointment for 10:00 and I have now been waiting for 20 minutes while the two technicians work on two walk-ins. There are 3 of us with our feet in the water waiting. If I weren't going to an event tomorrow I would leave.

I've been going here for years. Took a break from getting my nails done. I did a walk-in for pedicure - my service was started immediately. Unfortunately it was the worth pedicure I've received. The polish was blotchy and uneven. Not attention to detail, as it was obvious that the finish wasn't professional done. Sadly I won't go back...

At this place, it is true what they say about nail salons. Here the nail technicians talk about you. And you're definitely judged. What they don't know is, I can understand everything that was said.

It's an hour after they opened and I walked in. I was expecting a wait because I didn't have an appointment, which is fine with me. One tech asked what I wanted done and a different lady told her she could take me because she was finishing off a pedicure and was almost done. I sat at her station and waited. She came over and I showed her what I wanted. She took a look at the photo and thought it over and pulled her notebook out and started writing in it. $55 for a new set, $5 for the length, $5 for design, and $40 for time and more design. So it's $105. I said it's fine because I wanted to get it done because I had an event I needed to attend. She goes and said "are you sure?? It's pretty expensive for you!"

After telling me the price, she goes and kind of start on my nails. She goes and tell the tech next to her in Vietnamese that I can't afford it. That tech replied that she shouldn't be looking down on me even though I dressed like a bum. Mind you it was a rainy day so I just wore an oversized hoodie. Everyone that walked in was offered a drink, however no one gave me one or asked what I wanted.

It took her almost 2 hours to do my nails. While doing it, she was very rough. After applying the fake nails, she cut it roughly. It wasn't even. I had to tell her multiple times to file and even it out. She also got superglued on my finger. She wasn't careful and wasn't happy with having to do my nails because she thought I couldn't afford it. Now in the inspiration photo, there's marbling. She told me she could do that, however she couldn't. She was applying the white and tried to "blend it". Once she was done, she tried to file the polish, however it left patches and looks unfinished.

Like I said, I had an event I needed to go at a certain time that's why I got my nails done with the first location that popped up for me. I also wanted to prove them wrong. The nail technician shouldn't be judging people based on their looks and shouldn't lie and say she could do a design when she couldn't. In the end she charged me $100 and said she gave me a discount.

Ive been coming here for a minute and today was the first time I walked out LOVING my nails. The service before was ok and the wait definitely not as long as some other nail shops on this street.

But today! I got lucky. Kai who normally doesn't work on Saturdays was here today and able to see me immediately. I showed her a picture of what I wanted and she did me one better! I don't normally get acrylic or extensions so I'm new to this game. I generally stick with gel polish on my natural nails. However Pinterest and IG will have you wanting to try a few thangs. That is what I did today and I love the results.

Will be coming back for my next Pinterest inspo after this grows out.

I got a basic French tip SHORT nails and the owner Vivian charged me $110. She then insisted I use the atm IN THE SALON to get cash. Why you press your customer to use cash when they are spending a big amount? Then the atm charges for a withdrawal. It seems that they overcharge and force you to pay cash so they can pocket the extra money. No receipt was given and the explanation on why I HAD to use the atm was "we like the customer to help us out" help out with what? We already come in and give out business. Of course she didn't receive a tip as I'm sure it was taken out the $110 I gave her for these nails that are not even 100%. Did I mention my birthday is tomorrow? Look at my $110 birthday nails. Won't be back. Scam someone else but not me. Picture is attached. The work is not neat AT ALL. You tell me what you think....

I have been coming here at least once a month for many years to get my lashes, nails, and hair done. Vivian is the best, especially lashes. She used an excellent quality lash product, and with her efficiency, I could walk out the door within an hour. She is very professional and detail-oriented and does a fantastic job for me in every service. Thanks Vivian!