Boniva

I really hate to say, but this is one of the worst mani pedis I’ve ever gotten. My manicure is lumpy, color is uneven, shapes are all crooked, and lengths are all different. I asked her to file and she said it was better to cut so they would be even. She’s the professional so I don’t question. Well she cut them and they are all different lengths; she didn’t even bother to check the length and just started chopping. Gel flooded the cuticle and was haphazardly filed away after the fact so some edges of the french are gone. I will say, I respect that she was candid about not being able to do the flowers I requested, but I was disappointed because I saw cute flower designs on the reviews. My pedicure is not that much better. My toes are filed all crooked on one side and there’s gel on my cuticles on the other side. Some toes are filed round while others are square. At one point, the lady doing my pedi wanted to point out that my toes had touched the lamp and smudged, but the lady doing my mani told her to not say anything and keep going. So to the review that said they aren’t talking bad about you, that is true, but they are taking advantage of the fact that they don’t think you cannot understand them. I did let it slide because at that point they were so over booked and the tension was so uncomfortable that I just wanted them to finish so I could leave. The issue was that they accepted our appointment with a group of 5 but they also booked other appointments and didn’t have enough people working to service everyone so no one started their appointments on time. They definitely overbooked because people had to leave and other appointments were missed. I think, as with all salons, some techs are more skilled than others and I got the short end of the stick this time around because the reviews and even some of the people I came with got great manis with the designs they wanted and service that wasn’t rushed.

I have been going to Boniva for 12 years now, I moved out of the Marina but still come back here to get my nails done because they’re the best in town. Uni does my nails and they always last 3 weeks, she does the best designs! Michelle and her team take care of her customers and their nails. The salon is clean and tidy. How they remove gel is unlike anywhere else I’ve been and it keeps my nails healthy and never thinning. For all the negative reviews on here, speak up during your appointment if you have an issue otherwise don’t post a negative review after you’ve gone home and hide behind your keyboard. I know that the Boniva team will take care of any issues or concerns while you’re there if you bring it up vs complain later. Yes the women here speak Vietnamese as that’s their native language. It’s also my native language so I can assure you no one is speaking behind your back, talking about you, or saying anything rude — they’re gossiping and talking about nail polish colors. I would recommend Boniva to anyone and everyone — you will leave with great nails and a fantastic experience, go to Boniva if you want the best mani/pedi experience in sf!!

Best regular manicure of my life. It's 8 days later and not a single chip. This is not gel, just regular! I'm floored!!! Worth the few dollars more than other spots in the area. Photo is 8 days after original. 😲😄

Been coming to Boniva for years, they are the best! Everyone is great, but I usually go to Uni especially for manicure designs. My manicures always last one month and I’m very happy with them!

Excellent pedicure, but terrible manicure. The manicurist cut my nails down super short and then did three layers of nail polish without using a dryer in between. She also did not massage my hands and forearms for more than a few seconds, whereas the pedicurist did for several minutes. Despite sitting under fans for 30 minutes, my nails never dried (my toenails dried). Would definitely come back for a pedicure, but not for a manicure. Or perhaps just not with the woman I had.