From Tweet to Beverly Hills: How Footnanny Found Fame

It can be said that Gloria Williams has a “gift of touch,” which she attributes to her mother, a Southerner who believed in the healing approach of oils and holistic medicine. Williams grew up mimicking her mother, and when she went to nail school she was shocked to find that no one was excited to work with feet. Since then, Williams has made a name for herself as a foot care specialist saying that “Footnanny begins where the pedicure ends,” dubbing her products and services as “Wellness beyond a pedicure.”
For Williams, it’s the feet, not the eyes, that are the window to the soul. Her treatment combines reiki, Thai massage, and reflexology to work pressure points within the feet. She tells me about a client who struggled to get pregnant — until she experienced one of Williams’ signature services. As I sit in her chair and she treats my feet, she knows just by touching the pressure points that I am under stress and experience lower back pain every now and then. Once she knows what’s ailing me, she begins to work her magic, wrapping my legs in ACE Bandages so that the pores can open up and detox. She drizzles olive oil to hydrate the skin naturally. She explains that one of the reasons she set her sights on Beverly Hills, Calif., is because she knew her services were something different that a Los Angeles clientele would want exclusively.

Williams is the only nail tech at Anastasia Beverly Hills, the salon best known for its brow work. She works at this location three times a week and takes private clients on the weekends. Her 2,000 and 5,000 Strokes Footnanny services are tailored to meet each client’s needs, lasting 90 (Footnanny2000) and 180 minutes (Footnanny5000). Both services include a spa pedicure, and the Footnanny5000 includes a spa manicure. These high-end services are popular because they don’t just treat hands and feet, they are meant to relax feet to the knees, and fingertips to elbows for more extensive pampering.
It was this specialized attention to the feet that propelled Williams from being just a Chicago-based nail tech to the Footnanny. Williams worked at HARPO Studios for three years, and once Oprah Winfrey experienced one of Williams’ services the rest was history. Winfrey suggested Williams brand herself and even Tweeted about her magic touch in 2011, officially putting Footnanny on the map. Because of Winfrey’s endorsement, Williams believes all nail professionals should seek out mentors who can help you achieve your goals.

Williams is currently busy knocking out several of her own goals, including the launch of a Footnanny app, consulting, and promoting her Footnanny line. Her app allows users to book spa parties, shop Footnanny products, or choose music for their Footnanny service via a custom playlist. Williams also partners with mobile techs so they can be booked for mobile services through her app.
Footnanny is proof that things have changed for nail techs. We live in a time and age where a Tweet can change the course of a career and a manicurist can have her own downloadable app. While technology and social media in particular have helped Williams, she maintains a strong connection to her roots. Although many services today are about getting clients in and out of the salon quickly, she stands firm with her Footnanny philosophy, learned from her mom. “When you rush, it’s not right,” she says, “It all comes from back then.”

The Footnanny Signature Service