I have been going to No.1 H&B for six months now and usually I receive excellent treatment and enjoy the experience. On this occasion, however, I feel was poorly treated. The venue had overbooked itself and there were no spaces for me to sit in the normal manicure spots. The manager pulled up a table in the back for me to sit, meaning I was cramped in between the pedicure spots, and asked me to sit and put my bag down on a spot which had a large mountain of dead skin that a technician had thrown on the floor a few moments earlier as she was giving a pedicure. Staff kept walking behind me as I was getting my manicure and it was so cramped that my chair kept getting knocked which was extremely annoying, given I had to sit there for an hour and a half.
The girl who did my nails was lovely, very sweet and had great attention to detail, but she was not very experienced, meaning it took an hour and a half for her to finish.
Given that the price for a manicure is fairly expensive (almost matching the prices of premium nail salons in Notting Hill), it is expected that the experience of getting a manicure should be relaxing and enjoyable. I did not get that from my experience on a Saturday. I found my surroundings rather disgusting and unhygienic, the ambience stressful, and it was unfortunate that I was made to sit in that spot for even longer than usual (and had to delay my next appointment).
After this experience, I am sad to say I will not be visiting this venue again.