Beauty is Pain

Remember my New Year’s resolution to get my nails done at the beauty college? I went today. I was thinking of facials, and manicures and maybe a shampoo, an eyebrow waxing.
I got there and settled on a manicure and eyebrow wax.

Her name was Ruby. She waxed my eyebrows. Latina. I did not ask her where she was from. She was very self-confidant and did a wonderful job.
When I got into her booth she told me to lay down on the table. I did and she laid a towel over my chest. She held a mirror up to my face and said, "what do you want?"
I pushed the mirror away and said, "just clean it up. I don’t want anything fancy, thin, pointy or funny, just clean up my line". She did. It looks good and it feels good. I could see going back there once a week for that. The wax was warm and her hands were soft.
She got tipped $5 on a $5.50 procedure.

I was completely relaxed, if a bit puffy in the forehead area, and went out to get the manicure. Her name was Lan. Viet Namese. Cute as a button. No English at all other than "wash your hands", and "you sit here".
She starts the manicure without soaking my hand. She files back and forth. I stopped her and showed her how to file in one direction at a time. These are not acrylic nails, and you are shredding them, stupid. What are they teaching in beauty college these days?
She grabs me and starts clipping my fingernails to make them all even without asking if I like my nails with my pinky nail a little longer than the rest, which I do. No biggie, they grow back. She applies the cuticle softener with an orangewood stick and cotton and gets the nippers to start trimming my cuticle. First thing she does is jam that nipper right into my pinky finger and the blood begins to flow. Yes. I am bleeding. How do you say, "bio-hazard" in Viet Namese?
Two other students run up and they all begin speaking quickly. It doesn’t hurt but it looks pretty impressive. I cannot understand what they are saying, and I am laughing at the look of horror on poor Lan’s face. Finally I hear someone say "antiseptic!" I speak up. "Yes, some antiseptic would be a good idea, here." They all look at me confused. Not one word of English between them.

Lan was ushered out and a new one comes in. She was so tiny; she had to put a small STOOL on the CHAIR in order to reach my hands. She does not speak English either, but can say small talk phrases like "are you married?" and "how long have you lived here?". When I answer her chatty questions she looks at me all confused. Oh, jeez.
She gets busy with the file and I show her how to file in one direction. She retaliates by dragging the emery board across the top of my nails.
Excuse me, but shit, bitch! Why the hell would you do that?

Anyway the agony went on for a while longer and it was time for polish. I brought my own. A lovely shade of green. "Oh, oo, aahh", they all oohed and ahhed. Apparently green nail polish has not come up much in their little circle. She left me to dry, grabbed her bag and left.
She did not get tipped.

The last manicure I got there was nice (no blood) but there were two people working on me at the same time. I did not like that so much.

I will go back again, though.
I am going to need another eyebrow waxing in a week or so.