When I heard a new nail salon was opening up on the corner of 7th and High, I just knew I had to check it out. Toe-tally Beautiful Salon is a nail salon that focuses solely on pedicures, a fact that I found a little off-putting to begin with.
It seemed odd that anyone would open a nail salon without the option of a classic mani-pedi. When I walked in, I was immediately shocked by the startling amount of foot-related imagery plastered on the walls. Framed pictures of feet, presumably of previous clients, cover the walls floor to ceiling, and sculptures of the appendage are scattered throughout the salon, some nearly five times as large as the average foot. After taking in my surroundings, I was greeted by a very friendly young woman, who guided me to the back for the pedicure.
I first grew concerned when I noticed that there was only one chair in the room. Once I was seated, my pedicurist entered the room and introduced himself as the owner, William. As he began the pedicure, all was normal. We had some polite conversation, I asked him how business was going so far, how he liked Columbus, etc. This is when I began to suspect that this highly individualized foot-centric experience was not created for the benefit of the client, but to satisfy the desires of William.
After I asked what he likes about his job, William spent the remainder of the pedicure discussing how much he loved feet. He went on and on about seeing feet, touching feet, washing feet, scraping feet, painting feet, lotioning feet. Truthfully, it was upsetting to hear. It surprises me how open he was about his fetish, considering how many people would kinkshame him for it and the loss of customers that it likely causes. Maybe he only talked about it because I asked, but it kinda seemed like he would have spilled the beans to anyone who would listen.
But then, the pedicure was finished. I looked down at my feet and the results were shocking. My feet were glistening. My nails were popping. I felt my skin and it was smoother than smooth jazz. The design on my nails was intricate and delicate, yet perfected down to the last detail. My callouses were snatched, my dead skin removed, and any insecurities I had about the appearance of my feet went the way of Amelia Earhart as she flew over the Bermuda Triangle they disappeared, friends.
