Manicures and Pedicures
Posted on July 13, 2008 by Ching under Life.
I skipped my regular workout yesterday in order to meet a 9:30 AM waxing appointment. I usually schedule it on Saturday afternoons to work around my workout schedule, but I had to get a manicure and pedicure this time (in preparation for our trip to Las Vegas next weekend). The only way to arrange it so that I wouldn’t have to leave and then return was to move my waxing appointment to Saturday morning.
I am too cheap to have regular manicures and pedicures. I don’t consider it a necessity like waxing, which if I miss then I end up looking like Chewbacca. Ask Brian. Since manicures and pedicures are somewhat of a luxury for me, I don’t really have a regular place that I frequent. I have tried a handful of places in the past.
However, I usually end up going to California Nails. They’re like the McDonald’s of manicures. They don’t require appointments. Unless there’s some huge event going on throughout town, like prom or something, you can pretty much walk in and get your nails done any time.
Their rates are lower than other salons or spas, but they don’t really spend much on making the place pretty and relaxing or anything like that. Getting your nails done is pretty relaxing, but at California nails you kind of have to tune out the dozen other people who are also getting their nails done around you. I think part of the reason their rates are lower is economies of scale. They zip customers in and out of the shop so fast. I’m sure they complete hundreds of manicures and pedicures a day, much much more than other places.
I decided to try Beau Monde this time, as opposed to just going to California Nails (there’s one by our local supermarket close to our house, and then there’s also one inside Towne East Mall) because (a) I’m already going to be there for my waxing so I’d kill two birds with one stone (and save on gas, lol) and (b) I thought I would splurge. The waiting room that I photographed above is for the spa section. Beau Monde has a separate waiting area at the front of the building for their nail clients. They have a cool lip couch that I wish I would have photographed. Brian waited for me there for the second part of my appointment.
I really liked the ambience at Beau Monde. The nail salon portion of the spa is decorated very nicely. It is quiet, cozy, and comfortable. Instead of feeling rushed like at California Nails, you are actually able to relax because they work on your nails at a nice liesurely (almost slow) pace. That could be just my nail tech, though.
Samantha, the nail tech assigned to me, used to work at Individually Yours like Patricia. She transferred to Beau Monde after Patricia did and she said that Patricia helped her to land the job. She said she really likes working at Beau Monde because she gets to work with other people as opposed to just working by herself. She was the only nail tech they had at Individually Yours.
Anyway, Samantha was pretty gentle with me. She didn’t ferociously clip cuticles like she was angry at them as previous nail techs have done. Maybe it was just their Asian demeanor and they weren’t really angry? I can’t tell for sure. That is actually one of the things I found refreshing about getting my nails done at Beau Monde. I had an American person who speaks English doing my nails. I had someone I could actually converse with.
I never would have been able to converse with someone at California Nails. Not to be prejudiced or anything, but so often I get nail techs who speak five words of English. The rest of the time they just yammer on with fellow nail techs, making me uncomfortable. Are they talking about my ugly toes? She probably thinking, “I can’t belive this girl doesn’t shave her legs.” Or maybe, “What ugly stinky feet this girl has!” Since you can’t understand what they are going on and on about, it makes your imagination run wild.
I was really happy with my manidcure and pedicure from Beau Monde (not to be confused with Beau Monde Salon and Spa in New York, lol). I will more than likely go there again for my next one. Even though it is quite a bit more expensive.
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