Designworks Salon and Spa

I reviewed the website and saw they offered nail services. I called to make an appointment and was informed they only do shellac which is what I was looking for. They never asked if the polish I had on was applied by them. They wanted to charge me extra when I went to check out to take off the polish but never told me that when I made the appointment. They do not charge if it was applied by them at a previous appointment. Upon arrival I noticed this was primarily a hair salon. I was brought to a back corner with makeshift tables/chairs for manicure services and a table with nail polish options. They did have a nice array of colors to choose from. (that's really the only positive thing I can say about my service) Unfortunately, I do not recall the name of the girl that did my nails. She started by trying to soak them in a very oily solution. It did not work and she attempted to file off the polish I had on my nails. When that did not work, she decided to wrap them with acetone and foil. I explained my fingers break out from the solution but she said they should not be on long. It appeared the polish did not lift off the way she had hoped and she continued to have to file the polish off. This was a very uncomfortable process and I feared it would weaken my nails. It took close to 45 minutes to get all the polish off. (Takes most salons 15 minutes) My nails are very short, as you can see so it should not have taken that long. I have never had trouble at any other salon to take off the polish. After the polish was off, she shaped them but barely performed a manicure. She did not touch my cuticles which were in rough shape. She applied the polish which as you can see is quite clunky and was not cleaned up on the sides of the nails. There is one nail that the polish was applied sideways. One thing I will say is the manicurist had very long nails and I can tell she really struggled throughout the manicure process. Overall my nails looks like someone with little experience did them. I also was there an hour and a half and literally had to leave because I was late for an appointment. She was nice and tried to keep conversation going throughout my time there however towards the end, perhaps she was nervous but she started asking the same questions over and over again. Just personal talk but it was quite weird and uncomfortable. Takeaways - they are not a nail salon and do the bare minimum. I am not sure if they have multiple people that perform nail services, but the person that did my nails is also a hair stylist. Perhaps she is better at that craft.

Pleasant, easy to talk to staff. She listened to my concerns regarding weak/thin nails and able sell me some oil that i am hoping will help the health of my nails. My nails turned out very pretty and not so thick as I have seen at times.

It’s a great salon, professional, personal, relaxing, comfortable, I always look forward to my appointments, Penny has really taken the time to know me

I received a pedicure from the sweetest young lady. She was so thorough, fun to talk to and did an amazing job!

I chose Designworks to do hair and makeup for myself, my bridesmaids, and our mothers before my wedding. We had a fantastic experience and would HIGHLY recommend Designworks to anyone searching for a great wedding vendor. I live in Des Moines and Designworks was very easy to work with. Many salons weren't taking on new clients, but Designworks was and their communication was clear and prompt, which made things much easier to coordinate from out of town. Right away after booking they sent me a form to fill out with information about individuals that wanted services. They used that to create and schedule and on the big day, they were on or ahead of schedule the entire time. I changed some of the things I wanted between my trial and the wedding day and Jerica was great to communicate with and she made sure things were perfect. On the day of the wedding and when we came for my trial, the staff at Designworks was amazing. They brought great energy and hyped us up and even worked some magic to let us play a sentimental playlist during the time we were there. They went above and beyond to not only make us look great, but feel special as well. I’d highly recommend them to anyone.