With warm weather becoming more consistent, it’s time to bust out the leather sandals and bare your toes once again. If you’re like most guys, we’re guessing that your feet are less-than-summer-ready.
While you could take care of your cracked heels and overgrown toenails at home, there is a strong case to be made for getting a male pedicure. Getting your feet taken care of by a professional is amazing and can provide some surprising health benefits to boot.
If you’re hesitant to embrace the so-called “man pedicure,” you aren’t alone. That’s why we’re hoping to demystify pedicures for guys and explain exactly why you need this particular beauty treatment.
Before we dive in, here are three things you need to know about getting a pedicure as a guy:
- Pedicures can help lower stress and improve mental well-being.
- Pedicures are far more than just pampering. They can also get rid of calluses and improve overall foot health.
- No one is going to revoke your “man card” if they see you in a beauty salon.
Why Every Guy Needs a Pedicure
“I don’t need my feet to look pretty” is a common reasoning amongst guys who don’t want to get a pedicure. This is a gross understatement of the purpose of a pedicure.
The goal of a pedicure isn’t necessarily to get pampered and end up with good-looking feet. Here are some benefits of pedicures that extend beyond the physical appearance of your feet.
Better Foot Hygiene: Think about it: Your feet are always touching the ground. Do you know how much bacteria resides in the ground?
The answer: Millions. In a 2005 study published in Science, researchers discovered that there were millions—not thousands, as researchers previously thought—of species of bacteria in the Earth’s soil (see claim: “More than one million distinct genomes occurred in the pristine soil…”)
We could all use a pedicure to clean up the dead skin that’s harboring who knows how much bacteria. Eliminating the dirt and bacteria from the skin will also go a long way in preventing fungi and other nail diseases.
Lowers Stress: With their relaxing massage chairs and pampering, regular pedicures can lower your stress and may even reduce your risk of a heart attack. According to a 2012 study published in the American Journal of Cardiology, people who reported feeling stressed and anxious were 27 percent more likely to have coronary heart disease (see claim: “…risk ratio of 1.27…for the magnitude of the relation between high perceived stress and incident CHD.”)
It’s Inexpensive: Pedicures are relatively inexpensive, with prices ranging from $20-$35. Think about it: You get your feet cleaned, scrubbed, filed and massaged for a quarter of the price you’d pay for, say, a full-body massage.
What to Expect
While every beauty salon is different, it generally goes down the same way. The first thing you’ll do is sit down in one of the salon’s comfy chairs and wait as your pedicurist fills a tub with warm, bubbling water.
As you wait for the water to fill, you can look over the salon’s offerings and choose between various types of pedicures. Your options can range from athlete-specific pedicures to spa-like pedicures that use hot stones to massage your feet and calves.
Once you’ve chosen your desired pedicure, the real pampering can begin. Here is what you can expect from your first pedicure as a guy.
- Soak. As your feet soak in the warm water, sit back and relax. Soaking your feet will also help prime the tough skin on your feet for the next step: Exfoliation.
- Exfoliation. If you use a face scrub at home, then you probably know the benefits of exfoliation. In a pedicure, your feet will get to reap the same benefits—namely, sloughing off dead skin cells to reveal smoother, healthy-looking skin. Your pedicurist will exfoliate your feet one at a time, gently massaging it into your skin. Be sure to roll up your pant leg so the pedicurist can get up to your calf as well.
- Buff and File. Some people only need their feet lightly buffed, while others get the cheese grater treatment. Don’t be embarrassed by this. If your pedicurist takes out a huge foot shaver and starts filing away at your feet, you’ll be so glad to get rid of all that dead skin when it’s all said and done.
- Moisturize. After your feet are patted dry, your pedicurist will moisturize your feet and your calf. This part doubles as a massage because they need to work the moisturizer into your skin.
- Trim Nails. Finally, your pedicurist will trim your nails and cut away dead skin around the toes. They will also push back your cuticles and apply cuticle oil to leave them nourished and hydrated.
Don’t Be Afraid to Embrace Self-Care
From getting regular facials to leveling up their eyebrow game, more guys are finally beginning to embrace the world of self-care. It no doubt helps that many professional athletes such as LeBron James unashamedly post pictures of themselves on social media getting pampered with pedicures.
If you've never gotten a pedicure before, don’t put it off until summer is officially over. Once you experience the benefits for yourself, you’ll wonder why you didn’t do it sooner.
