When is a pedi worth the money?

When is a beauty treatment worth it?

This is what I got to thinking on Thursday this week during a 
Cheeky* pedi with my baby sis. 

I rarely get pedicures, partly because I'm lucky enough to have a steady hand and regularly paint my nails and tootsies, but also because I often wonder whether they're worth the money? What seems to sway me in the end is a desire to just sit and be pampered!

But does pampering done well ever outweigh an under-par 
end result?

* Cheeky in both senses of the word ;)

Bliss!

Do come in 

I've visited Cheeky – the beauty parlour bit of Barber & Parlour on Redchurch St – twice before, both times to get manicures, and both were great. I really can't fault the staff or the location. The decor is really fun, has a 70's retro/Tracey Emin/old chemistry lab feel about it complete with neon signs and vintage stools. The pedi chairs were super comfortable if slightly too far from your neighbour to be able to hold a proper or private conversation (a real shame as I wanted to catch up with my sis).

All the staff we interacted with during out visit were noticeably welcoming and happy to chat which made such a difference. There's nothing worse than paying hard-earned money for a treatment only to be met with complete indifference or worse, a surly attitude (I've experienced both, many times, as I'm sure have you). 

The beautician who gave me my pedicure was refreshingly smiley, continually checking in with me throughout the treatment to see if I was comfortable, happy with the shape of my nails etc, which I really appreciated.

Introducing my baby sis (that's a bottle of 
water in the green bottle btw...not wine!)

How much are we talking?

You'll generally pay anywhere between £20 and £45 for a pedicure, depending on the location and venue. Cheeky charge £26, which, for the time I spent in the chair, felt about right. What was a shame though, and what prompted this post, was a disappointing end result.

What makes a perfect pedi?

I've had good and bad pedis before and this certainly wasn't bad...just not perfect. When you're paying £26 for someone to trim, shape, treat and paint your toes you generally want them to look even more brilliant than you could ever do yourself. But the evening of my pedi, checking my toes in the light, I noticed a few things I would have liked them to have done differently:

• My toe nails weren't symmetrically cut or symmetrically painted which gives the impression they're different lengths – toe nails are, of course, naturally different sizes but a good pedicurist will cut them and then paint them so that they appear the same size, excluding the big toe (obvs).
• I can still see remnants of my previous nail varnish – the colour I'd applied a few weeks ago, one of my summer faves, was still on when I arrived at my appointment (normally I'd remove it but forgot I still had it on). She spent time removing it prior to beginning the pedi but didn't get all of it off which meant it's still visible in several places, particularly at the sides of the nail and around the cuticle.
• The colour doesn't cover the whole nail – I know plenty of manicurists who leave a good 1mm gap or more between the edge of the varnish and the sides of each nail. This approach can look great on hands (particularly when you want to visibly elongate your nails), but when it comes to toenails I think painting right up to the edges of each nail works best. This avoids the nails looking too small. I also noticed last night upon closer inspection that the second coat doesn't quite cover the first, particularly on the big toe nails which is a shame.

What she did do brilliantly was the cuticle work which I find hard to do on myself. The foot scrub and massage were also lovely (although I was hoping for more of a leg massage than I got. Some places will massage right up to the knee which feels divine).

Avec flash

Sans flash

Something blue

In spite of a less than perfect pedi I loved the colour I went for; a stunning metallic deep purplely-navy called Sapphire So Good, £7 (looks midnight blue under flash).

3 tips to guarantee a great pedi:

1. Speak up – If you like a square, not so short nail, or for the smaller nails to appear roughly the same size, then say so! It helps to establish what you're after at the beginning. Don't assume they know what you like/want.
2. Be friendly – You don't need to be super chatty if all you actually want is to read a magazine or have a snooze but a smile goes a long way.
3. Opt for a shade you wouldn't normally wear – half the fun of having a pedicure is opting for something a little different. On my way to the salon I was half thinking about a lemon yellow shade but then decided against it as my right big toe is a bit bruised (I was worried a lighter colour would allow show through). As I ended up choosing a shade a world away from my usual Hollywood red or neon pink it felt extra special and in spite of the less than perfect application, I am loving the colour.

So there you have it. A pedi can be worth the investment but communication is key!

Do you have a favourite beauty treatment? Have you been disappointed in the past? What do you think is absolutely worth the money? I'd love to know...

Images: Barber & Parlour