Pedicures Can Give You a Foot Up

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f by some chance you picked up this copy NAILS and it didn’t have with it our special supplement on feet, e-mail me or send us a note so you can get one. At the risk of being repetitive, I’m going to tell you again why we’ve launched this special supplement (called NAILS & Feet) and why we think the pedicure business might just give the professional nail industry a shot in the arm. A good pedicure-in fact a good pedicure program—offers you or your salon a chance to give your clients something unique, something everyone else doesn’t have, and something clients can’t get elsewhere. Pedicures can solidify client loyalty because the service is particularly tied to the individual doing it. Unlike other nail care services, you can bring distinction to a pedicure that can turn a salon-hopping, client into one who won’t leave your chair.

The other business opportunity of pedicures is that they are a spa-type service, even if you’re not a spa. You can provide an entire menu of pedicures, everything from the Your Salon Name Pedicure (don’t call it a “basic pedicure”?) to the You’ll-Think-You-Died-and-Went-to-Heaven Foot Treatment. Sit you client in a comfy chair, give her something to drink and a set of headphones (or just put her in a quiet room), state rubbing her feet and…she’s all yours.

Sure, everyone already offers pedicures, even discount salons offer pedicures, but we’re suggesting you look at pedicures in a new way. We’re seeing salons start to specialize in pedicures—some even create entire rooms for foot care only. We’ve heard from many salons that it’s helped with tech retention as well and if you’re charging $35-$50 for a one hour service. You might be improving the profitability you get on nail care. Offering a range of pedicures, each one delightful in its own way, is one of the quick and easy steps a midlevel salon can take immediately to set itself apart from others.

So our supplement this month shows you some new products, demos ideas on workstation set-ups (trust me, if you’re going to be doing a lot of these, make sure you are as comfortable as the client), and massage techniques We’re planning a couple more of these special supplements, on this topic and others. We’d like to hear from our readers on techniques, services, and promotional ideas you’ve used to successfully build your pedicure business that we can share. We’ll send a little present to five readers who submit our favorite ideas…what better gift? A gift certificate for a new pair of shoes!