How to Book a Mother's Day Pedicure

A pedicure is essentially a manicure for the feet, and nothing makes a woman feel more pampered than having one. Afterward, your mother can show off her smooth, sleek feet and perfectly polished nails in those new, designer sandals she bought for Easter. Schedule a pedicure for Mother's Day to impress your mom with your thoughtfulness.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Credit card
• Mother's Day card

1. Evaluate your mother's preferences and potential level of comfort before you book a pedicure. Some women are embarrassed by the condition of their feet. You may want to choose a day spa, instead of a salon, for a more private experience.

2. Choose a basic pedicure. The salon will wash your mothers feet, file her nails and paint them. Sometimes this is also called an express pedicure.

3. Book a deluxe pedicure, which includes everything the basic pedicure does as well as a foot spa, scrub, massage and lotion.

4. Get a paraffin pedicure if you want the salon to dip your mom's feet in wax. This helps to soften the feet.

5. Call at least 2 weeks in advance to book the appointment.

6. Inform the salon if this is the first time your mother has had a professional pedicure.

7. Ask the facility to send a gift certificate showing the date and time, which you can include inside your Mother's Day card. Provide a map to the facility as an added courtesy.

8. Remind your mother to take her own bottle of nail polish to the appointment if she has a favorite but uncommon shade or type of polish. Salons provide polish as part of a pedicure, but they may not have the color or kind your mother prefers.

9. Advise your mother against wearing nylons. Not all salons provide changing rooms. Even when they do, nail polish may not dry completely for up to 2 hours, ruining both nylons and the new coat of polish.

10. Tell your mother to take a good book or her needlework with her to the appointment. A pedicure can take up to 1 hour if heel calluses and cuticles are thick or overgrown.

11. Advise your mother not to wear a short skirt, as her feet will be up in the air much of the time while the cosmetician grooms her feet and applies polish. Short skirts, revealing shorts and uncomfortably tight jeans may make the pedicure experience less pleasurable than you intended.

Tips & Warnings

• Remind your mother to wear open-toed sandals, as some formulations of nail polish can take 1 hour or more to dry completely.
• Some nail polish removers and nail polishes contain acetone, which can cause breathing difficulties, nose and throat irritation and dizziness. If your mother has experienced these issues in the past, request that the salon use acetone-free polish.
• Pedicures can involve a lot of heel sanding and pushing back the cuticles, and these procedures can cause mild discomfort. Prepare your mother for this possibility.