If you need your nails painted in South Delta, you will never be without choice. Manicures, pedicures and beauty treatments are clearly popular in our affluent community. Some people scoff at these spas and salons and dismiss them as indulgence that cater to the spoilt.
Think again. If you peel back the layers of a nail salon you may discover what I have: more than pampering, nail salons provide a real service to our community.
My salon is usually busy with lots of activity. Customers are a cross-section of young and old, rich and working class, mothers and daughters, gal pals and professionals.
The aestheticians I see are Vietnamese. They are hard-working, friendly and very tight knit. They are also very compassionate and patient, and they have to be as they are working with people’s most intimate parts, feet and hands.
Sitting with my feet in a tub of water I have plenty of time to look around and I have seen some touching moments that throw aside all the clichés about nail salons.
A woman escorts her husband into the salon and it’s obvious he has advanced dementia. The manager rushes to guide him to his chair and tells the woman to take an hour’s respite while they give him a much-needed pedicure. He mumbles incoherently in his chair as his feet are cared for in the gentlest way.
A shy young man with a pronounced limp and a cane enters the salon. He’s looking for some foot care, something he clearly cannot do himself. He is awkward and self-conscious, but soon made at ease.
An elderly gentleman sits beside me. He has such hard, long toenails they have to be ground down. He’s a little self-conscious when the nail grinder starts up, but we nod and smile at each other.
A chatty lady to my right struggles to get out of her chair after having her toes and fingers painted with sparkles. She struggles to get her shoes on by herself and whispers to me she’s recently had a stroke. A giant green shoe horn appears and she laughs as she’s helped gently into her shoes by an attentive young woman.
Three beauticians patiently fuss over a woman whose daughter is getting married. She’s brought a sample of her dress and they help her choose just the right matching colour with the intensity of high powered CEOs.
These are small but significant scenes. Our seniors, the physically and mentally challenged and the stressed need help with self-care along with tenderness and compassion. For some it may be the only time they are touched.
Cosmetology is an age-old tradition. Women and men have been enhancing themselves for centuries, but it’s also therapeutic and immensely important for health and self-worth. The next time you pass a nail salon there may be more going on behind closed doors than you imagined.
Ingrid Abbott is a freelance broadcaster and writer who makes sure her feet are sandal season ready and encourages others to do the same.
