Nailing It...

A handy guide to a first-time man manicure.

Clean hands and nails are not only a matter of hygiene. There is nothing worse than a well-dressed man who hasn’t attended to his nails properly and whose sartorial efforts are undone by dirty, cracked or chewed fingernails (as well as dirty or scuffed shoes).

Aware of this, until earlier this year, I’ve always clipped or filed my nails myself. For me, a professional manicure was an unnecessary expense. Also, part of the disassociation was possibly how men with manicures are portrayed in film, usually as pimps or gangsters. Hopefully I’m neither!

Toes were more of a hit and miss affair being cut my myself as needed, rather than as part of a regular regime.

However, when my partner suggested that perhaps I could benefit from a manicure, I agreed, in part to please her, but also to be able to write something about the experience - albeit after some consideration. To be honest, I think her motivation might have been more driven to my having a pedicure as we men pay less attention to our feet and the damage our lower talons can inflict if not kept properly.

Somewhat nervously, I did a little research on local nail bars and made an appointment, for both a manicure and pedicure.

The process started with the feet which were placed in a warm foot bath in preparation for the pedicure.

After a few minutes soaking, the nail technician then treated each foot in turn, exfoliating and removing any dead skin before starting the pedicure. I was pleased to be told my feet were in good condition and not reflective of someone of my age.

Then the nails were cut and sanded before I was offered the option of having a clear varnish on them. Apart from being aesthetically pleasing, this also offers some protection for the nails.

Essentially the same process was repeated for the hands, with the difference being individual hand bowls to soak the hands rather than a foot bath. Again, I choose a clear lacquer for my hands.

The process itself was so simple and painless, it made me wonder why I had never done it before.

I’ve now returned several times to repeat the treatment and am pleased with the results.

As an aside, I was staying in New York recently, and a young lady commented on my manicured hands. So guys, women really do notice these things.