Urban Nail Box - Ballard - Seattle (WA)

5 /5 Sadie Josephs: I think I found my new favorite salon! My nails were ruined after a gel builder removal at another salon so I was looking for a place that did the IBX nail treatment which is supposed to help repair and strengthen nails. The place was busy on a Friday night, but I completely see why. Everyone there is super friendly and there were a lot of regular clients. They do really good work and are very clean/hygienic. Jenny did my manicure/treatment and she was fantastic! She was so careful about my damaged nails and gave a lot of great information about how to keep them strong while they repair and what types of polish would be best. She took extra care when painting my nails to fill them in so they looked even (despite having a few nails that had exposed nail bed and deep ridges from previous over grinding/removal). I am so happy with how my nails came out! Prices were very reasonable and for the quality of work well worth it. I’ll definitely be returning for my nail care and pedicures in the future - it’s great they have another location in Fremont as well!

5 /5 Julia Chiang: Had an amazing appointment with Tin! Ive never gotten nail art/had my nails done professionally before and she was very kind and understanding about my ignorance. She was also able to adapt my inspo photos to my short nails without any notice. I went in with lowish expectations just because Ive never had this done before and am aware that my nails are on the smaller side but she did an absolutely incredible job. Honestly I would have been happy if she stopped after the first stage of painting the miniscule blue flowers but my mind was just blown further with every new layer she added. Honestly, as a first timer I also appreciated that she just looked at my photos and created her own vision - I have no knowledge of nail techniques or color palettes so I would never have been able to come up with something like this on my own. Will definitely book with her again!

5 /5 Kim Dill-McFarland: Do you want nail art? Then come here. It is an amazing women owned business with super talented artists. Here are some of my visits over the last year+ with Katie. 10/10 this is my nail place and I love that they also now have a second location in Fremont!

1 /5 Maleah Fox: I got my nails done on 1/22, and after almost a week of trying to sit with my experience, I have to be honest—I don’t think I’ll be returning to this salon. I booked a Gel Pedicure and Manicure with nail art, specifically choosing this place because their Instagram showcased impressive designs. I’ve always loved intricate nail art, but since moving back to WA, I’ve struggled to find the same level of quality and skill I was used to. Unfortunately, this visit was no exception. Pedicure: I opted for the Gel Milky Silk Pedicure to soften my skin, but the water was lukewarm at best and only got colder over time. From my understanding, warm water is necessary to properly exfoliate, yet I sat in cool water for over 15 minutes. The result? My feet are now rougher, drier, and peeling more than before I came in. Manicure & Nail Art: Before my appointment, I sent in an inspiration board for my nails, hoping to achieve a specific look. Since I wanted to keep my natural nails, I understood that certain designs might need to be adjusted. However, past nail techs have always been able to modify a design to accommodate shorter lengths—this wasn’t the case here. Not only did I have to scrap my original design due to my nail length, but I also had to find a new reference photo because I wanted gold details instead of silver. (Why not just swap the silver for gold?) On top of that, they didn’t have or couldn’t create the purple-green chameleon effect I requested. At that point, I was ready to settle for a simple purple cat-eye. Still, my tech insisted on trying. They layered multiple polishes in an attempt to replicate it. The result wasn’t even close. With all the layers applied, the final product was apparently thick enough that I was told I’d need to go to another nail salon for removal since this salon doesn’t do drill-offs. That was shocking. By then, the whole experience felt so frustrating and deflating that I just nodded along, desperate to leave. Now, not even seven days later, the tips of my nails are already worn down, exposing the layers underneath. The one redeeming quality is that the guarantee their nails for 10 days and if something happens I was told they would invite you back to fix it. Unfortunately, with my experience, I dont think I will take them up on that offer. Overall, I wanted to love this place, but the experience—from the cold pedicure to the overly complicated nail art process—left me disappointed.

3 /5 Marianne Luíza: I’ve been a client of the Wallingford/Fremont unit since it opened, and recently I decided to try the Ballard location. The team there is amazing, but for the first time, I experienced an issue with the nail polish quality. The polish on my fingernails started to chip just one day after getting my nails done, which was pretty frustrating. I made sure not to expose my nails to any products that could have caused this. I’m sharing this not as a complaint but as a heads-up.