Told to use a pedicure blade or don't do pedicures

[~Lady Powderpuff~]

Yuk!! She may not realise we are beauty therapists and our job is to enhance the appearance, not provide foot surgery!

This would be very dangerous, not being chiropodists or doctors.

I had a horrid customer when I worked I a spa, she was very rude in general and wanted me to use something sharp to scrape a fungal infection from under her toenails! I declined of course and suggested she speak to her doctor for anything like that.

X

 

[happyfeet]

I don't know how you predicted this, but that has just happened.

She nearly argued with me about it when I tried to explain WHY that shouldn't be done, but I left because a client was in. Apparently, because she's been doing it 20 odd years my training, opinion and knowledge doesn't matter,

I said I'll speak to her when she's not busy, I've tried to keep cool but I don't think I can!
Xx

I had a hunch lol! She's old school using blades so I guessed she's old school cutting eponychium. Xxx

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[user 52471]

Yuk!! She may not realise we are beauty therapists and our job is to enhance the appearance, not provide foot surgery!

This would be very dangerous, not being chiropodists or doctors.

I had a horrid customer when I worked I a spa, she was very rude in general and wanted me to use something sharp to scrape a fungal infection from under her toenails! I declined of course and suggested she speak to her doctor for anything like that.

X

If I had a customer ask me to do something like that the owner probably try and make me lol she does seem to think it's not enough to make the feet pretty and we should be removing the hard skin and try to fix everything.

Thank you everyone for your replies, I never got a chance to talk to her because she spent the rest of the day avoiding me even though I hovered around at the end of the day.
I had a missed call from her but I'd left my phone at home because the battery was dying, so I will return her call tomorrow but I'm not looking forward to it, I'm so frustrated about the whole thing I could cry!
Xx

 

[Solsken]

You need to tell her that times and technology changes.
Doctor's try to do surgery laparoscopically... that was new for them at some point and now it is routine.

Heck at some point we changed as a culture and started washing hands and that was new too!

So, we no longer use blades and purposefully cut skin just because people were taught to do it 20+ years ago.

She needs to get over it. She is not your boss. You just pay her rent and tell her she needs to stop telling you how to practice your craft.

 

[Mobile Manicure]

Oh the amount of times I get clients asking me to cut, cut, cut. Eponychiums, hard skin, corns, you name it. I'm not a friggin chiropodist. You've rung the wrong number!

I had a client on Thursday who had just come back from Florida where she had her hard skin cut off her feet with a knife and wondered why I never did it properly like them. Because I'm not a surgeon, I don't have the training, qualifications or insurance to be cutting people up. And it's counter productive. Your hard skin will only grow back faster and harder to protect your feet.

Yesterday one client wanted me to treat her corn. I AM NOT A DOCTOR!! I'm going to get a badge made up or get it tattooed on my forehead.

 

[facelashbrow]

I had a pedi client at college and educated her about cutting her skin off. However I am doing level 2 beauty therapy and they are teaching us to cut the eponyichium!! I questioned the teacher who I have the most respect for and she said well it depends on how much they have there; so I left it there. Why do they still teach it?!

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[user 52471]

Thank you all for your replies

I have a bad feeling when I tell her about new products she'll just ignore me, like I said she almost argued with me when I was trying to explain why we don't cut the eponyichium. When I mentioned callus peel she just dismissed it completely.

She's very stubborn and to be honest I find her quite ignorant if in her 20 odd years in the industry she hasn't made an effort to keep up to date.

If we can't reach an agreement where we're both happy I'm going to have to look elsewhere, again!
Xx

 

[user 52471]

I had a pedi client at college and educated her about cutting her skin off. However I am doing level 2 beauty therapy and they are teaching us to cut the eponyichium!! I questioned the teacher who I have the most respect for and she said well it depends on how much they have there; so I left it there. Why do they still teach it?!

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I was taught to cut only loose cuticle around the eponyichium but I've worked in salons were the technician was grabbing any skin she could see with the nippers and tugging it away! It was horrible and all the clients thought because she was doing that she was doing an amazing job, I was still in college at the time so didn't want to make a fuss and risk my job but I didn't stay there much longer anyway
Xx

 

[jadecoral]

I always got told that using a blade to remove hard skin makes there be more as your skin produces more as your taking it off is that correct? Xx

 

[twid]

I always got told that using a blade to remove hard skin makes there be more as your skin produces more as your taking it off is that correct? Xx

Yes that's right, it's there for a reason. It's because of how we walk and wear our shoes, it's there as protection and if you take it all away the body goes into a kind of shock and produces more to compensate. Best thing is to soften and remove a bit at a time, the client also has to play their part and look after their feet too. Sometimes they just want a quick and no effort fix but life's just not like that!

Good luck Kerry, she sounds like a thick head!

Karaxxx

 

[s.scaldwell]

I had this once when i first started in a salon a pregnant lady was booked in for a pedicure and asked for it sliced off as her friend had it done i told her she needed to go to a chropodist she came back the day after when i wasnt in and complained

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[Staceystandeven]

I do pedicures all the time, it's one of my most popular treatment and I never blade, I have done and may on feet that really might benefit but 99% of the time I don't, it speaks for itself as everybody comes back.
What's good for one therapist may not be another so it's unfair for her to 'ban' you! Crazy

 

[user 52471]

I know! I feel like I'm being 'banned' from doing pedicures. It makes me feel about an inch tall when she talks about how it's her name above the door and basically the way I do it isn't good enough

She won't give me a chance, she dismisses everything I say to try and reach a compromise and I don't like feeling belittled because I don't have as much experience as her.
Sad sad times
Xx

 

[Baggybear]

Are you not running your own business from inside her premisies? Your OWN name is in jepardy if you allow her to force you to do these things you know you shouldn't be doing.

She is your landlady and that is it, she has no say in how you run your business, your prices and your advertising should have your business details on them not hers, what you do reflects on you. She can't tell you to do these things & that is it, if she can't accept that she is JUST your landlady then you need to move on & find somewhere else.

Working in this environment is not going to do you any favours at all.

 

[talullahh]

I rent a room in a hair salon, and a few years ago when I first set up it was after another beauty therapist had left and I took over the room. Of course there was always gona be comparison, and I can remember the hairdressers saying oh you should do this you should do that (all things the previous therapist used to do) and luckily I brought in a lot of new clients so it was mainly pressure coming from the hairdressers. More to the point, the therapist before me had used the blades on people's feet. And no matter how much I explained I had never been shown at college, and wasn't comfortable with them, insurance reasons etc, i was constantly being told I 'should use the blade cos it's what a lot of people want in a pedicure' lol. I gave in one day and bought one to use on myself only, to see what the fuss was about. It was painless. And then later in the day I looked at the bottom of my foot and I had a giant blood blister. And from then on I knew to trust my gut instinct and thankfully it had only been my feet. It confirmed exactly why I needed to stand my ground and never use anything I'm not comfortable with! I use micro plane these days and absolutely love it and so do my clients. Good luck with standing your ground on this one because it's really not worth giving into pressure from other people trust your gut instinct on this one! Xx

 

[user 52471]

I rent a room in a hair salon, and a few years ago when I first set up it was after another beauty therapist had left and I took over the room. Of course there was always gona be comparison, and I can remember the hairdressers saying oh you should do this you should do that (all things the previous therapist used to do) and luckily I brought in a lot of new clients so it was mainly pressure coming from the hairdressers. More to the point, the therapist before me had used the blades on people's feet. And no matter how much I explained I had never been shown at college, and wasn't comfortable with them, insurance reasons etc, i was constantly being told I 'should use the blade cos it's what a lot of people want in a pedicure' lol. I gave in one day and bought one to use on myself only, to see what the fuss was about. It was painless. And then later in the day I looked at the bottom of my foot and I had a giant blood blister. And from then on I knew to trust my gut instinct and thankfully it had only been my feet. It confirmed exactly why I needed to stand my ground and never use anything I'm not comfortable with! I use micro plane these days and absolutely love it and so do my clients. Good luck with standing your ground on this one because it's really not worth giving into pressure from other people trust your gut instinct on this one! Xx

Your situation was very similar to mine so thank you for sharing your experience. I am going to stand my ground on this, she had a client in for a pedicure, (the one she nearly argued with me in front of) and was showing me the use of the blade and the client said 'you should have let me know, I would've let her practise on me' to which I replied I wouldn't feel comfortable doing it. Which the client accepted, the owner did not judging by the look she gave me, and then as it carried on we nearly argued over nipping the eponyichium, so I left the room.

Unfortunately I still haven't spoken to her, which has allowed me to calm down over the weekend but I have the feeling when we do talk it won't be a pleasant conversation.

Thanks for all the replies and advice everyone
Xx

 

[user 52471]

I've spoken to her today and we're just going around in circles and although she acknowledges she can't tell me what to do a I'm self employed she's really pushing this blade thing. But I'm standing my ground

I don't know what else I can do, she just won't listen to anything I say or suggest.
So even though she doesn't want to do pedicures, if she banned me, then she's going to have to

Thank you again everyone I really appreciate it
Xx

 

[Daisy Digits]

Eew, that's just gross!

 

[Daisy Digits]

Oops, the above reply was to Lady Powderpuff's horrid experience.

 

[Baggybear]

Your just going to have to tell her that 'you'll agree to disagree on this subject' and that you will still be offering pedicures your own way but you will ensure wherever possible that clients that have been to her previously for a pedicure will be made aware at the time of booking that you don't use the blade so they can choose to book with her instead if they wish.
She can't ban you from doing anything & you can't allow her to think that she can influence your business in this way either. Be strong, do what you've been trained, produce your best work & become the best you can be at what you do & you will be busy & happy.