Consumers' view on mani & pedi treatments

[hippy-chick]

I love having a pedicure, and I quite like a manicure, and although trained in both, I don't practise either.

I've just had a mani and pedi done, and again, I am left disappointed. I thought I would share my views on it from a consumer's point of view, and no offense is mean't by any of it. I've had a lot of pedis and some manis done over the years, some of them have been unbelievably fantastic and left me drooling, but, unfortunately, some are left me wanting more. So here are a few amateur observations.


foot/hand soak
I don't like having the foot soak liquid squirted into the foot spa when my feet are already in it, I would rather see the product put in before I put my feet in.
temperature
The water always goes cold, I have seen foot spas with a heat option, and its wonderful to have a steady temperature.
With manis, I hate having to put my hands repeatedly into the same water as it goes cold very quickly.
scrub/exfoliation
a boring necessity I suppose, always feels too grainy imo
cuticle work
I hate seeing the therapist use the towel to wipe clean the orange stick.
always leave bits that (to me) are very noticeable.
have seen the cotton that covers the orange stick being put into a bin, I don't want to see the contents of the bin, especially when there are bits of waxing debris in there. Yuck! would it not be better to have a small bowl to put everything in rather than constantly lurching sideways to put things in the bin?
hard skin removal
this seems to be done very half-heartedly, and about 4 slides back and forth seems to be the norm (why bother).
filing
this is where I get really cross, when I file my own nails I have them all uniform, so why does the therapist think that a few swipes over warrants decent filing? I've just looked at my toe and finger nails and not one of them looks the same, some of them are diagonal, some rounded and I ask for all 20 nails to be squared off. Also, look different lengths.
Now I purposely grow my toe nails for a pedi to give the therapist the chance to get them all uniform.
My fingernails are generally short as I trim them about every 5 days, so surely it can't be that hard to square them off.
massage
quite often a few slides up and down with a few circular movement around the heel, but when done well is fabulous.
painting
I hold my hands up and admit that I can't paint for toffee, so am in awe of the steadiness and professional slick way that the nails are painted, always appear to be unflappable whilst i end up with bits of fluff attached, hair in one of them and flooded nail beds.
French
Why is the white so white? it looks quite false. I have beige as the main paintwork and then a white line that a road marker would be proud of! Isn't there an off-white that could be used? I had a fab French done by Pazzy and her white wasn't so "in your face".
Timing
can a pedi really be done in 45 minutes?
I have received a creative spa mani off gemma and that was lovely and very long, was about 90 minutes (from memory) just what I like!
Advice
I like a therapist to tell me how long to wait before putting flipflops back on, how long to know that the paint is touch dry and also when it is preperly dry, and if I need to apply a top coat to lengthen the life of the finish.
Beverages
I often get offered a coffee or a glass of water, I like that.
Talking
I am happy to talk to the therapist but when its the pedi I quite like to zone out, but most therapists chatter away incessantly. its not necessary to fill in every gap of silence. I am also not bothered about having eye contact, I understand that to get the job done, its head down and get on with it.
Waiting for drying
I am happy to move into the waiting area whilst the therapist tidies her station/couch up ready for the next client, infact I would rather do that than watch them clean the foot spa out, empty contents and clean up, it spoils the illusion.

So, what are your usp's when it comes to giving a mani/pedi?
The treatments in themselves are really fab, but its a shame that some therapists seem to 'go through the motions' rather than really enjoy and go for the wow factor.

 

[liza2009]

See i LOVE doing pedis so i take a good hour and a half ! its such a nice treatment to have why rush i massage for a good half an hour beacuse thats the part the client likes the best oh and my foot spa has different heat settings and it stays at the chosen temp

 

[hippy-chick]

See i LOVE doing pedis so i take a good hour and a half ! its such a nice treatment to have why rush i massage for a good half an hour beacuse thats the part the client likes the best oh and my foot spa has different heat settings and it stays at the chosen temp

so thats 2 ticks from me then. sounds lovely.

 

[mercedes69]

I found myself nodding at everything you said there.....

I hate feet....no matter what I cannot do them...
but as a consumer of pedicures I personally like 2 things the most....
the massage for the relaxation, which has always been rushed in my opinion ( so Liza I want to come to see you :lol: )
and the heels to be as smooth as a baby's bum....!

As for manicures....why is it the nails get filed down to oblivion?
It's happened to me a fair few times where my nails just disappear...even when I ask for them not to be....
so I do a manicure on myself.

You have bought up some valid points and it shows how we must sometimes become the consumer to know where we can improve our services.

 

[FlawlessBeauty]

You've definitely given me some food for thought. I don't think i do any of the bad things but now i will double check to make sure.

I have two manicures and two pedicures, so the client can choose if they just want a maintenance, tidy-up or a more luxurious treatment.

Thanks for the input xx

 

[Lady_Stardust]

I'm actually a little bit god smacked. I presume all these thing's you've mentioned are the basics of pedicure and manicures. Since I left college I have been doing all this as I was taught this all in college. I really do wonder sometimes how salon's can run a business if they don't carry out treatments in this manner.
The whole talking thing though i understand can be hard for some people. I personally have no problem chatting if they chat, or not chatting if they don't. I'm very much of the opinion if they don't want to chat, then wayhey for menot having to think of things to say! The one thing I do struggle with is making conversation with the people of give you one word answers, so I just don't chat anymore. If they don't like me, they won't come back. I try give them the best treatment I can. Other clients I can't shut up with lol!!

But back to pedicures - i'd love some really amazingly different idea's for them but can't think of anything...............:lol:

 

[hippy-chick]

Lady Stardust, what are you actually gob-smacked about? the whole routine?

what I was attempting to suggest that going through the college acceptable routine is perhaps not enough!

I don't want a therapist to rub half-heartedly at my hard skin, I want a client to THINK - HOW CAN I GET RID OF THIS HARD SKIN.

The same goes with all the other sequences, I don't want a therapist to go through the motions, I want a therapist to use their intuition and use a bit of common sense and empathy. ie hard skin ("hmm, now what can I do to eradaciate this or make it look more acceptable").

 

[Urban Geek]

I have a choice of pedicures from basic to luxury to suit the client, the time and their pocket.

If it is a basic pedicure (45 mins) and they have really neglected feet, I usually ask them if they want me to tailor the treatment accordingly, ie perhaps reduce the time for massage and concentrate more on their problem areas.

When rasping, I like to get some elbow grease into the procedure. No point just playing with the rasp - we want results!

I don't have the clients feet soaking for too long and certainly not long enough for the temperture of the water to be cold. If I have to resoak to remove product, I use fresh water.

Me, personally, when I have pedicures done I can forgive most things but I cannot forgive a bad finish. Most pedicures I have received, the polish has been too gloopy to set properly. I hate it too when a therapist is just going through the motions and not really concentrating on what they are doing, in particular the massage.

I love doing pedicures and love the benefits my clients have by coming to me. I pride myself in doing my best in every aspect of a pedicure or manicure. I like the results to be felt and to show. I love it more when I see the clients coming back time and time again. That really is what keeps me on my toes - we cannot be complacent.

 

[cabinkel]

I love doing pedis, and like Christine, have a variety of pedis to suit time and pocket!
The one thing I will say though, is that I always discuss the differance in pedis when the client books. If they then choose to have the 45 min/ 1 hr "standard" pedi, and her feet are very neglected, the heels are not going to be as smooth as they maybe would like them! I offer a more in depth pedi, with calus remover treatment, which will have the desired smooth as a babys bum effect, but its never going to be done in 45mins so we need to book the pedi accordingly. My standard pedi is £10, with my callus remover treatment and luxury pedi being £16, (but 1+1/2 hrs) so booking the cheaper option, if heels are callused, is not going to be satisfiying for client or me! Sometimes though, people cant be advised, lol!
I totaly agree with the cold water comment. I hate that when I have a pedi, but then i also hate the vibration with a foot spa, as it makes me feel itchy! Strange, but true, lol!

 

[hippy-chick]

gosh your prices are reasonable! I would always go for the longer option as I LOVE LOVE LOVE my feet being touched.

I've never had a therapist discuss the options like you do. The options are usually standard or deluxe which is exactly the same but you get paraffin wax dip.

I was going to say that maybe its just the way they do things in the North East, but I have had loads of pedis in South Wales also, and its the same.

For me to return time and time again would be that usp, that wow factor.

 

[pazzy]

No the wonder my pedi clients are so loyal.

I take an hour + no rush. Bad news is - I don't really like doing them - well actually its more of the set up that does me head in.

Using a spa foot bath on the whirlpool setting keeps the water nice and warm.

Exfoliating - I go up the leg too and rinse off (your coconut ladel would be ideal) and buff with a dry towel.

I use or used to use a e-file for the hard skin but prefer to do the ard skin BEFORE it goes into the water - much more effective.

Painting is my favourite part. Be it colour or French.

Maybe I take too long or I am just too cheap - not sure which!!!

 

[pure]

I offer my clients 3 different pedi's depending on their requirments and I always ask which they want and decribe each one at the time of booking. It's no good if I book out an hour an a half for a deluxe pedi when all they want are the toe nails polished! I only soak at the beginning so never a chance for the water to chill and product is then removed with hot towels which the clients love.

I must try to increase my massage time though as I think thats maybe a bit short reading what everyone else is saying. I have tended to stick with the routine I was tought in college for feet and lower legs - can you (all of you!) describe what you do in your foot massage?

 

[cabinkel]

I will have a go at describing for you, although I tend to go with "feel" if you know what I mean. If a clients calfs feel tight, I tend to spend longer there, if feet ache etc etc
Anyway, lol this is roughly what I do and it takes approx 30 mins. Oh and some technical terms are my own, lol

Warm massage oil and effluage from toes to knee, and down back of leg to heel, very slowly, and approx 8-10 times.
Cross thumbs on top of foot, with rest of fingers/hands under foor and do firm circular movements with thumbs from toes to ankle, back again, then up again, about 5 times.
On last go up the top of foot, bring hands up to ankle bone and do rotation movements around the ankle bone, (both sides of foot) about 6 times.
Clasp heel in one hand to support, and do pressure point massage from middle of each toe, on top of foot.
Massage heel with both hands, using thumbs.
Tilt foot upwards and use palm of hand to massage sole of foot, especially arch, being cautious of pressure, (my arches are very sensitive and can hurt in massage)
Effluage from toes to knee again a few times
Using thuimbs, do firm circular movements from ankle to knee, along the front of the leg.
Bring hands down and do same but to the sides of shins.
Support heel with one hand, and do firm sweeping, grasping movements up the side of leg, towards the calf.
Do same on other side of leg.
Do same on back of leg from heel to top of calf.
Effluage whole lag again, about 6 times.
Gentle rotation of the ankle both ways.
Apply gentle pressure to top of foot and "drag" down to toes.
Do a couple of times lessening the pressure with each time.
Gently tilt foot upwards and hold for a second or two.
repeat on other leg!

Phew! Thats about it, lol!

 

[pure]

Clasp heel in one hand to support, and do pressure point massage from middle of each toe, on top of foot.

That sounded brill so I just tried out a speeded up version on my step daughter and she liked it! It was only the bit I've quoted that I couldn't quite picture though. Can you explain it - do I pressure point from toes up the foot towards the ankle bone or just on the toes?

 

[cabinkel]

That sounded brill so I just tried out a speeded up version on my step daughter and she liked it! It was only the bit I've quoted that I couldn't quite picture though. Can you explain it - do I pressure point from toes up the foot towards the ankle bone or just on the toes?

It goes from the toes, up the front of the foot, (kind of between the bones iykwim) stopping at front of ankle, then the thumbs sweep out sideways to come back down to toes. Repeat. Does that make sense?

 

[pure]

It goes from the toes, up the front of the foot, (kind of between the bones iykwim) stopping at front of ankle, then the thumbs sweep out sideways to come back down to toes. Repeat. Does that make sense?

lol it does make sense - thank you! :green: