Manny Peddy
Or maybe it's written "mani pedi"? I got my nails did is the point so I'll look nicer on this trip to visit friends in Berlin and Poland. I don't do this very often so can get surprised by the practices and the culture. Like, why are all the mani-pedi people from Vietnam? And why do they all yell back and forth at each other in Vietnamese, roll their eyes at you and laugh? It's disconcerting.
This time I tried a new place near my house that just opened, and was nonplussed when the spike-haired, sloucy, somewhat acne-faced son of the owner took over to give me my pedicure. The kid spoke good English, so we communicated fine. But OMG. I know that's an awful job, but you don't dig for ore in someone's toenails. You don't exfoliate like you're sanding down a car. And then he did his own version of a massage that mostly involved beating the crap out of my lower legs. I finally said, "you're not only hurting, you're making me mad!" He got that.
His mom did my nails. I'm a little vain of my fingernails, which grow strong, long and fast. His mom ignored my instructions and cut them all down to 1/4". I confess typing is somewhat easier! But my chubby hands need long nails to help them look more elegant. Now I've got these stubby fingernails in clear pink. Maybe she was setting me up for acrylic nails, which are a lot more $$$ for the vendor. But it didn't work; my nails will be looking okay in 7-10 days anyway.
It's wacky. The other patrons were interesting too. One woman couldn't stop her hysterical laughter at the way the guy exfoliated the bottoms of my feet. Seems she's ticklish by proxy. Anyway, that place is off my list now.
This time I tried a new place near my house that just opened, and was nonplussed when the spike-haired, sloucy, somewhat acne-faced son of the owner took over to give me my pedicure. The kid spoke good English, so we communicated fine. But OMG. I know that's an awful job, but you don't dig for ore in someone's toenails. You don't exfoliate like you're sanding down a car. And then he did his own version of a massage that mostly involved beating the crap out of my lower legs. I finally said, "you're not only hurting, you're making me mad!" He got that.
His mom did my nails. I'm a little vain of my fingernails, which grow strong, long and fast. His mom ignored my instructions and cut them all down to 1/4". I confess typing is somewhat easier! But my chubby hands need long nails to help them look more elegant. Now I've got these stubby fingernails in clear pink. Maybe she was setting me up for acrylic nails, which are a lot more $$$ for the vendor. But it didn't work; my nails will be looking okay in 7-10 days anyway.
It's wacky. The other patrons were interesting too. One woman couldn't stop her hysterical laughter at the way the guy exfoliated the bottoms of my feet. Seems she's ticklish by proxy. Anyway, that place is off my list now.