Alternate title: The ghettoicure.
Who doesn't love a pedicure? If only they were $5 instead of $30. For this reason, I used to be an expert at giving self pedicures. Then I had a baby, worked too many freelance jobs and no longer had the energy to bend over for long periods of time.
Regular pedicures are not just a want anymore; they're a need.
I decided to treat myself to a pedicure not too long ago. Not wanting to spend much, I opted for one of the local beauty schools. It cost $9.
My first sign this was a bad idea was the set-up. A line of five metal chairs stood in a line on a raised platform, my designated seat in front of a large tubberware bowl filled with soapy water. All part of the pampering, the bowl was to soak my feet.
It looked exactly the barf bucket my mom kept in the garage growing up.
I had roughly a dozen choices of weird-colored nail polish (according to my pedicurist, "Everytime we get new nail polish, the other girls just steal it.") None of which included a top coat, so when I came home, I did that one on my own.
A classy, high-end establishment, right?
Speaking of the pedicurist, she was a story in and of herself. She was a bit older than me, layered in make-up and hairspray, had a daughter with a random man and loved her life of beer drinkin' and partyin'.
Gems from our conversation:
Right before getting out her dull school-issued "tool set": "I always get nervous cutting people's toenails because last time I cut my boyfriends' toenails, they bled!"
Right after telling me "We're so much alike!" (I guess because I knew all the businesses and parks she frequented? We do live in the same neighborhood.)
Her: Are you with your baby's father?
Me: Yeah. We're actually married.
Her: (Shocked look on face) OH, YOU ARE?
Right after asking her about her schooling:
Me: Do you like the other students here?
Her: Well there are so many gay guys! And I never knew a gay guy before, but they are all SOOOO funny and ultra-girly!
And, just when I thought her stereotyping couldn't possibly get any worse, right after explaining the hours she has to acquire:
"We have to have so many credit hours to move on. Nobody likes doing pedicures though. Those are for the Asians."
Clearly, it was a luxurious affair.
Friday, November 06, 2009
The cheap pedicure
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11 comments:
This is hilarious. Beauty schools scare me.
You've cured me of EVER wanting to go to a beauty school for a pedicure.
I had a ghettocure (good word) once.
I get seriously offended when people tell me we're so much alike. I dated a guy who said I was just like his mom. Then I met his mom. We broke up after that.
We have an AVEDA beauty school here in Ohio. The BEST pedicures I've ever had... That's cause it's an $18 beauty school pedicure. It DOES NOT feel like a school. It's a candlelit room with inscence burning and enchanting background music. The walls are painted calming colors and you sit in gorgeous leather chairs covered in decorative pillows. Some one comes in and offers you herbal tea and organic chocolate. And there is NO tupperware in sight.
I'm a terrible person, but I'm laughing so hard at your expense.
My one positive experience at a beauty school was getting an up-do.
But there was no cutting or anything else scary involved. Just lots of bobby pins and hairspray.
Pretty safe. :)
I was hoping her next comment was going to be about black people and how she had never met any of them either.
I was just going to post a blog about pedicures because I recently got one and in Utah they were sooo expensive compared to in California they are less then $20 for a mani and pedi. It's a love/hate relationship how it is a necessity in my life now. I don't know about a $9 one though:) you are a risk taker
haha... Some people's stupidity astounds me.
OH MY GOODNESS! That is hilarious. I think if nothing else I'd go back there for further enlightenment :)
ha ha classic, sounds like the time I went to super cuts to get my hair trimmed and the 58 year old woman doing my hair was wearing a tiny cheer leading outfit, what the heck? out conversation was just as stimulating :)
Cute story! The cheapy places caused me to go to one extreme or the other with pedicures; now I either go to the nice spa/salon that I love (that's $$ and follows all the sanitation procedures, no language barrier and great atmosphere) or I do the whole thing myself at home. At least this way I can justify the occasional (sadly, less occasions than I'd like!) pedicure splurge when I do many myself in between.
WHOA! I love beauty schools...they always make me happy I chose the university route (if that ain't stereotyping)!!! LOL
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