Washington Nail Tech Assumed Her Client Didn’t Speak Vietnamese, Insulted Her Right to Her Face: ‘I’m Still in Shock’
She didn't want to deal with nosy nail techs, but luck wasn't kind to her.
Barbie Ly (@barbiely_official) thought about treating herself to a pedicure at the nail salon. But after the nail tech made a snarky comment in Vietnamese, Ly left the establishment upset.
“I don’t ever get my nails done, I don’t. The last time I got acrylics was, like, probably eight years ago,” Ly shared on TikTok. She explained that she stopped going because every time she went, she would hear nail technicians talk about their customers in Vietnamese. Because Ly is mixed Vietnamese, she could understand, and she just stopped going to avoid confrontation.
But recently, Ly said she didn’t have the time to maintain her nails at home. Ly mentioned that she went to Infinity Nail Bar for a change to treat herself to a pedicure. She wanted a natural look and had an inspiration photo from Google. However, the man at the counter told Ly that the owner was not present and that only he knew the password for the new Wi-Fi modem. Ly didn’t mind and went to her seat.
Once Ly got seated, she asked her nail tech for the color chart so she could pick her nail color. She already picked a nail color from the chart, but her Google photo loaded at the last minute. Ly showed her nail tech the photo on her phone and asked her if she could do something like it. But her nail tech refused and told her to go with the color chart.
Then, Ly said the nail tech beside hers started speaking in Vietnamese. They allegedly said, “If you have a photo in your phone, just go with that shade. Why would you have her go pick out the color chart for you?” Ly claimed that the woman also called her “indecisive” in Vietnamese.
A lesson for the nail tech
Ly described herself as confrontational. She turned to the nail tech and warned her, “I understand Vietnamese. Watch what you’re saying about me.” The woman was allegedly shocked and said “okay” after Ly told her off.
“I’m still in shock too,” Ly said about the situation. She didn’t drop the issue and asked for the nail tech’s name, and the woman refused to give it to her. Ly further alleged that the nail tech even rolled her eyes at her.
“So, you don’t even want to give me your name?” Ly asked. The nail technician allegedly denied talking with Ly at all. She claimed that she was talking to her client, not Ly.
“Girl, I just told you I understand Vietnamese, and you’re gonna lie to my face and tell me you’re talking to your client?” Ly reacted. She recalled the other client glancing around awkwardly at the exchange but didn’t say a word. Ly grilled the nail tech, telling her that she was lying. The nail tech defended, saying her customer didn’t know what nail color she wanted. Essentially, the nail tech admitted to talking about her client—not Ly.
After which, the nail tech tried to cut the conversation short by telling Ly she didn’t want to speak to her. The woman’s response only aggravated Ly further, and she decided to call the manager. Some nail salon customers would have been in tears after hearing an insulting comment from their technician, but Ly stood her ground and requested a discount.
No manager, no problem
Ly’s nail tech claimed no manager was present and that only she and the other nail techs were around. Her nail tech also refused to offer Ly a discount. Seeing no resolution with the nail techs, she raised her hand to the man who checked her in at the salon.
Ly explained what happened, and as she was paying, the man agreed to give her a 30% discount. He told Ly about their policy, which forbade nail techs from speaking Vietnamese in front of clients. The man asked Ly what was said to her, and Ly told him in Vietnamese. He apologized and promised Ly he would speak to their boss about the incident.
“I hope this is a lesson learned for her to stop talking [expletive] about your clients, because you don’t know if you’re gonna run into someone like me,” Ly said. But it’s not just a nail tech that needs to learn that lesson. Similarly, a man from Toronto overheard a passenger talking smack about him in Japanese—only to be silenced by an extremely kind and fluent comeback.
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