Who can afford to turn business away in 2026? I can’t.

Natalie Nails in Leicester for one. I didn’t say anything at the time but I didn’t like being turned away as a good customer. Why I need a bit of a rant.

Whenever I step foot in a nail salon these days I struggle to get service to be fair, not just at Natalie’s nails the place I’ve been going once a month for about a year. I don’t have gel nails. I just like a regular manicure and pedicure, and I pay anywhere from £50 - £80 plus tip when I go.

Except most of the salons in Leicester won’t serve me now even though I take my own nail polish and base top coat. A nail salon close to my name in Kibworth recently kept me waiting over an hour for service after sending me to Superdrug in Market Harborough to purchase a base coat, the reason they said they couldn’t help me. I left in the end frustrated having watched 5 or 6 other customers, walk ins without appointments be seated ahead of me.

I thought I’d hit the jackpot when a nail tech at Natalie Nails in town on Leicester’s High St, after being told once again I had to have gel and I removed myself from the pedicure chair in protest, said come next door to Victoria Nails and I’ll do what you need. I don’t know how he managed to make it happen when the manager had clearly refused but I was delighted. Although he didn’t really speak English and I don’t speak Vietnamese he managed to convey his idea of what good business is, giving the customer what they needed, I agreed and said I would return to him in future. I was good to my word.

I went back and sort him out a few times always being careful to avoid the person who repeatedly told me no, gel only and everything was going great. Except when I returned recently he wasn’t there and I had to face the “we only do gel nails” guy.

The amazing thing for me was I was with my friend, who I thought would be the leverage I needed. She needed a new set of gel nails, and gel toes but even with her business over £100, he turned us both away and they weren’t busy, lots of empty chairs.

Of course I understand gel nails are probably easier and quicker to do, no drying time and force the customer to return because unlike regular nail polish you cannot get them off yourself but what are these nail salons going to do when no one can afford gel nails anymore and everyone has to go back to the old fashioned way of doing things.

I wonder how many other people there are like me who just enjoy a simple mani pedi and are finding out no one will take your money.

I am old school and believe like when my nail technician said, a good business provides what their customer needs.

I understand if a business doesn’t want to do anything except gel nails then that’s their prerogative, I just think it’s really short sighted and shocking customer service. Especially when I understand they have gone out of their way to help and always leave a generous tip. What difference really does it make, painting nails with gel or with regular polish I provide?

There’s an opportunity out there for someone to clean up. Just saying.

The irony I took the pictures planning to sing the praises of this business because they had changed been flexible on their policy for me and cared more about what I needed than their rules, or so I thought.

I feel better now I’ve had a bit of a rant.