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Beware of the “Nail Salons”
If you are an American living in Italy or thinking about moving to Italy, or are even thinking about a girl’s trip in Italy and want to schedule a “spa day” a cherished ritual in American culture, there are a few things you need to be aware of before you book your appointment to get your nails done in Italy.
What we (American's) expect
For starters, In America, we really take for granted the “royal treatment” we get at the nail salons. A typical experience would be to walk right into the salon, when we want, without an appointment.
We would be greeted by beautiful chandeliers, the sweet smells of sugar scrubs, hundreds if not thousands of color choices in regular paint, gel polish, and dip.
Most likely we’d have a friend meet us there and sit side by side in our big comfy massage chairs that attach to a water bowl with bubbles for your feet. Heck, we might even ask for the private room, or bring a little girl with us to sit in the pretty pink chair that is the perfect size for a child to sit in and feel like a princess for the occasion.
There would be plenty of options for us to choose from, like “the regular” or we can pick our scented bath salts, lotions, and scrubs. The manicurist would offer us a glass of wine while we relax. There is WIFI to connect to, a tv to watch, and music playing in the background. We have it made!
After we have our toenails tended to, we get a glorious foot and leg massage and we can even include hot stones, wax, and then have our legs wrapped in a toasty towel.
As American’s, I think we can all agree that a date with a pedicure is one of the most luxurious treats and we leave feeling refreshed and with beautiful nails.
Let me be clear, Italy is wonderful for so many things….getting your nails done is NOT one of them. You will be sorely disappointed if you make an appointment for a pedicure in Italy and don’t do your research.
It’s mandatory to make a nail appointment
First things first, there is no such thing as a “walk-in.” That’s right, you must call and make an appointment ahead of time. You have to be a planner.
Many places are small, one-room studios, with one person (in my experience, Italian) that runs the show. Since there are no employees or maybe 1 part-time assistant, their datebooks fill up rather quickly and it is often a week to two before they can fit you in.
Nail Artists in Italy
These women are typically running a beauty salon, not a nail salon. Remember the one-room studio I was just telling you about? In one room, they have the supplies to do waxing, manicures, pedicures, massages, facials, etc. You are likely not going to have someone who does nails every single day, all day, for a living.
As a result, you will not have 10 recliner chairs lined up on a wall to share the experience with your friends, don’t even expect just 1 massage chair. Several of the appointments I went to had me climbing onto the wax table to lay down and have my feet put in a bowl of water. Thank God it wasn’t an hour-long appointment because the discomfort level was unreal.
Just to add a little more humor and reality to the article, I once got a Brazilian wax (if you don’t know what that is- we are talking ALL of the front and ALL of the back, ladies), a manicure, and a pedicure, and I was in and out the door in less than 40 minutes. You can imagine how traumatized I was getting all of the services at once laying on the wax table, nude from the waist down. True story.
PS- If you are one of my Italian estheticians, please know that I love you! I don’t mean any disrespect. It’s just totally different (as you’ve read) and the American people need to be warned! 🙂
“Pick your color!”
One of my favorite things to hear when I walk into an American nail salon. I love to take my time browsing through the variety of colors and try to decide what mood I am in. In Italy, they will hand you a small basket with polish, half of which looks like it’s out of the expiration date. Looking on the bright side- you know which color you will choose within approximately 30 seconds.
Don’t get me wrong, everyone I have tried in Italy has done a much better paint job than I could ever do, but it’s not perfect like it is at the average nail salon in America with immigrant workers who spend their entire lives invested in the nail department. They work so hard and deserve all of the credit in the world. I appreciate them so much and they are experts at what they do!
I’m just keeping it real, forget about variety and nail designs in Italy.
Nail Culture in Italy
After trying place after place, I asked my mother-in-law and friends “Why don’t I get a massage during my pedicure? It’s the best part! The reason I go, what I look forward to!”
They laughed because they have a totally different mentality when it comes to getting their nails done. They want to come in, get painted quickly, and get out the door as fast as possible. The desire to have pretty nails is still there but it’s all about being speedy and not wasting time there.
What a drag!
Funny Comments from fellow American's
I went on a Facebook group I’m in called “American’s Living in Italy.” I was searching in the group to see if anyone had better luck than me finding a nice pedicure in Italy. I just had to share some of the hilarious comments I found during the search:
“Got the worst pedicure of my life! Suggestions for a salon that is decent?”
“Where can you get a US-type pedicure? I’ve tried before and all they did was change the polish.”
“Just had my first pedicure here and it was…. Well, underwhelming. Put feet in a bowl of water for about two minutes, cut toenails, dry feet, and your off. Is that normal here?”
“Visiting the States currently and almost the first thing I did was get a lovely spa pedicure, lol!”
In response to my post in the group, looking for suggestions, I received a “good luck!” HAHAHAHA
Apparently, there are a few places in bigger cities but I can’t drive very far and they were all an hour or more away from my house!
I decided to take matters into my own (un-manicured) hands!
A solution for you
I decided if I’m not getting rubbed, I might as well save money and do my nails myself. The only problem is I’m not skilled at painting and regular polish on my nails only lasts for a day or so (I’m really hard on them!)
You may or may not have heard about Color Street– the easiest way to “paint your nails.” They are real nail polish strips with a base, color, design, and topcoat, in a super easy to apply nail strip (kind of like a sticker).
My Color Street nail strips have been a live saver for me because:
- I love my wild colors and designs (although they do include beautiful neutrals and even French manicures).
- I don’t have to drive anywhere to do them.
- They are fast & easy to apply (I’m talking 15 minutes of my time while my husband is driving the car or while I’m lying in bed at night.)
- They save me $ (If you have short nails, you can get 2 manicures and pedicures out of one pack. Cost- approx. $2/mani & $2/pedi)
- My polish lasts for 10-14 days on my hands!!!! It’s hard to believe but true!
For my readers in Italy
If you know about them and love them, I order them regularly to Italy and would be happy to ship them to you here (with a small extra cost to cover the shipping.) You can also join my Facebook page to learn more, get ideas, tips, and have some fun with freebies! If you would like to try it to see for yourself, fill out the form below with your name & email. I’m happy to send you a sample! 🙂 Click here to request to be in the group!
For my readers in the US & Canada
You can also join my Facebook page to learn more, get some samples, ideas, tips, and have fun with freebies but lucky for you… you can order directly from my website! Click here to go to my site.
Still want to find a nail salon in Italy?
Since I know I still enjoy a real pedicure from time to time, especially now that I’m pregnant and really love my feet rubbed, I found that you can actually search your area on google for Thai spas.
These are different than the Italian salons you will find online and are more similar to what you may be used to in the US.
I had my husband call and ask if they actually massage after they paint and they do! I was shocked!!
I actually found one in Brescia, where I live and they even have a massage chair! It’s not one that actually rolls into your back but it is a big, comfy, chair attached to a bowl for water and it does vibrate. There is only one of these in the entire spa so just know, you will probably be relaxing solo!
There still weren’t many colors to choose from but I typically come back home and apply a color street nail strip with glitter or a design over top of my big toenail for some extra fun!
I had my husband tell them the experience I was looking for and they even took my request of using hot stones. That’s a huge win in my book!
While it wasn’t the same with all of the treatments I usually look forward to, it was as good as it gets from all of my other experiences here! 🙂 I was pleased!
Comment Below
I’m always looking forward to hearing your horror/success stories at nail salons. Feel free to share your experiences below!
XOXOXO
