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Pedicures are an absolute scam?

89 replies

purrrge · 04/07/2025 10:43

I've suffered from cracked heels for all my adult life, previously no amount of creams etc would solve it. I used to go for pedicures, wherein my feet would be soaked in water for a length of time, and then depending on the place filed, scrubbed or even razored to remove hard skin. I assumed this was how you were supposed to solve this problem, short of seeing a podiatrist, and duly trotted off every few months to have one of these pedicures. Each time apologising for my dry feet.

This year, at the grand old age of 42 and thanks to an informative thread on here I finally discovered that in fact you should be filing your feet DRY. £6 glass foot file later, and my feet are sorted and better condition than at any point in my adult life.

Why are we forking out £60 in some areas for spa pedicures, which make the condition of your feet worse rather than better and in some cases cause actual damage to the skin.

I'm not debating that nicely polished and tended for toe nails are worth the money, and generally a third party professional seems to get a much better result than I can manage. So a file and polish is not a scam.

OP posts:
fireplaceembers · 04/07/2025 12:14

saveforthat · 04/07/2025 11:40

I'm sorry but I can't believe you didn't know to file your feet dry. Yes as pp have said, pedicures are a beauty treatment. See a chiropodist for anything else.

A lot of people on here have posted on other threads about soaking feet then filing or using a file in the shower

fireplaceembers · 04/07/2025 12:14

I use a microplane foot file on dry feet, then CCS foot cream every night. Works great

Thesunisfinallyshining · 04/07/2025 12:13

Can also recommend the £1 foot peel packets you can buy in Savers. Make sure it's the foot peel boots rather than just the moisturising one.
They do make the skin peel off your feet after about 7-10 days and probably takes another two weeks in total for all of the skin to peel off- so plan around holidays/ big occasions. But I've found they make a big difference to my feet and definitely recommend them.

FourBlackCats · 04/07/2025 11:55

I love a pedicure and any filing has always been on dry feet. The overuse of ‘scam’ is starting to get very irritating.

ClareVoiance · 04/07/2025 11:52

recipientofraspberries · 04/07/2025 11:30

'From ChatGPT'

chatgpt isn't a reliable source, it's not a search engine, it's a mechanism which scours the internet/its training materials for words that sound like what you've asked it and regurgitates a nice sounding answer. The future of AI training is threatened by the complete nonsense generative AI is filling the internet with. I know this isn't the point of the thread but I like to make people aware of this because increasingly people are asking chatgpt things as if it's an oracle, or even a competent search engine, and it's neither. It just seems like it.

Hear, hear.

iamnotalemon · 04/07/2025 11:50

I have ticklish feet and don’t enjoy pedicures and also they’re so expensive! I know people that get them monthly..

SummerFrog25 · 04/07/2025 11:45

Cutleryclaire · 04/07/2025 10:50

Oooh I have horrendously cracked heels. I’ll look up this glass file. Thank you.

(Also, I do absolutely love a pedicure)

Make sure you drink plenty of water. Being well hydrated is the cure. Not filing. Lotions & potions! The filing can help get rid of what's there. but hydrate to stop it happening again

Sexnamechange69 · 04/07/2025 11:44

purrrge · 04/07/2025 11:03

I understand the difference, I don't always have actual cracks in my heels, more often just dry/dead skin, but I am 100% sure that the pedicures that I have had over the years have made the condition of my heels worse rather than better, and therefore I deem them a scam.

How have they made them worse?

Dearg · 04/07/2025 11:43

Have to say, after several years of fantastic, thorough pedicures while living in the US, where feet were treated not just superficially tidied up, I find pedicures in the UK to be a waste of time and money. Sounds like Italy is sim8lar to the US.

A monthly visit to the chiropodist or podiatrist is better value, and I paint my own toe nails.

JimmyHillsChin · 04/07/2025 11:43

Beauty therapists are not medically trained. If you have very dry skin on your heels you should see a foot health practitioner or podiatrist who can treat the callus and advise which cream you need to use.

saveforthat · 04/07/2025 11:42

My chiropodist does a medical pedicure which combines the two.

saveforthat · 04/07/2025 11:40

I'm sorry but I can't believe you didn't know to file your feet dry. Yes as pp have said, pedicures are a beauty treatment. See a chiropodist for anything else.

Forestwanderer · 04/07/2025 11:40

https://myfootner.co.uk/about-footner/

Heard lots of good stuff about this!

NoWomanNoBuy · 04/07/2025 11:40

HostaCentral · 04/07/2025 11:35

Or book in for one in Europe whilst on holiday, where you get the two in one. In Italy they do a full service manicure, pedicure, in the same way you would have to pay a podiatrist in the UK. They go full on for all the skin removal, unlike here where they aren't allowed. Zero point having a pedicure in UK.

Sigh. Loved Italy. I'd live there again in a heartbeat.

MathNotMathing · 04/07/2025 11:39

This reply has been deleted

This has been deleted by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines.

Darragon · 04/07/2025 11:37

This is as stupid as if you went to a salon asking for a perm and came home moaning it had made your hair dry and told people to use a hair mask from Aldi to moisturise their hair instead. 😵‍💫

HostaCentral · 04/07/2025 11:35

Or book in for one in Europe whilst on holiday, where you get the two in one. In Italy they do a full service manicure, pedicure, in the same way you would have to pay a podiatrist in the UK. They go full on for all the skin removal, unlike here where they aren't allowed. Zero point having a pedicure in UK.

DollopOfFun · 04/07/2025 11:34

They're not a scam. I have monthly pedicures and don't have any dry skin,so they never even get a file out. I have them so that my cuticles and nails get trimmed and polished better than I can do myself.

LakieLady · 04/07/2025 11:31

CCS cracked heel cream works a treat. I put it on at night and haven't had cracked heels since I've been using it, which is a few years ago.

It's around £8 in Boots or Superdrug, and lasts ages.

recipientofraspberries · 04/07/2025 11:30

'From ChatGPT'

chatgpt isn't a reliable source, it's not a search engine, it's a mechanism which scours the internet/its training materials for words that sound like what you've asked it and regurgitates a nice sounding answer. The future of AI training is threatened by the complete nonsense generative AI is filling the internet with. I know this isn't the point of the thread but I like to make people aware of this because increasingly people are asking chatgpt things as if it's an oracle, or even a competent search engine, and it's neither. It just seems like it.

annzen · 04/07/2025 11:21

I've never had a pedicure. That's right, never but I'm not the only one I reckon.

I'm 67 and blessed with reasonably decent feet and toenails. I don't do anything special, and I only have small patches of hard skin, but no bunions, corns or anything like that. The only thing is I can't reach down very well to file and trim my toenails now that I'm much older! 😊

What would I get at a pedicure, would it be trimming and filing and painting nails? I might treat myself if so, but honestly the thought of baring my feet for a stranger makes me feel very odd!

PennyAnnLane · 04/07/2025 11:21

I’m amazed you never tried dry filing them at home before, you can get a foot file for 99p in savers! I get horribly dry skin on my feet but I wouldn’t consider going to a beauty parlour for that! A pedicure is just a fancy nail polish application.

MadKittenWoman · 04/07/2025 11:15

I use an electric roller file followed by cracked heel cream.

SteakBakesAndHotTakes · 04/07/2025 11:12

Pedicures are worthwhile in my experience (not that I ever get them - but they do look nicer than doing it myself). Manicures with regular polish aren't.

SteakBakesAndHotTakes · 04/07/2025 11:12

Pedicures are worthwhile in my experience (not that I ever get them - but they do look nicer than doing it myself). Manicures with regular polish aren't.

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