August 20 2008 - Features
Foot Shy
What do you do when you already offer great customer service and pampering, yet you can’t get those shy clients to take off their shoes and put their feet in your hands?
Although it might take more than a little cajoling, you can get those clients who are wary of exposing their feet into your pedicure chair. Here are a few ways to tiptoe around the situation and ultimately get those clients eager to show off their newly pedicured toes.
Explain the steps involved in the service. “Clients who are hesitant about getting a pedicure or have never had one feel more at ease if I explain each step of the pedicure process,” says Barbara Byrd Eve of Regency Nails at Looks Ahead Salon in West Chester, Ohio. For example, if she’s about to apply a liquid cuticle remover to a client’s toes, she tells the client that she will feel a cold sensation as she applies it. She also gives them an educational lesson on the benefits of each product she uses. “This in no way takes away from the pampering of the pedicure,” Eve assures.
Put them at ease. Some people have perfectly good feet but are just self-conscious because no one has ever touched them before, says Simmy Bredal-Bell, a nail tech at Nails by Simmy in Clearwater, Fla. That’s why Bredal-Bell uses laughter and a positive attitude to break the ice. She uses statements like, “I’ve seen some feet in my day and you’ve got nothing to worry about” to put clients at ease and to assure them that whatever hang up they have with their feet is probably quite common. “Some nail techs are repulsed by feet and believe me, the client can sense that,” Bredal-Bell says. “So we have to maintain a positive attitude and project that onto our clients.”
Privacy is a plus. If your pedicure chairs are in a private room, then you have an advantage. Giving your shy clients privacy makes it that much easier to perform a pedicure on them. If a pedicure chair is out in the open, to a client, that only invites more stares. With its cabana-style stations, Los Angeles-based l.a. vie l’orange gives clients their own secluded space. The cozy chairs can even be turned around to face the wall—perfect for those who would prefer to remain anonymous. Other salons use screens or curtains to separate their pedicure stations from the manicure area.