First Pedicure

Y'all know how much I enjoy pedicures.  Some things I'm willing to do myself. My toes is not one of them.  So the university hosted a luncheon for all the foreign teachers one afternoon.  I met Valerie, a lovely French-Vietnamese lady who taught at Jiatong last year.  She is currently working on a Masters Degree about some Chinese author, and lives nearby with Michael.  He is my English writing mentor, from Boulder, Colorado--One of those retired single American men who finds a "Chinese" girlfriend/sweetie.

Anyway, I mentioned to Valerie that I needed a pedicure and that I was considering riding a bus to the international mall in hopes of a successful experience.  She promptly offered to make me an appointment right in our own neighborhood. Done deal!  Wednesday morning when I met her, she hedged about whether this place would remove or re-apply the product to my toes.  But off we went. She found a nail salon that removed my toenail polish for 10RMB ($1.60).  Then we went two doors away where they soaked my feet ( in tea?). They were pretty nervous about the bandage on my ankle, but I assured them it didn't hurt.  Then the fellow pulled out a sharp scalpel-like knife and promptly sliced off my toenails.  I held my breath, but there was no blood.  He just started at one corner of each toe, and sheared off the nail to the other corner!

Next I got a great foot massage, which was very welcome on my aching feet.  Then they brought a hot towel and washed up my toes.  Finally, they rubbed my feet with some oil to soften them up.  All for 35RMB (less than $6.00).  I could have gone back to the nail salon and had them paint my toes (with my product, or theirs) but I elected to go home and make sure my nails weren't jagged.  They weren't, so I painted my own toes.  But next time I'm going back to the nail salon to finish the job!  It wasn't the mall spa, but it was in the neighborhood, and the price was right!