MetaChat - Pedicure for the Tomboy

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22 July 2008

Pedicure for the Tomboy →[More:]So I think I want to get a pedicure as a birthday present to myself, and I've never had a real one before.

What do I need to worry about? Do I need to "prep" my natural-style feet before I inflict them on an asethetician? You know, like how you floss before a dentist's appointment? Will they be horrified that I've never buffed my calluses before?

Help!

post by: Miko at: 21:14 | 26 comments

well..I saw this on the news last night, if you wanna go crazy.

posted by jonmc 22 July | 21:21

Don't worry about prepping your feet beforehand unless you have some serious toe cheese or junk under your nails. When you go, wear flip flops so you can put them on afterwards without screwing up your polish (and so you don't have sock fuzz when you get there).
You'll be able to pick out your color (maybe clear or nude if you don't want to be too girly) before you sit down. Then just let them go at it, they will do the rest.
Try not to be too self-conscious, and if it tickles just breeeeathe.

posted by rmless2 22 July | 21:22

Hey - I could have asked this question! (thanks Miko, I'll be reading the answers with due diligence)

posted by gaspode 22 July | 21:22

i wanna try the fish.
i think it might be time to pay someone else to pretty up my feet. They are dry.

posted by ethylene 22 July | 21:24

Fish sucking on my toes? I don't even let boys do that!

posted by rmless2 22 July | 21:25

fish sucking on your boys?

posted by plinth 22 July | 21:31

I've been thinking about this too. But I have toenails that are like dinosaur claws so am reluctant to inflict them on a pedicurist.

posted by essexjan 22 July | 21:36

No, boys sucking on fish toes. Obviously!

posted by rmless2 22 July | 21:38

rmless2 is right, no special prep needed. Sometimes I trim mine a little beforehand, but that's usually just because they've gotten so long I'm stabbing myself before I can get around to getting to the nail salon.

posted by ThePinkSuperhero 22 July | 21:38

Pedicures are awesome. I never do any prep except making sure my legs are shaved. I usually remove any polish I have on my toes to decrease the amount of work for the person doing the pedicure, although this is totally unnecessary. And yes, wear thong sandals to the appointment.

posted by LoriFLA 22 July | 21:40

After reading, and contributing, to a an AskMe about calluses I bought a Ped Egg. My callouses are minor, but this thing works. I bought it for 9.99 at CVS last week. The cashier that was ringing me up even volunteered that the Ped Egg works great.

Usually, the pedicurist will do a pretty good job of trying, but they won't get rid of all of your rough spots. Sometimes they don't take the time. Sometimes their tools aren't strong enough to get through the layers.

Callus shavers are illegal in salons in Florida. Once I was getting a pedicure in Las Vegas. The person sitting in the next chair was getting a pedicure as well. The pedicurist was using a shaver and skin was flying everywhere. It was kind of compelling. I couldn't keep my eyes off the flying skin. I felt good for the woman that was having all of that dead skin removed.

I guess what I'm saying is try the Ped Egg if you have a lot of calluses. Or not.

posted by LoriFLA 22 July | 21:54

I generally don't shave my legs beforehand, to prevent infection. I suppose that is worth mentioning, or reminding, really- there can be all sorts of germs floating around nail salons, it's best not to go in a compromised state of health. I got one of the worst chest colds of my life shortly after a manicure, so I'm really careful now to wash with soap after my visit..

posted by ThePinkSuperhero 22 July | 21:54

Good point, TPS. My salon is very proud of their sanitizing system. I remember I got the entire rundown on how they drain and sanitize after each pedicure. No dirty water stays in the line, etc., etc. You can never be too careful, though. I'll remember to shave the day before.

posted by LoriFLA 22 July | 22:03

The only prep I usually worry about is researching the salon beforehand, because the quality can vary *so* much. Not so much the "How good does the polish look?" quality (which I don't usually care about unless I'm getting ready for some sort of toe-baring special event), but definitely the hygiene, the amount of care they take removing calluses (which is generally the main reason I even bother), and the general feel of the place.

posted by occhiblu 22 July | 22:33

They've pretty much seen everything, so there's no need to be embarrassed about your feet.

I prefer to ask them not to trim my cuticles, which happens to be one of those safety guidelines regularly mentioned in the "omg, find out how this woman got a pedicure and DIED" articles.

I also prefer to cut my own toenails before I go, because I like my nails cut pretty short, and they never clip them short enough at the salon. I think that's just me, though - you probably don't need to do this.

posted by unsurprising 22 July | 22:34

Wow, thank you all. This is reassuring and contains info I'd have never known. Looking forward to it even more now.

posted by Miko 22 July | 23:00

It might be time to take a trip down to DC. I totally need a fish pedicure.

Anyone want to give me free money, so I can take a trip to DC to get a fish pedicure? (Ahem. Please note that the request for money was purely for comedic effect, and I am not actually asking the fine members of MetaChat to give me their money.)

Also, Miko: One thing I always try to remember is not to wear long pants to the pedicurist. Like, wear a knee-length skirt that's loose so you can tuck it around your thighs, or capri pants or something. I always feel like a dork when I've got my jeans rolled up to my knees. But that's just me. Have fun! Pedicures are amongst my favorite things.

posted by brina 22 July | 23:15

i'm totally asking for money for feet fish.
Feet fish fund.

posted by ethylene 22 July | 23:19

I love carp/koi anyway; they are beautiful. I don't mind the idea of them nibbling feet, except I feel sure it would really tickle.

posted by Miko 22 July | 23:24

One other thing -- I really love it when they remove the calluses and my feet are all smooth, but then over the next week I am always made acutely aware of the function those calluses served as my shoes start to blister my feet again. It's not like all my shoes need to be rebroken in entirely or anything, but you may want to carry band-aids for a while.

posted by occhiblu 22 July | 23:27

Pedicures are one of those wonderful offshoots of civilization. Combined with a massage and a facial it is a wee bit of heaven. The only caveat I have is find a good place as quality varies wildly and a good salon is like a good doctor. Very much a personal find.

posted by arse_hat 23 July | 00:07

Ooh, Miko, you'll enjoy it! I had my first pedicure when I moved to L.A. as a present to myself, and I was surprised by how lovely it felt. I was also surprised that it tickled a bit, so I felt like a goofball just sitting there giggling as she worked on my feet, but the technician doing my nails seemed utterly unfazed.

And yeah, don't forget flip-flops. The paper sandals they give you if you've forgotten are useless.

posted by scody 23 July | 00:37

I enjoy occasional pedicures. And I'm usually wearing boots when I get them. I just leave myself plenty of time to dry. Nothing boy/girl ("gender dichotomous") about it.

Miko, I would never have classed you as a tomboy. You're very feminine, even if you're not "girly." (Does that make any sense?)

posted by Eideteker 23 July | 09:49

I've had one, turned down the polish and didn't get any funny looks. Before Jane went defunct, there was something in the beauty section making it clear that shavers might not be properly sterilzed.

posted by brujita 23 July | 17:04

You're very feminine, even if you're not "girly." (Does that make any sense?)

AW, thank you. That's really nice to hear...

I'm looking forward to the polish part - I've painted my toenails before and think it's really fun in summer, but the results are never as good, just as my results on hands are not as good as when I get a salon manicure once in a blue moon.

posted by Miko 23 July | 19:27

Let us know how it went! With pictures, if you're up for it.

I just started getting pedicures this summer, and I'm a convert. Not sure why I went so long without.

posted by tangerine 24 July | 13:19

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