Pedicure in the UK - Was that all?

[Fridaybliss]

I am not British, I am Italian.

In Italy when you have a standard pedi the following process is followed:

1. they first soak your feet in water/soap, then get it dry and then start scrubbing heel and feet and remove insanely much dead skin.
2. then file nails to bring them to right length
3. then start cutting cuticles, remove debris underneath all toe nails and remove dead/trapped skin at the side of the toe nails, including the two big toe nails. Great emphasis is given to clean this area thoroughly that ingrown nails are prevented
4. then use the electric brush to remove more dead skin around the toe nails
5. finish with either gel or whatever

I had a standard pedi here and they started rubbing heel without first soaking it. What?! Why?!

Then, filed nails. Then, just cuticles removal like a manicure. There was zero emphasis in removing debris underneath and all around nails, including sides of big toe nails and removal of hard, trapped dead skin.

Then, finish.

Is this normal? In all honesty I paid £50 for this! Basic hygienic care is not medical. I didn't have any ingrown nails, but I had trapped debris/dead skin at the sides of my big toe nails, which I then had to remove when back at home.

YABU - This is not happening in the UK
YANBU - Change salon

You can have a bad pedicure in any country. HTH.

Nope. That’s a rubbish overpriced salon

I pay £35 for my pedi

Foot soak, hard skin removal, toenails trimmed, cuticles sorted, foot ankle and lower leg massage and shellac colour.

Oh thats rubbish. I use a home beautician here in the UK and she provides exactly what you've typed as your normal expectation. You've not had a good one!

i hate to say it but any salons with Chinese / Asian work force seem to do a fantastic job, beauty salons have been more expensive and similar to what you experienced

All the pedicures I’ve had have been the same as you described first. I had one a month ago, it took 60 mins and my feet have felt lovely since then. It cost £60 in a very expensive local spa. I’m definitely going back, the varnish is still chip free although there is a little bit of growth showing. I could just have the varnish replaced but I am a barefoot fan and my feet do get a bit rough and dry so will have the full treatment again.

I have never found a really great place local to me. I like a pedicure chair with massage that has a scented foot bath for a soak before the pedicure and then all the things you listed. The worst pedi I ever had was just a tub of water slapped on the floor for a minute soak, a quick file, then polish. I was so disappointed.

I haven't had many pedicures but YANBU.
Also I love your prose style.

You’re not wrong OP. Most services in this country are subpar. Have you seen the hotels here. A 5 star would barely pass for 3 star in other places in the world.

I have the same plus gels.

This is true. People from other countries really do show the lazy locals in this country how to raise the bar in many industries.

I get the dead skin at the side and go to a podiatrist for that

I used to have manicures and pedicures regularly in another country. I had a manicure in the UK and it was terrible, also no soaking, she then proceeded to hack at my cuticles instead of just pushing them back. Worst manicure of my life. It took ages for my cuticles to recover, never been again in this country.

Yeah, I had an Italian pedi and came out with feet a shoe size smaller. Not a thing here, it's more just nail polish.

I'm in the US and the normal Italian pedicure you described is the normal pedicure I get here.

I'd complain to the salon about the weird non-standard pedicure you were charged for.

nope you had a shite one. I would complain or leave a bad review. what you described 1st is what should be. I would highly recommend next look for a paraffin wax pedicure. wax is coated over your feet left in booties to cool and as they peel off take loads of dead skin off. like new feet

In my country a standard pedi would also remove corns/calluses (or whatever the hardened bits are called). I think I’d need to go to a podiatrist for that in the UK.
I second the Asian salons though, that’s the best option.

Beware the trafficked staff in some cheaper but thorough salons tho :(

I find chiropodists are much better, and qualified compared to a salon that does pedicures.

The chiropodist soaks feet in a foot spa, removes dead skin/callous (with apparatus that can't be used if having a pedicure) sorts skin around nails, trims nails and moisturises to finish.

As they tell me, for them it's not about making your feet pretty (although one does paint nails for extra) as they are qualified HCP's. That costs £50 where I am.

I find, in the UK, you have to go to both a podiatrist and a beautician to get the kind of thing you describe, OP.

I had a bog-standard pedicure in Chiang Mai in Thailand and, in the wonderful words of a PP, came out with feet a size smaller AND beautifully painted toenails.

They're just a bit shit here: you have to pay twice to get the same thing.

I think for now I need to try an Asian salon because paying twice (a podiatrist and a beautician) for the same thing split in two is insane!

Are British generally happy with this level of pedi in this country?

I just don’t know what to believe!!

I’ve been wondering about this. I am leery of any salon that only takes cash — and there are a lot of them.

what you want is what I get for £30 in south London. High street nail bar. Much better than the pedicure I had in a posh central London hotel spa.

I utterly hate having my feet fiddled with I keep them exfoliated, buffed etc myself so I just get the nails donebin North London for £25.

Also my feet don't have dry skin or calluses but they are decently hard enough to walk about outdoors barefoot, pedicures make them so smooth they are barely functional

You must have gone to a crap place.
My friend has her own beauty salon and you get everything you have described you get in Italy. There is good and bad all over for anything .. from hairdressers to beauty palors.