Pedicure step by step

[PaigeRosexxx]

Hi can anyone give some ideas on how to make my usual pedi routine better or does it sound ok? I know so many people do it different. Just want to make sure all of my treatments are to the highest standard.

• Look at feet for any contraindications, remove polish if needed, sanitise feet
•Fill up pedi bowl, soak one foot. I cut/file the other foot and do cuticle work. Put other one in bowl and repeat on other foot.
• Use my foot grater(rasp) and exfoliate cream on other foot then soak the other one and repeat on other foot.
• Put both feet in to soak whilst I get the chosen colour and make them a drink if wanted
• Massage before regular polish on other foot then buff and put tissue in between toes. Repeat on other foot and remove bowl.
• Dehydrate nails then paint.
• Massage after gel polish.

Does this sound ok?

 

[user 111574]

Yes, all fine, no problem there.

I personally soak both feet together at the beginning as I find it softens the nail for easier cutting.

 

[TheDuchess]

I also pop both feet in to soak asap. I don’t offer drinks any more but when I did, I made it straight away whilst the feet were soaking and client was choosing colours.

I take one foot out to remove the polish and I cut toenails and do cuticles if they don’t need more soaking, otherwise I return it to soak and take the other foot out. I buff the nails as part of the cutting and filing routine. The second foot gets the works finishing with a scrub then returns to the bowl. The first foot then gets finished off, rinsed and then I remove the bowl.

I pick up the first foot, massage if normal polish, dehydrate, tissue round toes and apply base coat. Repeat on 2nd foot. Finish colour application on both feet.

If gel, I pick up one foot, tissue, dehydrate etc, keep that foot and gel polish that foot first: base, colour, top coat. Repeat with second foot. Finish with massage.

I try to avoid asking the client to swop feet constantly as it’s not relaxing, it wastes time and gets you soaked.

 

[PaigeRosexxx]

I also pop both feet in to soak asap. I don’t offer drinks any more but when I did, I made it straight away whilst the feet were soaking and client was choosing colours.

I take one foot out to remove the polish and I cut toenails and do cuticles if they don’t need more soaking, otherwise I return it to soak and take the other foot out. I buff the nails as part of the cutting and filing routine. The second foot gets the works finishing with a scrub then returns to the bowl. The first foot then gets finished off, rinsed and then I remove the bowl.

I pick up the first foot, massage if normal polish, dehydrate, tissue round toes and apply base coat. Repeat on 2nd foot. Finish colour application on both feet.

If gel, I pick up one foot, tissue, dehydrate etc, keep that foot and gel polish that foot first: base, colour, top coat. Repeat with second foot. Finish with massage.

I try to avoid asking the client to swop feet constantly as it’s not relaxing, it wastes time and gets you soaked.

Can I ask why you do one foot at a time surely it’s quicker to do one layer whilst the other is curing?
Also what do you do when the clients feet are soaking at first, is it for a while they are soaked?
Thanks for your reply though It is interesting to see different ways x

 

[TheDuchess]

I get both feet into the bowl pronto while colours are being discussed and then I have one foot soaking whilst the other foot is being worked on.

For gel I keep the foot on my lap and hover the lamp over the toes. It’s only 30 seconds and by keeping hold of the foot I save time switching legs. It feels much more restful for the client. I do a nice pedi in 45 minutes including gel so it doesn’t add to the time and the client doesn’t feel rushed.

 

[PaigeRosexxx]

I get both feet into the bowl pronto while colours are being discussed and then I have one foot soaking whilst the other foot is being worked on.

For gel I keep the foot on my lap and hover the lamp over the toes. It’s only 30 seconds and by keeping hold of the foot I save time switching legs. It feels much more restful for the client. I do a nice pedi in 45 minutes including gel so it doesn’t add to the time and the client doesn’t feel rushed.

Thanks for your reply. I always struggle with soaking first as sometimes the clients are awkward and choose a colour really fast , don’t want a drink and don’t want to chat so I feel like an idiot just sat there whilst they are soaking. What do you do if this happens?

 

[Kyralouise]

Thanks for your reply. I always struggle with soaking first as sometimes the clients are awkward and choose a colour really fast , don’t want a drink and don’t want to chat so I feel like an idiot just sat there whilst they are soaking. What do you do if this happens?

Personally I take a quick break, toilet, drink, food. I love pedicures for this reason

 

[ajane]

I get both feet into the bowl pronto while colours are being discussed and then I have one foot soaking whilst the other foot is being worked on.

For gel I keep the foot on my lap and hover the lamp over the toes. It’s only 30 seconds and by keeping hold of the foot I save time switching legs. It feels much more restful for the client. I do a nice pedi in 45 minutes including gel so it doesn’t add to the time and the client doesn’t feel rushed.

Wow, 45mins, I take 90mins. I think I’m overdoing it.
What do you get done in the 45mins?
I’d love to reduce my time.

 

[ajane]

Inspired by the posts I spent the day practicing a different routine and managed to do everything pre polish in 30mins, might not work on neglected feet but it’s a big improvement .

 

[RosieR]

Inspired by the posts I spent the day practicing a different routine and managed to do everything pre polish in 30mins, might not work on neglected feet but it’s a big improvement .

That's good to hear about your timings and well done ! Some very easy clients are quicker than others but you will become familiar with them individually and then you will be able to consider just how much time you need to allocate.
Some of my clients are done in 40 minutes.

I allow an hour in my diary so there is no rush, but you set your timings as you please. New clients may need longer because I am "Getting to know their feet!" This is when your pre-appointment consultation is invaluable as I discussed with you on another pedicure related post.

 

[ajane]

That's good to hear about your timings and well done ! Some very easy clients are quicker than others but you will become familiar with them individually and then you will be able to consider just how much time you need to allocate.
Some of my clients are done in 40 minutes.

I allow an hour in my diary so there is no rush, but you set your timings as you please. New clients may need longer because I am "Getting to know their feet!" This is when your pre-appointment consultation is invaluable as I discussed with you on another pedicure related post.

Thank you RosieR

 

[RosieR]

Thanks for your reply. I always struggle with soaking first as sometimes the clients are awkward and choose a colour really fast , don’t want a drink and don’t want to chat so I feel like an idiot just sat there whilst they are soaking. What do you do if this happens?

I don't know if it's me , but I do physically wash their feet during the initial soak..... with baby soap as well as the foot bath solution. It is something I have done since my college training. You know as if I am washing the toes of my babies and my elderly clients who can't get to their feet.
That leaves no room for being awkward and feeling like it's a pointless time. Surely chatting generally about any mortal thing that comes to mind is also what you can do. Some of my clients could talk the hind legs off a dog, but others are silent and enjoy the special moment of physical cleansing.

 

[ajane]

I don't know if it's me , but I do physically wash their feet during the initial soak..... with baby soap as well as the foot bath solution. It is something I have done since my college training. You know as if I am washing the toes of my babies and my elderly clients who can't get to their feet.
That leaves no room for being awkward and feeling like it's a pointless time. Surely chatting generally about any mortal thing that comes to mind is also what you can do. Some of my clients could talk the hind legs off a dog, but others are silent and enjoy the special moment of physical cleansing.

That sounds lovely

 

[ajane]

I don’t wash their feet although when washing off the scrub I do so .

 

[TheDuchess]

I don’t wash the feet in any obvious way, but they do get thoroughly cleaned - I make sure I’ve worked all around the toes as some of my clients can’t do this for themselves.

I get cracking as soon as the polish is chosen, take a foot out of the soaking water, remove polish, cut toe nails and pop it back in. By this time the second foot is properly soaked. I do the second foot all the way through and then finish off the first foot.

I personalise what I do to each client. Some cuticles need a good soak, others don’t. I only use a foot file if there’s hard skin and I’ll use the foot file over the scrub if there’s lots of hard skin. I’ve got two types of grit for my foot file - I’ll match it to the feet. Sometimes I pop the foot in for a second soak after a bit of a scrub, other times that’s not necessary.

I do a very good treatment but I don’t feel any pressure to perfect neglected feet in a first visit. I’ll discuss aftercare and the benefits of regular pedis. I had one older lady whose dreadful toe nails were gradually tamed over the best part of a year. She was thrilled with the improvement (she used to see a chiropodist every month - goodness knows what they were doing). She came in one day, clutching 4 carrier bags of shoes “Look” she said in delight “I used to have to buy the only pair they had in my size, now I can wear anything, so I bought the whole shop!” It turned out that the poor lady had been forced to buy size 9’s (continental size 42/43) because of her rams horn toenails, I’d got her down to a size 7 (40).

In my 45 minute pedi I’ll include a scrub and a foot file as well as cuticle work but I only massage for about 3 minutes a foot- enough to get a really good product into the skin. I offer a luxury pedi with longer massage (I’m a reflexologist and an advanced massage therapist) and I want my clients to upgrade to the full hour pedi - so I make sure they know what they’re missing by demonstrating my skills.

I keep an eye on the time and I move on to stay on schedule. I use good products and let them do the work rather than exhausting myself unnecessarily. Imagine if you were cleaning an burnt pan and you just scrubbed away at one spot before moving on to the next section - it would take ages. Nor do you need to soak your pan for ages and ages. You can work on the whole pan, using the right tools and products to get the burn down to a thin level quite quickly and then work systematically to get a good result in a minimum of time. I take the same approach to feet!.

If when I’ve finished, they aren’t as good as I would like, I explain how much difference nightly application of hand cream will make. I discuss footwear and barefoot habits - one of my ladies drives barefoot so I told her to get a soft mat for her car footwell. I praise any improvement. My clients are thrilled and grateful.

(If you take ages, there is a risk the client either thinks you’re incompetent or feels humiliated).

 

[ajane]

I don’t wash the feet in any obvious way, but they do get thoroughly cleaned - I make sure I’m worked all around the toes as some of my clients can’t do this for themselves.

I get cracking as soon as the polish is chosen, take a foot out of the soaking water, remove polish, cut toe nails and pop it back in. By this time the second foot is properly soaked. I do the second foot all the way through and then finish off the first foot.

I personalise what I do to each client. Some cuticles need a good soak, others are don’t. I only use a foot file if there’s hard skin and I’ll use the foot file over the scrub if there’s lots of hard skin. I’ve got two types of grit for my foot file - I’ll match it to the feet. Sometimes I pop the foot in for a second soak after a bit of a scrub, other times that’s not necessary.

I do a very good treatment but I don’t feel any pressure to perfect neglected feet in a first visit. I’ll discuss aftercare and the benefits of regular pedis. I had one older lady who’s dreadful toe nails were gradually tamed over the best part of a year. She was thrilled with the improvement (she used to see a chiropodist every month - goodness knows what they were doing). She came in one day, clutching 4 carrier bags of shoes “Look” she said in delight “I used to have to buy the only pair they had in my size, now I can wear anything, so I bought the whole shop!” It turned out that the poor lady had been forced to buy size 9’s (continental size 42/43) because of her rams horn toenails, I’d got her down to a size 7 (40).

In my 45 minute pedi I’ll include a scrub and a foot file as well as cuticle work but I only massage for about 3 minutes a foot- enough to get a really good product into the skin. I offer a luxury pedi with longer massage (I’m a reflexologist and an advanced massage therapist) and I want my clients to upgrade to the full hour pedi - so I make sure they know what they’re missing by demonstrating my skills.

I keep an eye on the time and I move on to stay on schedule. I use good products and let them do the work rather than exhausting myself unnecessarily. Imagine if you were cleaning an burnt pan and you just scrubbed away at one spot before moving on to the next section - it would take ages. Nor do you need to soak your pan for ages and ages. You can work on the whole pan, using the right tools and products to get the burn down to a thin level quite quickly and then work systematically to get a good result in a minimum of time. I take the same approach to feet!.

If when I’ve finished, they aren’t as good as I would like, I explain how much difference nightly application of hand cream will make. I discuss footwear and barefoot habits - one of my ladies drives barefoot so I told her to get a soft mat for her car footwell. I praise any improvement. My clients are thrilled and grateful.

(If you take ages, there is a risk the client either thinks you’re incompetent or feels humiliated).

Thanks, wow that’s a wonderful story about your elderly lady!
I do have a few committed clients who come super regularly and are excited with their improvements, I love them!
All of that’s really helpful thankyou and I agree with taking too long..I feel incompetent!
I offer a few different pedicures, it’s the full luxury one with hard skin removal that I get caught up on and when their cuticles are hard horns and cemented on. I spend too much time fussing around over that and not on the lovely massage. Too much in and out of water.
I also offer paraffin wax and callus peeling and one without the hard skin which I can do in a normal-ish time!
Thank you so very much for spending time answering my query so thoroughly. It’s so caring and supportive.
I’ve always worked solo since training and find myself questioning my efficiency and routine constantly. I know I can create more flow in my work. It’s easy to keep doing the same unhelpful habits over and over without a colleague there to bounce ideas off or unless I step back and try another way. I’m always watching YouTube videos to see where I might tweek different treatments and upgrade & refresh my knowledge.
Thanks to you and RosieR this weekend I’ve totally turned my pedicure around.
Heartfelt thanks to both of you.

 

[TheDuchess]

You’re very welcome. I’m constantly learning off colleagues.

I’ve never forgotten a work experience student doing a pedicure on me. I’d told her to have two tissues on her pedi set up tray, and I could only see one. I said nothing and to my surprise she split the tissues into two single ply sheets. This gave her two tissues.

Do you know, I’ve NEVER thought to do that, and I’ve since tried it and it works (and feels very comfortable).

There’s always a way to refine your system and learning is two way. By thinking about what I do, and why, I improve and develop too!