Pedicure from Heaven

There are moments in life that until you have them you don’t know what you were missing.  And once they occur, you know the bar has been raised and there is
no going back. On vacation, my sister-in-law and I decided to treat ourselves to
a manicure-pedicure at a Nail Spa (nothing fancy) near the Target and give our
girls the polish option (less expensive than a full mani-pedi but still fun).

Fashion on a budget, ladies. Stay tuned for MORE on that topic.

I realized about halfway through the pedicure that my sister-in-law wasn’t
getting nearly the treatment I was. YES, the person doing the pedicure can make
all the difference in whether you come out with pretty toes or walking on a
cloud – with pretty toes.

Come with me into that moment. Imagine sitting down in a chair with vibrating
rollers that massage from your neck to your thigh. You pick up your magazine as you
are invited to place your feet in a swirling, freshly-filled warm water bath.
Moments later, you are asked to put one foot up on the step where your foot is
washed, shaved, massaged almost to the point of pain and scrubbed with an
incredible body wash with grit in it to get in all the pores. The soothing smell
wafts up to your nose and relaxes your mind.

Meanwhile, your sister-in-law is looking around wondering where her
pedicurist went. You look over with a dreamy smile and shrug and whisper a
silent "sorry."

But, back to you because despite your children running around in wet
toenails, this really is your moment. It’s all about you. Your hands are coated
in lotion, bagged and placed in warmers. Your feet are dipped in warm soft pink
paraffin wax, bagged, cooled and then peeled away like fresh flower petals,
leaving a soft airy feeling all over the skin. You don’t even notice the fire
ant bites above your right toes from wearing flip flops around your mother’s
farm. (Okay, this might be getting too specific but stick with me.)

Kids are now running around with wet fingernails. You hope their toenails
are dry. Oops, too much worry. Back to walking on air. The pedicurist is
brushing little vertical coats of white on the ends of your toenails and then
touching it up with a pointed Q-tip and fingernail polish remover to create the
perfect French manicure edge. Two final clear coats go on, the hand warmers
are removed and you are whooshed over to manicuring station. A quick and
professional job is done, no frills, and you are out of there.

Back to life and "Mom, what’s for dinner?"

So, my advice to you is: if you find a good pedicurist, stick with him or
her. And if you live in Charlotte, NC, I will be happy to tell you where this
guy works and which one he is. I believe he was so good because of his focused
commitment to MY feet. He shaved and sanded off every extra piece of skin,
massaged the heck out of my feet and added the paraffin dip that just sealed the
deal. I now have a new pilgrimage when I go visit my mother (after Dean &
Deluca’s coffee shop)!

Sarah blogs daily at Genesis Moments.