What is it called when you get your feet done? A pedicure.
In ancient times, elaborate pedicures used to be for the wealthy and upper class, but this is no longer true; now, pedicure prices are affordable and widely available.
A pedicure is a treatment of the feet and toenails for cosmetic or therapeutic reasons. Pedicures have been a popular beauty treatment among women worldwide, but men have begun to discover the benefits of a pedicure.
Even though pedicures have been popular in recent years, many people, especially men, still wonder what a pedicure is and why so many people are getting it.
The following sections will give newbies a complete guide so you will know about the different types of pedicures and what you should know to prepare for your first or next pedicure appointment to enjoy it fully.
What is a pedicure chair?
Nowadays, virtually all pedicures performed in salons take place on pedicure chairs.
It consists of a chair, chair base, foot tub, and plumbing system, which provides hot and cold water.
The back chair usually has a mechanical massage that you can activate and adjust various functions with a handheld control device. This back massage is an additional feature that massages your back while the pedicure is performed.
The chair base is where the chair and foot tub is securely attached for stability.
The foot tub saves the nail technician trips to carry water to soak your feet.
The plumbing system provides hot and cold water. It also has a device to circulate water in the tub to add another relaxing sensation while your feet are soaked.
The pedicure chair has a lot of improvements over the years in terms of sanitation. The new simple tub design has eliminated all possible hard-to-clean areas that can harbor bacteria.
These features of a pedicure chair will enhance the customer’s enjoyment of a pedicure service in a nail salon.
Types of pedicures:
Even though each nail salon names its pedicures differently, pedicures are combined into two main groups due to how extensive the work will be done.
Regular pedicures:
This basic service is the simplest pedicure that includes
- Foot soaking in warm water
- Nail clipping
- Nail shaping
- Foot scrubbing to remove dead skin with a pumice stone or foot file,
- Moisturizing with lotion
- Nail polishing for those who want some color on their toenails.
Deluxe pedicures:
This is a regular pedicure with additional services:
- Callous removal
- Lower leg and foot massage
- Paraffin wax
Pedicure tools
Things used in a salon pedicure service:
- Cotton: used to clean toenails and remove polish
- Acetone: to dissolve old polish on toenails
- Alcohol: used to sanitize the feet.
- Pedicure salt: to detoxify the feet
- Color polishes, base coat, and top coats, dehydrator,
- Nail clippers: to shorten toenails
- Nail file: to shape toenails
- Cuticle or skin softener: to soften hard cuticles
- Cuticle pusher: push back excess cuticles
- Cuticle trimmer: trim the excess cuticle
- Buffer: used to smooth out nail surfaces
- Pumice stone: remove dead skins and thick callouses
- Lotion or moisturizer: hydrate the skin on the foot
What is included in a pedicure?
After being seated on a pedicure chair, you’ll take off your shoes and socks, roll up your pants and start soaking your feet in a foot tub with bubbling warm water mixed with pedicure salt. Turn on the chair massage; you will have your back massage while getting a pedicure.
If it is your first time, adjust the back chair to sit comfortably for 30 minutes and close your eyes. Let the pedicurist do her things and enjoy the feeling of your feet being pampered by someone other than yourself. It is a unique feeling.
The pedicurist will trim your toenails and trim the excess cuticles. The toenails will be lightly buffed to remove the remaining cuticles.
The dead skin of the feet will be scrubbed away using a pumice stone.
Depending on which pedicure service you choose, a leg and foot massage will be performed using foot massage lotion and skin moisturizer.
Then your legs, feet, and toenails will be washed to remove the excess lotion.
The paraffin wax will be optional; it could be an additional service for some salons.
Then the toenails will be polished with the color of your choice.
Your pedicure session is finished.
How much is the cost of a pedicure?
Pedicure prices can vary from one salon to the next nationwide. It depends on how competitive it is in a particular area. Some can pay as little as $20, while others pay $35 for the same pedicure. Also, the price for a basic or simple regular pedicure is lower than that of a more involved, high-quality product used in a deluxe one. Deluxe pedicures can start from $35. Tips are generally appreciated. You can find more on average pedicure prices from 400 nail salons here
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The benefits of a pedicure
Your legs and feet are the ones that carry your body weight all day, every day. Your feet impact the ground thousands of times as you walk every day. They deserve some attention.
Getting a pedicure is one way to keep your feet looking pretty, and it also keeps toenails properly trimmed and removes excessive dead skin and calluses. Foot massage helps to stimulate circulation, relieve tension, and provide therapeutic treatment.
Many people get pedicures to relax or cosmetic touch-ups, but there are many other benefits associated with them:
Stress relief: when you are getting a pedicure, they do not have to do anything other than sit back and let a pedicurist perform the service. It is a time when you can escape reality after a long, busy day or week.
Infection prevention: a trained pedicurist will be able to determine if your feet have any fungal infections or excessive callous build-up from your daily activities and let you know before they become a significant problem so they can deal with them before they get any worse.
Softer skin: exfoliation will remove thick dead skin, and thick callouses will also be addressed. This results in softer feet. Walking on cleaned feet after a pedicure is a great sensation.
Are pedicures at a salon safe?
In the United States, any person who passes the state examination is licensed to provide manicure and pedicure services to the public. So pedicurist is a state-licensed manicurist who gives pedicure services to her customers. This licensed manicurist should know what products, equipment, and procedures are allowed in a pedicure service.
If a pedicure is done correctly by a trained pedicurist, you should not have any problem. Any licensed nail technician can give a pedicure service. A well-trained nail technician will provide you with a safe one. They will be competent as far as safety and skills are concerned.
So look for how a salon handles its sanitation and equipment sterilization. Disposable tools should be used for one person. As a well-informed consumer, you can protect yourself from accidents and infections.
An inexperienced pedicurist can trim your cuticles too deep or over scrubbing on the skin, causing bleeding, while an experienced one will know how to do them just right.
Pedicurists are responsible for cleaning and sterilizing their equipment. If you do not see any sterilization device, ask your pedicurist how their equipment is handled. If you do not get any satisfactory answers, look for another salon that you are comfortable with.
Bad things you can get from a pedicure
Even though how clean a salon is or how competent your pedicurist is, skin infections are still possible. Here are some of them:
Ingrown toenails: it is possible that you can get this condition. They result from your bad shoe-fitting, daily walking, and short toenails contributing to ingrown toenails. If the sides of your toenails hurt after a recent pedicure, the toenails are likely trimmed too short.
Try not to wear tight closed-toe shoes or high heels for a week to relieve the pain. If you wear tennis shoes, tie your shoelaces a little closer so your toenails will not hit the inside of the boots as you walk.
Foot fungus: fungus thrives in a damp, dark environment, and the inside of your tennis shoes is one good place for fungus to grow, and you can get nail fungus on your toes. One good habit is never wearing socks and shoes when your feet are damp.
Keeping your feet, socks, and shoes dry is a simple but effective measure in preventing foot fungus from developing on your feet.
Infections: no matter how well-trained or careful your pedicurist is, over-trimming or cutting that damages your skin is possible.
If you accidentally have a cut during a pedicure, make sure your pedicurist follows the standard procedure to treat an open-cut wound and clean the affected skin to properly prevent you from getting any infections. Also, follow a proper re-dressing of your wound at home until it is healed.
One issue associated with getting a pedicure is itchiness after getting one. It is because the callouse softerner solution is still on the skin. Here is what to do if your feet are itchy after a pedicure.
Notes on two pedicure tools
Nowadays, many nail salon uses a pedicure implement to remove thick skin and excessive callouses. They look like a cheese grater, so the same name is commonly calls them. Pedicurists like this tool because they are great at dealing with callouses. Together with the tool that uses a razor blade, however, they are banned in many states because of their sharpness and their ability to cause bleeding.
If your pedicurist is about to use this cheese grater on your feet, politely say you prefer a pumice stone, it will take a little longer to scrub off the thick skin or callouses on your feet, but you will feel safer this way. Do not forget to leave a little tip for the extra work.
If you want peace of mind about using clean pedicure tools on your feet, you can bring your pedicure toolset.
What does a pedicure feel like?
Nail salons that provide pedicures are all over. Chances are you will find at least one in your neighborhood. There must be a large customer base to support this popularity. Many people like this as one of their regular personal services.
If you ask people whether they like pedicures, you will get various answers, from dislike to love. The answers are very subjective because each person responds differently when their feet are being touched. So the feelings go from torturing ticklish to very relaxing.
If you have never had a pedicure before and are ticklish as someone touches your feet, you should prepare yourself mentally, or you will not be able to sit through your pedicure session or enjoy it to the fullest.
Many people go to salons to get their pedicures regularly. To these people, pedicures are included in their routines that provide relaxation, beauty treatment, and much-needed care for their tired-aching feet.
Why should you get a pedicure?
If you wear shoes for work all day long, no matter how good your shoes are, at the end of your working day, your legs and feet are the parts of your body that go through a lot of impact, tension, and stress because they carry your own weigh around.
Taking good care of your feet requires more than trimming your toenails when they get too long.
Imagine if you are immobilized because of foot problems. You will come to appreciate your feet and legs. They are the ones who help you independently go places on your life journey. Also, everybody only gets one pair of legs and feet. So pedicure is one way to repay your hard-working feet.
With all the information given to you, now you know how beneficial and relaxing pedicure is. It is a service that offers your feet much-needed care in particular and your well-being in general. For a person living in a hectic, always busy time, a little time off to get away from it and let someone take care of aching feet is priceless. You will feel like walking out of the salon on a set of new feet.
As for men, you will be glad that you discover how good a pedicure is after you set foot inside a salon for your pedicure.
What should you do before your pedicure appointment?
Choose a salon:
Walk into a salon where you are considering getting a pedicure to do an initial check out on its cleanliness. Tell the people at the salon you would like a business card so you can call for a pedicure appointment later when you have time. It is a good reason to come in without getting a service and look at its general cleanliness to decide whether this salon provides safe services.
Wash your feet before your pedicure appointment:
Nobody wants to work on dirty, stinky feet. Also, a pedicure session usually lasts about 45 minutes. Do not let your pedicurist waste any of those minutes trying to clean your feet instead of using all that time to enhance your pedicure experience.
No need for you to trim your toenails: your pedicurist will do a better job trimming your toenails for the best matching look.
If it is your first pedicure, let your pedicurist know that you prefer her to go easy on your feet since they will be sensitive and not used to pedicure procedures.
Wear or bring a pair of flip-flops or other open-toed shoes to wear after your pedicure if you intend to wear regular polish because it needs about two hours to dry completely. Wear open-toed footwear for about one hour and any remaining water under your toenails to dry out if outside weather permits.
Wear loose pants: you need to roll them up to the knees to keep them from getting wet by the water in the foot tub. Tight pants will reduce blood circulation and your comfort during your pedicure session.
Bring your pedicure tool kit: if you are concerned about the sterilized pedicure tools at the salon.
Pedicurists like to use their pedicure implements because they like to hand-pick those tools before buying them for their job. Many will not use other pedicurists’ tools because they might not be as comfortable as theirs. The same goes for your tools. But a good pedicurist will honor your request to make you feel safe and happy.
Ask whether your pedicurist will have no problem using your tools when you make your appointment. If the salon is not happy to use your tools, make your pedicure appointment at one that does.
Conclusion:
Now you know all the facts about a pedicure. It is one more great service that is available for your enjoyment. So do not let embarrassment, self-consciousness, or shyness stop you from experiencing this excellent, affordable, and widely available service.
Your feet are the ones that carry your load. They deserve some attention, and getting a pedicure can help relieve pain or sore feet after a demanding workday.
The only thing that stops you from enjoying this fantastic experience is yourself.
Your parents might never had a pedicure before, find out why it is the best gift for them.
