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There’s a place I go, ducking in while others work or tend their children.  I have mixed emotions about this pastime, this guilty pleasure fast becoming a habit.  Even a few months ago, I shunned it as unnecessary and frivolous.  Now I can’t seem to stay away.  Just the other day I entered and asked for my usual.

“Manicure and pedicure?”

A woman nods, indicating one of the high chairs lining the walls.  I climb up into this large comfortable perch as a young girl fills the basin with warm, scented water.  Across the way on a flat screen TV, Rachael Ray makes pizza.  Three chairs down is the only other pedicure customer, an older lady reading a magazine.  Two teenage girls are having manicures, giggling as pink polish goes on.  The air has a clean, feminine smell.

The attendant lowers my feet into sudsy water and that’s when the guilt begins. This kind of indulgence isn’t something I grew up with.  My mother was a painter, more concerned with oils and watercolors than the state of her nails.  My grandmother was a business woman, more attentive to her seaside motel than her cuticles.  I shamefully realize I like this more than expected.

Sometimes while the attendant preps my nails I read, although I find it hard to be blasé when someone’s touching my feet.  Sometimes I watch the silly chatter on TV.  Sometimes I sit and think, although I must be careful where my thoughts go.  My oldest son’s in college.

The other day he sounded down on the phone.  My youngest just received his Learner’s Permit.  I push back visions of crushed bumpers and bent metal.  My husband works too hard, travels too much, and has too little fun.  There goes the guilt again.  I’m a housewife with time for a pedicure.

As I’ve come to learn, every treatment in this salon involves massage.  My feet are ticklish and at first the thought of someone, especially a stranger, touching them seemed foreign.  And yet like all the staff here, this pedicurist is gentle but firm, flicking her eyes on mine from time to time to check my reaction.  When she kneads my instep, tension dissolves like butter in a pan.

After applying polish to my toes (the only place I wear bright red), she helps me down and carries my purse while I waddle with cotton-wrapped feet to the manicure table.

There Jenny, a pretty Korean woman waits and smiles.  Jenny soaks my fingers and after poking, prodding and oiling my cuticles, takes a hot towel from a nearby heater.  I put my hands in a prayer position as she wraps the fragrant cloth around.

Jenny also gives a massage, pulling each finger, making swirling motions in my palm.  All this touch makes me wonder if other cultures respect the body more than we do.  From watching my husband, I know corporate America thinks nothing of late night meetings followed by early morning conference calls.

The body seems incidental, a thing to be used up, it’s needs ignored.  When I was in advertising, it was nothing to leave at 7:00 p.m. with someone asking, only half-kidding, “Working half a day?”  I felt weak and ashamed for needing rest, being tired.

Exercise classes here are exhausting and grueling.  And yet here in this salon, the body’s treated gently.

Two coats of pale pink later, Jenny guides me to a series of dryers along the front window.  I slide my hands and feet under the fans.  She presses two silver buttons.  Warm air blows on my hands and feet as I glance out the window at the little Connecticut strip mall.  Its late afternoon and I wonder what to make for dinner.

“You want massage?” asked one of the pedicure ladies.  “Yes,” I reply.  Again, I submit to the stranger’s touch, the most intimate.    She squeezes my shoulders, neck, arms, and sides.  I bow my head as she works on my upper back and realize its taken time to yield like this, to relinquish control.

The sensation is tender, almost maternal.  It’s funny how the first time I came here it was only for nail treatments.  Massages were secondary, something to be endured while I got the real work done.

Now the opposite has happened.  I’ve grown to love these interludes and realize they soothe me in ways nail polish never could.

Ten minutes later, the dryers stop.  The masseuse slips away.  I carefully pick up my purse and turn to say goodbye but the women are busy, bent over hands and feet of other customers.  I find myself almost looking forward to the polish chipping and cracking again.

Then I can return once more to this place of renewal and restoration, to this place I go.

 

How do you feel about manicures and pedicures?  Comments are always welcome and if you like, please share.  Thank you!

 

(Published in “Connecticut Muse Magazine,” Autumn, 2011).

Comments(40)

  1. Everyone needs a sanctuary like this. A time that’s just theirs. To treat themselves to whatever relaxes them.

      • Laurie Stone

      • 8 years ago

      Yes, Carol, I think lots of women feel that way. Its nice to just go and chill out.

  2. I have a similar feeling about going to a salon…I love how you used this for introspection. Agreed too about the corporate culture. I am glad you got out of there and hope your husband isn’t too taxed by it.

      • Laurie Stone

      • 8 years ago

      Anna, I’m happy to report Randy has made his prison break from the corporate world. I still love those interludes, however, of getting a mani/pedi. Thanks for reading.

  3. I used to have manicures but I smudged my polish before I got home and would break a nail within hours, making it too stressful for me! Haha. I do love massages though and have no guilt whatsoever about indulging in them.

      • Laurie Stone

      • 8 years ago

      Molly, The more I read your comments, the more I think we’re soul sisters. I also had everything smudge in seconds. I still get manicures but with no polish now. I like the shaping and cuticle work. Still like the massages… as long as they’re gentle.

  4. I love my mani-pedis and have now convinced my husband, who is a chef who stands on his feet a lot, to join me. Now he looks forward to them!

      • Laurie Stone

      • 8 years ago

      I see men all the time in there. I think they secretly love it as much as us.

  5. Oh, Laurie, move over and make room for me. Though I’m in acrylic recovery, as you know, pedicures are magical. And massages are my drug of choice. My fantasy has always been to be rich enough to have a live-in masseuse who I would pay enormous sums of money to massage me for hours on end–for pleasure of course, but also to see if I would ever tire of it. I don’t think I would. My achy body craves back, foot and head rubs so desperately, if Edward Scissorhands were the only massage therapist available, I’d let him take a shot! Sanctuary is lovely destination, isn’t it?

      • Laurie Stone

      • 8 years ago

      Lee, You’re so funny. An in-home message therapist sounds quite nice. I like the way you think, girl!

    • Sue

    • 8 years ago

    My husband has given me a gift certificate for a pamper session which I keep putting off. I’m making that appointment now!

      • Laurie Stone

      • 8 years ago

      Go for it!!

  6. oh I can feel it all – and I think I am overdue for a massage. I have never had a pedicure in my life so I think it’s well past time to try one out!

      • Laurie Stone

      • 8 years ago

      Leanne, Try the pedicure. Not everyone likes having their feet touched, but I love the way I feel, especially after.

  7. I felt the comfort just through your words. Nice job!

      • Laurie Stone

      • 8 years ago

      Laurie, Thanks so much.

  8. I’d like to enjoy stuff like this – I can see how it would be a nice sanctuary if you are someone who finds it relaxing. I find massages counterproductive though as they make me stressed! I dislike strangers messing with me. Feet is even worse. And I have no patience for manicures. I even hate having my hair done! I could happily spend hours just sitting doing nothing much in coffee shops, however…

      • Laurie Stone

      • 7 years ago

      I totally get the doing nothing. In fact, it scares me how much I love doing nothing. Yes, if the messages are gentle (and some are more than others) I find them pleasant.

  9. I do love a good mani/pedi

      • Laurie Stone

      • 7 years ago

      Michelle, Its become such an ingrained habit (year-round) I couldn’t give it up if I tried. Thanks for reading.

  10. What a world we’d live in if everyone took just a little time to relax and regroup. There would be a lot less need for therapy!

      • Laurie Stone

      • 7 years ago

      Diane, I couldn’t agree more. Sometimes therapists come in surprising forms!

  11. Aren’t hand massages the best? My friend is a pedicure lover. I have a massage twice a month and am so consciously grateful that I have the privilege of doing so. It is a priority – over dinners out, movies or clothes. I enjoyed this.

      • Laurie Stone

      • 7 years ago

      Thanks so much, Ren. Its funny how little things become such pleasures in life. Thanks for reading.

  12. You make it all sound very relaxing, Laurie. I’ve never had a manicure or a pedicure and I don’t think I’d be a very good candidate for one. My feet in particular are extremely ticklish, so the pedicurist would have to help me back down from the ceiling.

      • Laurie Stone

      • 7 years ago

      Bun, Don’t see many guys there (if any), so I don’t think you’re alone in your thinking. My feet are also ticklish, which they’re now used to.

  13. My special place is the laundromat. I go there because there is no cell phone service. I use the excuse that I want to wash the comforters but really it’s to sit quietly, alone and unreachable.

      • Laurie Stone

      • 7 years ago

      Love that, Beth. I also like the way laundromats smell, strangely enough.

  14. Nothing wrong with a good mani/pedi! Enjoy them! I always feel so refreshed afterwards.

      • Laurie Stone

      • 7 years ago

      Shari, Me too!

  15. You are such a good writer. I savored every word of this piece. The only special place I have is Tulum, Mexico, and I go there in meditation, before it was invaded by the tourists. I used to go there, for real, every six weeks or so. It was just me, the locals who lived in the jungle and the iguanas. In meditation, it’s still is a magical experience for me, but please don’t show me Instagram photos of expensive places to stay or drinks with little umbrellas in them. xoxox, Brenda

      • Laurie Stone

      • 7 years ago

      Brenda, Thanks for the kind words. I also love Tulum! My husband and I stay in Akumal with friends every few years and love it. Mexico is so special and always a treat to visit.

  16. Well written, first of all! I felt like I was experiencing it as well! Don’t feel guilty, though your mom may not have done them, it may not have been her thing. We all have our thing that makes our heart sing. Mine is book stores, but I need to slow down on buying them.

      • Laurie Stone

      • 7 years ago

      Sarah, I also love book stores, but must admit, I’m addicted to my Kindle. Yes, its nice to get a manicure here and there. I feel so well-groomed!

  17. I treat myself to a manicure and a pedicure every month! It’s my way of reminding myself than I am worthy of love and care, the same kind of love and care I give to others. As women we are so good at taking care of others and so bad at taking care of ourselves! It’s time to change that. Regular manicures/pedicures help me do just that.

      • Laurie Stone

      • 6 years ago

      Darlene, I feel the same way. We women are hard-wired to think only of others. Its lovely to have something that’s all ours.

  18. Love IT! Every 4 weeks.

      • Laurie Stone

      • 6 years ago

      Me too, Jennifer. I even get pedicures in the winter. I love the color.

  19. I love your writing style in this piece. I’ve never had a pedicure and can count the manicures on one hand but just this morning I was thinking about a pedicure, imagining what the Vietnamese woman would say when I ask her why my toenails are getting thicker. “You old.”

      • Laurie Stone

      • 5 years ago

      Brenda, Laughing. I hope the Vietnamese lady would be more subtle, but you never know. I’m shocked you’ve never had a pedicure! You’re so stylish and chic, but I know lots of women who just don’t having their feet touched, which I get.

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