In our May issue, we are running a story called “50 Things Your Clients Wish You Knew.” In it, real clients shared with NAILS the good, the bad, and the ugly of what they think of their nail techs and salon visits.

We got the idea for the piece from PostSecret, an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on postcards.

A little background: In November 2004, Frank Warren handed out 3,000 postcards to strangers. He invited people to write down a secret anonymously and mail it to him. Each secret had to be true and something that had never been shared with another person. These initial secrets were exhibited in Washington, D.C., later that year. After the first exhibition closed, word of the project spread. People began crafting their own homemade postcards and the artful secrets began arriving from every continent.

Today, Warren has received more than 150,000 postcards and they continue to come at a rate of about 1,000 per week. Four books have been published filled with these secrets. They are fascinating to read. It’s like snooping into someone else’s life.

So, do you think you know what your clients are thinking?

“My tech doesn’t know I am a nail tech. I can’t tell her because I work in another salon. I watch her when she applies acrylic so I can learn her secrets.”

“Sometimes people just want to sit and relax and not have to carry on a conversation.”

“I’m afraid the staff talks about me when I’m gone.”

“I’m grateful they let me bring my kids because it’s really hard to find a babysitter.”

“I can tell my nail tech stuff I can’t tell my husband.”

“Getting my nails done is better than therapy.”

Read more of your clients’ secrets in our May issue. Do you have an anonymous secret you’d like to share about your clients, coworkers, or the nail industry in general? Send your postcards to Hannah Lee, 3520 Challenger St., Torrance, CA 90503. Don’t forget to leave your name off it in case we want to use it in a future issue.

— Hannah