Should You Offer Pedicure Services?

-- LEONARDO DA VINCI, ITALIAN MASTER PAINTER, ENGINEER, & ARCHITECT

Our resident nail guru, Tracey Reierson, General Manager of Young Nails Inc., offers thoughts on the finer points of the humble pedicure. Are pedicures avoidable or a necessary part of your nail service menu? Regardless of whether you think feet are a masterpiece or a master mess, you may want to rethink your pedicure services. With the right pricing, a basic spa-like pedicure that includes a soak, therapeutic massage plus nail polish; might turn out to be a well planned set-it-and-forget-it money maker.

YES WAY OR NO WAY
Personally, I’m a person who loves giving pedicures. I have a high threshold for things that tend to gross most people out. It’s weird but fascinating. I follow people like Dr. Pimple Popper and the Meticulous Manicurist. Both specialize in helping people out of really unfortunate situations. Anyone can become really good at pedicures even if they aren’t into feet. Other than the odd and problematic ingrown toenail and fungal infection, it’s relatively low maintenance service. If you’re pricing it competitively, pedicures are 100% bankable.

BANK ON IT
Giving the client space to relax in the chair is the best part about pedicure services. Clients can be left to themselves and that’s part of the treatment! This is scheduled “Me” time for both parties.This gives the nail tech some time to slow down a little bit if their day has been hectic or take care of some other business like returning texts and phone calls or going to the bathroom. Every stage of the pedicure...the mask, the soak, the massage if priced right can earn you the same amount of money as a full set. Aromatherapy or exfoliation is an upcharge. Pedicures have always been a part of my original service plan. I didn’t graduate from a school that focused on artificial nails. So at first, offering pedicures helped me make up that price point difference. There is a lot of money in pedicures. Years ago, charging $95 for a basic pedicure was a common practice in the seaside community of San Luis Obispo, CA.

THE RIGHT SET UP
Having the right pedicure station is important. It doesn’t have to be a fancy built-in bench with a massage chair and a tricked out pedi sink. In some cases, you might be better with just a bowl. What truly matters is the presentation and comfort. Find a nice spa cart and comfortable chair. Voila! My cart had a specialized attachment to secure the bowl. I could roll right up to the client. I created bubbles with a bath bomb and poured the warm water from a beautiful pitcher that I filled from a shampoo station. Obviously, test it first to make sure it’s the right temperature. The other thing to keep in mind when you’re putting your pedicure station together is to make sure you don’t have to hunch over. It’s too hard on the body.

BABY YOU’RE A ROCKSTAR
Another pedicure treatment that has a low investment and big financial return is something called Rockstar Toes with glitter. In the early 2000s, glitter and gel polish on blinged out toes were huge. Waterless pedicures were also a popular nail trend, you used a heated towel with sanitizer followed by an exfoliation scrub. For a 10-15 minute pedicure service, you could really earn some serious money. Again to make sure there are no surprises, you must always communicate about when you are heading into upcharge territory. Some clients want the basic pedicure and the Rockstar Toes. Just remember that these are two separate services. There’s no discount or BOGO. If you look at our YouTube channel, there are videos of this technique mentioned here and more.

**This is an adaptation from our YN Biz Talk playlist on YouTube, BIZ TALK: SHOULD YOU OFFER PEDICURE SERVICES?

***Follow our YN YouTube Channel and click here to watch the full discussion: