Anyone else underwhelmed by the whole manicure experience?

[AshleyW]

I went back to school clothes shopping with a good friend of mine at the beginning of this semester, and she wanted to get a pedicure before we went to dinner. I hate hate HATE feet and people touching my feet, so I was just going to sit there and read a magazine while she got hers done.

Anyway, long story short.. she talked me into getting a manicure (my first) while she got her toes done, and let me tell ya.. I wasn't impressed. On top of the lady not speaking english very well, she was also pretty rude. She also cut my cuticles without asking - which is a big no no to me. I don't like my cuticles being cut because of infections and all that nasty stuff. Anyway, she cut them enough that a couple of them bled. Ew. I picked out a dark red color, and she (and two other ladies chimed in) argued with me to tell me that pink nail polish is for fingers, not dark red. Sorry, I'm not really a pink person

I wasn't a very happy camper when it was all said and done. I'd rather just sit at home on the couch with a glass of wine and paint my own nails.

 

[HOGFAN]

imo, waste of time and money. at least the manicure. got mani\pedi in July before going to WDW. Pedi lasted forever, mani just a few days before started chipping. Can get DD 22 to do for free.

 

[dismom2]

$13 is what I paid for the manicure. Don't you usually give them a tip on top of that though? I know 20% is usually the norm for tipping, but that seemed like such a small amount, so I gave her $4 (now I don't know why). It would have been nice if she'd asked me how I wanted them filed, but I also realized after I sat down that she didn't speak English!

Many of the shops (on the west coast, at least) are owned/run by Asians. I find that many of them speak very little English (or want you to think they do>). Although, they understand it enough to try to get you to pay more for extra's. At some of the places, the employee's chat amongst themselves (in their native language) the whole time, and really pay no attention to their clients, so I just read a magazine.I don't have a problem with it, per say, but I would think that if they want a bigger tip, they would pay more attention to the client instead.

I don't like to spend money on mani's and pedi's often (once or twice a year, otherwise I just do it myself....I'd rather spend the money on something else). I've had some painful experiences-- sometimes they really jab me with those cuticle nippers; and once I had a man who was filing my foot where there was no callus, and it really hurt. I pulled my foot away several times and said "ouch", but he kept grabbing it back and doing it more . There's nothing pleasant about that.

 

[acename]

I agree with most people. Love pedicures, meh about manicures. I can't stand keeping my hands still for that long. I always mess them up before it's dry.

 

[englishteacha]

I've never had a manicure, except when I had acrylics put on for my prom.

I do my own nails and am so annoyed at how quickly they chip that I usually give up after a few days.

 

[C.Ann]

Many, many years ago my sister was a manicurist for awhile.. I had my nails done once - and never again..

I'd rather spend my extra money on books..

 

[Rafiki31]

I used to get regular manicures and pedicures every few weeks. Every so often you'd get a bad one and be annoyed, but that was like the first thing I gave up when I went back to school and stopped working full time. Once I looked back at HOW MUCH I was spending, I cannot imagine ever going back to living like that! As a treat I got a pedicure after my final last semester, and it was a bad one, the girl appeared to have never done it before and I was so upset about spending so much on a bad one. I do my own now. You can get all the stuff at Sally's and save a ton.


I think if you have a nice salon that does a good job, it is a treat but when you go to the places I went, it was hit or miss and a waste of money. We have a zillion of the crappy places in my area.

 

[RitaZ.]

I love getting manicures. The hand massage alone is worth it, IMO.

I have naturally long nails that look beautiful when they are perfectly polished. I used to get manicures on a pretty regular basis, which kept them looking great. My time is more limited now, so I reserve manicures for special occasions. I don't trust those places at the mall. I go to the same salon where I get my hair done.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

I get a manicure every week. I go to the same place and I know exactly who does a great job and who does not. I am very picky and the ladies know it, so there's only 3 out of about 12 or so that work on me.

If you find someone who can shape your nails just as you like and does a great job, it makes all the difference.

 

[AnnetteF]

Many of the shops (on the west coast, at least) are owned/run by Asians. I find that many of them speak very little English (or want you to think they do>). Although, they understand it enough to try to get you to pay more for extra's. At some of the places, the employee's chat amongst themselves (in their native language) the whole time, and really pay no attention to their clients, so I just read a magazine.I don't have a problem with it, per say, but I would think that if they want a bigger tip, they would pay more attention to the client instead.

I don't like to spend money on mani's and pedi's often (once or twice a year, otherwise I just do it myself....I'd rather spend the money on something else). I've had some painful experiences-- sometimes they really jab me with those cuticle nippers; and once I had a man who was filing my foot where there was no callus, and it really hurt. I pulled my foot away several times and said "ouch", but he kept grabbing it back and doing it more . There's nothing pleasant about that.

It's funny that you mention trying to get people to spend more. Even though she could barely communicate with me, one of the first things after I sat down was that she was saying something - one word - "wax". I didn't understand at first and then she pointed to her eyebrows. She was trying to get me to have my eyebrows waxed! I'm very happy I said no, otherwise I might have walked out with eyebrows straight across to match my nails!

 

[Angelhalo]

I LOVE getting Pedicures but not manicures. I'm never happy with them just like the OP, plus I have a couple of small patches of excema on my hands and it makes me really self conscious to have someone looking directly at my hands.

Now the pedicures....bring'em on!

 

[SDFgirl]

Manicures are a waste of money for me because I always ruin them within 24 hours. I'm clumsy.

Pedicures, on the other hand (or foot! )...now those I LOVE!!

 

[Macca1111]

She also cut my cuticles without asking - which is a big no no to me. I don't like my cuticles being cut because of infections and all that nasty stuff. Anyway, she cut them enough that a couple of them bled. Ew.

I'm a pedi, but not mani person for the same reason. I had one manicure, doing the combo, and I could not believe it when she CUT my cuticles! That's so bad for them! All around I was not super impressed with the experience, but that totally turned me off to them. I like having the pedi every once in awhile, for the nice soak and massage and whatnot, but I'm never doing a manicure again.

 

[Silent1CB]

My SIL used to own a nail salon and was always bugging me to come get a manicure. Honestly, I don't do the whole nails & makeup thing at all.

My DMIL ,who does her own nails beautifully, put fake nails on me for our wedding. She did a great job, but I hated having them on & couldn't wait to rip them off. On the plane to our honeymoon, I was ripping off what was left of the nails.

So, I've never had a professional manicure & I don't plan on ever getting one.

I use my hands and I work hard. It would just be a waste of money and time for me.

 

[powellrj]

Love, love, love a pedicure, not so much a manicure. Even if I get one, I never get polish, just the top coat. I am so hard on them, they are all chipped by evening.

 

[JerseyJanice]

I don't have the time/money/patience to get regular manicures. When I do get one, I go to the salon where I get my hair cut since the techs are Americans there. I pay more ($25 for just a manicure) than in the places where it's all Asians doing them, but it's worth it to me since I can communicate with the tech about what I want.

I get regular pedicures in warmer months (May through September). I like how they feel and make my feet look.

 

[Christine]

I have never gotten a manicure because, well, I don't have any fingernails!!!

I have gotten a pedicure, ONCE, and 3-weeks after that I started with a toenail fungus that came from them cutting too close to my nail bed. Never again.

As for those who say the polish peels off, I think that happens when the technician puts a few coats on and does not let it dry thoroughly between coats. The underlying coats don't really "take" and then you get the peel off or the feeling that they never really got dry.