Varnish Lane Mt. Vernon Triangle

Everything about my recent repeat visit to Varnish Lane was wonderful; the nail technician, ambiance and relaxed environment is perfect for a time out manicure or pedicure.

I love varnish Lane one because they pay really close attention to detail to the really ethical in the products that they choose. The decor is incredible. The service is nice, quiet, fast and concise.

Yes, it is a little bit more expensive but the quality of work that they do is clear. Also, it is actually a lot safer to get a manicure and pedicure without water because the spread of pathogens and bacteria. The risk is so much lower without soaking your hands and feet in water.

The salon is really quiet and Serene. It's a nice place to relax you can get your nails and toes done at the same time. The staff were really cute overalls. It's just a 10 out of 10 vibe.

This is the second manicure I've had at Varnish Lane. The first manicure is gel & the second was a Dazzle Dry manicure. Both nail techs had extreme attention to detail and took their time. I also appreciated how efficient their gel-removal process was and that they didn't use a power tool to scrape it off. Quite honestly, I'd say this rivals Nail Saloon in Logan as one of the best nail salons in DC.
The only downside is that the manicure is done to one side of the reclining chair, so you do have to be able to angle your body to one side for awhile while it is happening.
Highly recommend.

The small selection of zoya colors is embarrassing. There should be a full range of all the reds, and pinks and purples in every tone. Why are they not restocking and investing in the new collections? This has been an issue for a few years now. I'm not sure if I can bring in my own zoya bottle, which is would be more sanitary, when in the past years customers weren't allowed to touch their polishes on the wall. The lack of color options is problematic and I see it's not a priority to be resolved so I think I need to find a new salon which is a shame because I really liked the concept of this salon (not the waterless gimmick, but on time appointments, the cleanliness and no gossiping).

The pricing here is interesting:

They carry Deborah Lippmann and Dazzle Dry which both retail for $20 a bottle. Now they do keep dazzle dry in stock and have a lot more colors than zoya (oh wait is that strategic?), but if you want the dazzle dry it's an extra $12 charge, half the cost of the bottle when you're not using that much. When the Deborah Lippman is no extra charge.

If you want ombre nails, a different color on each nail, that's an extra charge for "nail art". Where is the nail art? You're using the same amount of nail polish!

The last time I went the front desk person stepped outside to take a phone call and the front desk phone rang for 15 minutes straight and no one answered it.

They finally, after years, updated their website to let you book for 2 guests at a time. That was always such a hassle to do.

I see people complained about the ridiculous $10 charge for gel polish removal, I mean it's all all the same process, if you get new gel you need the old removed. It's not a separate service. So they raised the price of gel nails $10 on their menu to include removal now. Used to be $64 now it's $72. For $70 I can get Gel X nails with chrome elsewhere, not paying that for gel. Other nail salons in DC are charging $35-40 for gel nails, including the removal.

I picked this place by looking for a nearby nail salon to get a pedicure.

Some things I wish I knew before arriving:

- They do waterless pedicures. My favorite part of getting a pedicure is soaking my tired feet! I really wish the person booking my appointment had mentioned this. I would have gone elsewhere

-even though my appointment was scheduled for 15 minutes after I called they still insisted on taking my credit card information and informing me that if I did not show up they would charge my card. There is a way to share a cancellation fee policy that is a bit nicer and it was a very awkward way to introduce me to their business.

Anyway the pedicure was fine. My callouses were minimally removed. I have a lot of callouses after the pedicure. The woman who did it barely spoke. I'm not sure if she spoke English at all.

They did not offer the paper flip flops that most places offer. Instead they offered to sell me some flip flops. After asking two different people they finally gave me the flip flops.

If you want to pay $52 for essentially what was a nail polish change then come here by all means.

If you want callous removal, exfoliation or leg masks then definitely go elsewhere.

I came here on Saturday for a pedicure with a girlfriend. I've been to Varnish several times, the Friendship Heights one, the West End, and this one before, both for pedis and manis. I've always had a good experience. On Saturday, the nail tech was digging at my big toe nail bed repeatedly until it started to hurt. Despite flinching, she kept going. It hurt later that evening, and then the next morning, I woke up to swelling and redness. I would advise not coming here for pedicure or being really careful about not getting an infection.

I had been going to a nail place around the corner from here for awhile, but they had been destroying my nails and overcharging me at the same time. Because of this, I decided to try Varnish Lane.

When you first walk in, it's very minimalistic and inviting. The front counter staff was incredibly nice, social, and helpful. Already from the first five minutes I was having a great time. It was easy to pick out colors.

At first I was a little skeptical about the no water pedicure but ended up LOVING it. The chairs were comfortable and the worker did a great job on my toes. I wish I would've gotten a manicure as well! Prices are reasonable for what you get. I came out with awesome toes and feeling great. I highly recommended.

I like that it's clean and close to my office, but I've now been cut by technicians on two separate visits (once a pedicure and once a manicure) and so I won't be going back. I did leave feedback on both occasions via the survey texted to me (and tried via email as well) and never heard back from the store either time.

The manicurist/pedicurists are always fantastic. They take their time and even standard polish lasts 2+ weeks with the dry manicure. I love the aromatherapies and massage included with the deluxe pedicure - definitively a relaxing and indulgent experience that is worth the splurge. Now for the negatives - the front desk staff is consistently rude and lacks customer service. I've been coming to the salon for the past 2 years and this has been true for about the last year. One prior front desk person used to chain smoke outside the front of the salon, the current one is on her phone and gives attitude and was not ready to start checking people in at 9 AM despite a line of 4 people who arrived on time for their appointments. I also think the selection of colors is sparse, especially with popular color tones like neutrals/pinks/reds.

Update: there is literally no toliet seat on the toliet. I notified the front desk person and she said "I know" and laughed.

Service was nice but the quality of work was mediocre. My gel nail polish chipped after 8 days the first time I got a manicure and this last time I got it the same thing happened but in 3 days. It was really disappointing.