A woman is refusing to ever pay for professional nails again due to what she views as unreasonably high prices. That’s because she was quoted $45 for Gel X nails, but the final total was much higher.
TikTok user Meghan (@meghanelinor) posted a video on Monday that details her complaint. The video has amassed more than 160,000 views as of this writing. “This is hands down the last time I’m getting my nails done professionally,” she says. “I [expletive] refuse to pay for the prices anymore. It is astronomical.”
Meghan says she recently went to a series of different nail salons, and she believes that places charge you the best price the first time only to raise it on your second visit. “When I go to a new nail bar, they do a really low price the first time that you go, and then essentially increase it every single time,” Meghan says.
Why is Meghan quitting professional nails?
Meghan says she started getting acrylic nails when she was 13 years old. While it’s not necessarily an enjoyable experience, she enjoys having nice nails and is able to afford what she admits is a luxury.
However, Meghan decided to switch things up at her last nail appointment three weeks ago. “I switched over to doing Gel X nails,” she says, “because I heard it was much more affordable. They looked just as good. They’re a little bit thinner, so that way they don’t feel as thick and acrylic-y fake as acrylic nails do.”
She also expected the nails to be easier to maintain than the acrylic, which she notes have to be filled. Additionally, she says her ultimate goal is to learn how to do her own nails at home. She figured seeing a professional do the Gel X would make it easier when she tried to do it herself.
Acrylic to Gel X nails
“I didn’t prepare myself for the amount of nails that I would lose,” Meghan says. Her acrylic nails lasted approximately four weeks, but she lost several of her Gel X nails in the first two weeks. “My nails would never fall off; they would never crack; they would never break,” she says of her acrylic sets.
The first incident happened within seven days, and the nail salon fixed the problem with no charge. “It was nice,” Meghan says.
Then, another week goes by, and two more nails come off. She’s able to use glue to hold her over until she can return to the salon, which she did the day she posted the video. “Literally two days ago, I had another two nails pop off,” she says. “So I’m two and a half weeks in, and at that point, I’ve had five nails pop off.”
A Reddit user who posted to r/NailTechs a couple of years ago asked, “Are Gel X just glorified press on nails?” Another user replied, “Gel X is a full-well tip applied with extend gel then cured. So, yeah, technically. But it’s nothing like a press on was back in the day. i’ve had these last on clients for weeks.”
What happened at the salon?
Meghan says she got her Gel X nails taken off when she went back to the salon. “And I had her repaint these ones,” she says. “They told me the design was only going to cost me an extra $10.”
She asked the price of a full set of Gel X nails and said the woman told her $45. That, combined with the $10 design, had Meghan prepared to spend approximately $55 before tip. So, she was surprised when she learned her bill was $90.
“It’s every single time, y’all,” she says. “It’s every single time I’m going to a new place, they charge a different price point for different things.”
@meghanelinor Never again. I’m fed up wirh nail salons #nailtok #acrylicnails #gelxnails #nails #nailsalon #fyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy #foru #fypdongggggggg #fuppppppp #fyppppppppppppppppppppppp ♬ original sound – Meghan Elinor
Viewers react
In the comments section, viewers reacted to Meghan’s experience and shared their own frustrations with the state of nail salon pricing.
“The fact that they can’t give you an itemized standard receipt is why I’ll never go back,” wrote one viewer.
“I miss when they were $25 for a full set,” wrote a second viewer.
A third viewer suggested, “I do recommend looking for a private nail tech. They do gorgeous work and don’t charge nearly as much.”
Someone else said, “I do Gel X at home and they last me 4-5 weeks. If you don’t do good prep, they will fall off.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Meghan via TikTok comment and direct message for comment.
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
