Nail Salon Anxiety
I have a confession - I am a 34-year-old woman and I was a nail salon virgin until late last year. Although I had, had one manicure prior to this, it was for my wedding and done at a day spa so not at all the same thing.
My first time at a nail salon was a learning experience for me to say the least. Although my nails ended up looking the best they had ever had and I wondered why the f*ck haven’t I had a professional do these before? It was promptly followed by my anxiety rapidly rising through the roof!
Why?….Let me (try to) explain.
Well, in one word it was awkward.
I was confused at multiple times throughout the near one-hour experience. I felt clueless, like, well I guess like someone who had never had their nails done before.
This is why.
The Nail Salon
The anxiety started building as soon as I walked through the door. My surroundings were unfamiliar, the nail technicians spoke in a nail specific language I needed a translator for. They asked me questions I did not know the answers to because put simply, I didn’t know what they were asking.
I am sorry but WTF is Shellac? Or SNS? Is this like a raunchy type of nail service- the S&M of fingers?
So, before they had even looked at my nails I was already starting to regret my decision.
2. The Process
Once I had sat down at the table I had no idea what I was doing, no idea where to look, no idea where to put my hands, my fingers, no idea how to even think.
Although the technician was very polite (and patient) I still felt there were times she really wished to just grab my hands, so she didn’t have to continually ask me to move them or put them in water, or near a fan.
The other part of the process that was almost unbearable was choosing which colour I wanted my nails. After being handed five fans of plastic strips with fake nails, each with a different colour at the end and was asked to choose just one from the hundreds that I was trying to sift through with one hand while the other was being worked on involved coordination and swift decision making, both skills I do not possess.
In general, I am a person who reads a lot into situations, sometimes I may ready things that are not even there (don’t tell my husband I said this), I think a lot in my head and think about what others think of me, sometimes I may get a tad carried away.
This ‘Shona Brain’ happens in 99% of situations and my visit to the nail salon was no exception.