I love my feet! My size 9.5’s are my favourite part of my body, hence the name I’ve given myself – the Barefoot Maiden. I never paid much attention to them until I had met my husband and he would fuss and fawn over them daily. For the fifteen years that we knew each other, I never had to paint my own toenails, and I took pride in taking good care of my feet. Although I am not boastful of my own feet (let’s face it – I am only one of many sexy feet here at TMF!), I still enjoy showing them off and teasing others with them – you know who you are! 😉
I have never had a pedi before for a number of reasons: one, I take very good care of my own feet, so I didn’t see the point; two, I never felt like spending money on something I can do myself; and three, I don’t enjoy being “handled” by other people – especially vanilla people. In any case, after hearing so much about people getting pedicures, how much they tickled, and how good they felt/looked afterwards, I decided that I would finally see what all the hype was about. I let a few friends know that I was going to get one, and they all teased me about how much it was no doubt going to tickle! After all, my feet are very ticklish – especially around the toes!
I had my very first pedicure the day before Kevin and I left for NEST (the first weekend in May). We arrived at a local place in my city, and the first thing I noticed when walking into that salon was the smell! The fumes were so strong from all the nail polishes and whatever else they use in those places! The second thing I noticed was how out of place I felt! I am not a girly-girl – this was not something I was used to doing, so I felt incredibly awkward and unsure of what I was supposed to do – that, coupled with the fact that I could barely understand the Asian woman’s accent when she talked, instructing me what to do. I figured out that I was supposed to go over to the shelf and pick out a colour. There were a few other women in the salon getting their nails done and I felt my shyness coming out full force, feeling as though every eye in the place was watching me as I crossed that floor to the shelves filled with nail polish colours. I didn’t want to linger there for very long, so I hastily picked out a pretty pink and turned to figure out what to do next.
The woman then directed me to an empty chair. There must have been about eight chairs sitting on what appeared to be a stage! They have to be seated high enough so that the pedicurists, nail technicians – whatever the politically correct term is - can sit comfortably by your feet to pamper them for you. For a shy girl, sitting up high like that for all to see was yet another unnerving thing for me to have to do. I slipped out of my red Keds and little socks and awkwardly slipped into the big chair. The woman had previously adjusted the chair to a certain massage setting that felt as though I was being gently punched in the back – a rather annoying sensation. The buttons to the side of the chair glared at me, and I wanted to adjust the settings or shut it off, but I was too shy to even touch the darn thing! 😉
As the pedi began, my shyness prevented me from even turning my head much to look at Kevin seated to the left of me as he was getting his pedi done. I glanced at him from time to time as well as the woman in front of me as she instructed me what to do, but other than that, I mostly looked out the window from the salon. At one point, I flinched for a second because of the tool she was using on me near my big toe. It wasn’t anything much, it didn’t hurt or tickle, but the woman noticed and asked if she had hurt me or if it tickled. I smiled shyly, and just shook my head and said no to her. As I was sitting there having my pedi done, I thought to myself, *Is this it? This is what a pedi is all about? It doesn’t tickle in the least!* She didn’t seem to do anything special that I don’t already do to my feet. I wasn’t impressed in the least. Then she applied the polish so quickly and effortlessly – an obvious sign that she’d done this a thousand times. She then instructed me to put on these flimsy fabric slippers and go sit under the heater – which I did – again still feeling very awkward and out-of-place. Kevin was sitting directly in front of me, still having his pedi done. We began texting each other about another woman who was in the salon having her pedi – and she had really horrible, oddly discoloured feet!
I sat there for what felt like way too long, almost wondering if the woman had forgotten about me. When she finally came over to check my nails, she put some kind of an oily substance on my toes over the nail polish and then made me slip into these little plastic baggies before I could put on my own socks and shoes again. I felt rather gross. My toes were greasy, the plastic baggies didn’t feel good and I just wanted to get out of there! I paid a somewhat ridiculous amount of money for the pedicure and Kevin and I left the place to return to my house. As soon as I got home, I couldn’t stand the feeling anymore and I just had to go upstairs and wash my feet nice and clean – which I did, and afterwards applying my signature lotion to my feet that keeps them nice and soft!
It wasn’t until nearly a few weeks later as I was rubbing moisturizer into my feet when I felt a tiny bump on my heel. Already I knew what this was – a wart! I was disgusted. A wart – on my beautiful feet?! Immediately, my mind went back to every public place I had been in the past few weeks in my bare feet, and the only two things I could come up with was the pedi place and NEST hotel. I told a friend of mine about my wart and he concluded that it must have been improperly disinfected tubs at the salon. Those of you who are familiar with the TMF chat and the emoji’s there would understand the “grumpy” face I had on in that moment. I’ve since been tending to my...ugh...wart now for at least a week; and thankfully, because I caught it early enough, it is nearly gone!
This is why I will never have another pedi again! The experience wasn’t the greatest and to be given this little “gift” from the salon afterwards only made me realize that once is enough for me. I chalk this up to a little lesson in vanity. Don’t mess with perfection! My feet are the way they are because I know how to take good care of them. I don’t need anyone else messing with them unless it’s for tickling or foot worshipping!
That being said, anyone who regularly goes to salons for a pedi – guys you too with your painted nails - then power to you! I hope you enjoy it and that it is fun and that it tickles you greatly! Haha! But for me personally and my own experience, I won’t ever be going again! I love my feet, and I will continue to take care of them myself! *wiggles my painted toes*
~ The Barefoot Maiden
I have never had a pedi before for a number of reasons: one, I take very good care of my own feet, so I didn’t see the point; two, I never felt like spending money on something I can do myself; and three, I don’t enjoy being “handled” by other people – especially vanilla people. In any case, after hearing so much about people getting pedicures, how much they tickled, and how good they felt/looked afterwards, I decided that I would finally see what all the hype was about. I let a few friends know that I was going to get one, and they all teased me about how much it was no doubt going to tickle! After all, my feet are very ticklish – especially around the toes!
I had my very first pedicure the day before Kevin and I left for NEST (the first weekend in May). We arrived at a local place in my city, and the first thing I noticed when walking into that salon was the smell! The fumes were so strong from all the nail polishes and whatever else they use in those places! The second thing I noticed was how out of place I felt! I am not a girly-girl – this was not something I was used to doing, so I felt incredibly awkward and unsure of what I was supposed to do – that, coupled with the fact that I could barely understand the Asian woman’s accent when she talked, instructing me what to do. I figured out that I was supposed to go over to the shelf and pick out a colour. There were a few other women in the salon getting their nails done and I felt my shyness coming out full force, feeling as though every eye in the place was watching me as I crossed that floor to the shelves filled with nail polish colours. I didn’t want to linger there for very long, so I hastily picked out a pretty pink and turned to figure out what to do next.
The woman then directed me to an empty chair. There must have been about eight chairs sitting on what appeared to be a stage! They have to be seated high enough so that the pedicurists, nail technicians – whatever the politically correct term is - can sit comfortably by your feet to pamper them for you. For a shy girl, sitting up high like that for all to see was yet another unnerving thing for me to have to do. I slipped out of my red Keds and little socks and awkwardly slipped into the big chair. The woman had previously adjusted the chair to a certain massage setting that felt as though I was being gently punched in the back – a rather annoying sensation. The buttons to the side of the chair glared at me, and I wanted to adjust the settings or shut it off, but I was too shy to even touch the darn thing! 😉
As the pedi began, my shyness prevented me from even turning my head much to look at Kevin seated to the left of me as he was getting his pedi done. I glanced at him from time to time as well as the woman in front of me as she instructed me what to do, but other than that, I mostly looked out the window from the salon. At one point, I flinched for a second because of the tool she was using on me near my big toe. It wasn’t anything much, it didn’t hurt or tickle, but the woman noticed and asked if she had hurt me or if it tickled. I smiled shyly, and just shook my head and said no to her. As I was sitting there having my pedi done, I thought to myself, *Is this it? This is what a pedi is all about? It doesn’t tickle in the least!* She didn’t seem to do anything special that I don’t already do to my feet. I wasn’t impressed in the least. Then she applied the polish so quickly and effortlessly – an obvious sign that she’d done this a thousand times. She then instructed me to put on these flimsy fabric slippers and go sit under the heater – which I did – again still feeling very awkward and out-of-place. Kevin was sitting directly in front of me, still having his pedi done. We began texting each other about another woman who was in the salon having her pedi – and she had really horrible, oddly discoloured feet!
I sat there for what felt like way too long, almost wondering if the woman had forgotten about me. When she finally came over to check my nails, she put some kind of an oily substance on my toes over the nail polish and then made me slip into these little plastic baggies before I could put on my own socks and shoes again. I felt rather gross. My toes were greasy, the plastic baggies didn’t feel good and I just wanted to get out of there! I paid a somewhat ridiculous amount of money for the pedicure and Kevin and I left the place to return to my house. As soon as I got home, I couldn’t stand the feeling anymore and I just had to go upstairs and wash my feet nice and clean – which I did, and afterwards applying my signature lotion to my feet that keeps them nice and soft!
It wasn’t until nearly a few weeks later as I was rubbing moisturizer into my feet when I felt a tiny bump on my heel. Already I knew what this was – a wart! I was disgusted. A wart – on my beautiful feet?! Immediately, my mind went back to every public place I had been in the past few weeks in my bare feet, and the only two things I could come up with was the pedi place and NEST hotel. I told a friend of mine about my wart and he concluded that it must have been improperly disinfected tubs at the salon. Those of you who are familiar with the TMF chat and the emoji’s there would understand the “grumpy” face I had on in that moment. I’ve since been tending to my...ugh...wart now for at least a week; and thankfully, because I caught it early enough, it is nearly gone!
This is why I will never have another pedi again! The experience wasn’t the greatest and to be given this little “gift” from the salon afterwards only made me realize that once is enough for me. I chalk this up to a little lesson in vanity. Don’t mess with perfection! My feet are the way they are because I know how to take good care of them. I don’t need anyone else messing with them unless it’s for tickling or foot worshipping!
That being said, anyone who regularly goes to salons for a pedi – guys you too with your painted nails - then power to you! I hope you enjoy it and that it is fun and that it tickles you greatly! Haha! But for me personally and my own experience, I won’t ever be going again! I love my feet, and I will continue to take care of them myself! *wiggles my painted toes*
~ The Barefoot Maiden
