Nail Salon Near Me for a 24K Gold Pedicure: CLEO Nail Bar

CLEO Nail Bar is at 48 South De Lacey Avenue in Old Pasadena, half a block off Colorado Boulevard, and it opens at 9:30 am Monday through Saturday and 10 am on Sunday. Its menu prints two prices for everything, cash and card: a Japanese gel manicure is $45 cash or $46 by card, and the CLEO Signature 24K Gold Pedicure is $90 cash or $93 by card. If you want a nail salon near me in Old Town that treats a pedicure as an event, start here.

The salon's own FAQ gives a precise birthday: CLEO Nail Bar was established on October 10, 2022, which means it turns four this month. A client testimonial on the site notes that the space was formerly Royalty Salon, and the old Royalty web address now goes nowhere. The owners have not published their names or the story behind the CLEO name, so the shop speaks mainly through its menu, which is unusually detailed for a single location.

That menu is built around themed pedicures and Japanese gel manicures rather than a long list of acrylic options. About eleven staff appear on Fresha, and clients on the reviews name their regulars, Elena and Hailey among them. The website calls the room a serene oasis, and Apple Maps reviewers agree that it is calm and well designed, which matters on a street where most of the foot traffic is shoppers and diners heading to Colorado Boulevard.

The headline service is the CLEO Signature 24K Gold Pedicure, $90 in cash or $93 by card, which runs about seventy minutes on Fresha. It starts with a champagne soak and a bath bomb, moves through a gold scrub and gold mask, adds a fifteen-minute hot steam massage and a collagen sock, and finishes with a gold shimmer on the nails. It is theatrical, and it is the reason people book CLEO for birthdays.

For less money and less glitter, the Espresso Pedicure is $65 cash or $67 by card. It uses a coffee soak and coffee sugar scrub, a ten-minute massage and paraffin, and it is the one coffee drinkers keep rebooking. The Milky Honey Glow is $75 cash or $77 by card, and a seasonal pedicure is on the board this autumn at $80 cash or $83 card, listed on Fresha as a limited Pumpkin Spice version.

On the hands, the gel manicure is listed on Fresha as a Japanese gel manicure at $45 cash. The Express Manicure is $30, and the CLEO Signature Manicure is $48 cash or $50 card with a lemon soak, exfoliation, collagen care and a six-minute massage. The most interesting option is the Dazzle Dry Manicure at $45 cash, a vegan, cruelty-free polish system that dries in about five minutes without any UV or LED lamp.

For length, a Gel-X extension set is $70 cash or $72 card, using soft-gel tips, while acrylic full sets start at $63 cash and dip at $56 cash. One rule is worth knowing before you commit: the salon allows a Gel-X refill only once, depending on the condition of the set. Plan on a fresh set after that. Children under nine have their own menu, with a $15 manicure and a $25 pedicure.

Booking runs through Fresha, which takes payment in the app, and walk-ins are welcome, though the FAQ recommends booking ahead. Paying cash saves a dollar or three per service, which adds up on a gold pedicure and a manicure together. The salon does not post a deposit, cancellation or late policy, so if plans change, a quick message or call to the front desk is the polite move.

Fresha notes De Lacey parking directly across the street, which is the easiest garage for this block of Old Pasadena, and Apple Maps lists validated parking along with street and valet options. The salon is wheelchair accessible and offers free Wi-Fi. By train, the Metro A Line stops at Memorial Park station on Holly Street, roughly a ten-minute walk north and west through the Old Pasadena grid.

Reviews describe three kinds of regulars. There are the Gel-X loyalists, one of whom wrote that her sets last three to five weeks, and another who called the weekday atmosphere super chill during a fill. There are group bookers, including one client who brought ten people for a birthday and said it ran smoothly. And there are long-time clients like Ada, who wrote that she has been coming for two years.

My honest take: skip booking detailed nail art in the last slot of the day. A three-star review from 2024 describes a client who lost her design because her technician was running late and the store was about to close at 7 pm. Book art for the morning instead, and save the gold pedicure for a slow weekday. One client summed up the overall value plainly as pricey but worth it, which feels accurate.

Walk two minutes to One Colorado and Salt and Straw at 39 West Colorado Boulevard, open 11 am to 11 pm every day. The Portland ice cream shop rotates seasonal flavors each month, and a scoop on the One Colorado courtyard steps is the classic Old Pasadena way to give fresh polish a few extra minutes to harden before you start digging through your bag for keys.

If you came by train, walk back toward Memorial Park at 85 East Holly Street, the green square around the old bandshell next to the A Line station. Look up in the trees: the park is one of the places where Pasadena's well-known flock of wild parrots gathers, and their noise in the late afternoon is part of the neighborhood's soundtrack. It makes a calm last stop before the train home.

If CLEO is fully booked and Fresha shows no open chair within the next hour, Maison Nail Spa at 850 East Green Street is the nearest well-run alternative, about a mile east in the Playhouse area. Its Japanese gel manicure is $50. It does not offer the gold or espresso pedicures, so for those rituals it is better to take CLEO's next free weekday morning rather than settle for a substitute.

CLEO Nail Bar, 48 South De Lacey Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91105, in Old Pasadena. Open Monday to Saturday 9:30 am to 7 pm and Sunday 10 am to 6 pm. Book on Fresha; walk-ins accepted. Cash prices are slightly lower than card prices. Gel-X refills are allowed once. Nearest Metro: Memorial Park on the A Line. Use Karpo APP to plan dinner around Colorado Boulevard after your appointment.