Definitely tip. If the manicurist is any good, he/she will give you a hand massage (don't think dirty) that will make you want to give them everything in your pocket. A manicure should cost between $12 and $15; french manicures a little more. I always ask them not to trim my cuticles because 1. It tends to make me bleed and 2. It causes some nasty hangnails.
Hope that helped...

they TRIM your CUTICLES? that makes me shudder. i do not want that.

I always manage to screw up a manicure within 2 days, once even in the parking lot. I've given up on them. It won't help with the nail biting but I'm a big fan of pedicures. The results last longer, you get a nice leg massage, and they're very relaxing. The spa experience is nice but I usually just go to one of the cheap places that take walk-ins. As far as the protocol, I don't know what to tell you -- I always feel like a total n00b and like I'm doing things wrong. (I only splurge on them a few times a year but all of the other women in there look like they have standing weekly appointments.) So, you might feel weird and out of place but just ignore it. And you'll definitely want to tip, preferably in cash, even if you put the rest of it on a card. Also, if you do go for the manicure option, make sure you make your money and subway pass or car keys all easily accessible before you sit down (some places even let you prepay), otherwise you might mess it up as you reach into your purse for your wallet. (Done that, too!)

becks, i love you. you are so practical. i never would have thought of the keys/wallet thing.

one thing i've never gotten down, not even at hair cut places - when do you tip? right after they finish you? after you pay at the register? do you walk back to the lady who did you and give the money to her, or leave it with the person at the register to pass on...i'm socially retarded, i know. but i just don't know this stuff.

I usually tip right before I leave (walk back to the lady who did my nails/cut my hair/whatever and hand her the cash directly). When you're getting a manicure, most places I've ever been the lady finds your keys/metro card/whatever for you in your purse so you don't mess up the nails. And be sure to stick around long enough for them to dry! And yes, I've always felt a little offput by the "I'm the only person in here who's not in here every 3 days" feeling, but it's worth it for the relaxing hand massage/general decadence of the experience in general.

I always feel kind of disoriented with the tip thing, too. At the place where I get my hair cut, you put your cash tips in little envelopes by the register with To and From lines and you drop your envelope into a little box. (They give you cash back for the tip if you're paying with a credit card.) Spas usually have the same system. At the cheap nail places, I usually just tip the girl in cash directly (either on my way to the register or I walk back). I don't know if that's the right thing to do but I see other people do the same thing and the cheap nail places are usually slightly shady-ish so I'd question if she'd really get the tip if I left it at the register.

Okay, so many things to weigh in on here.

1) Most decent nail salons will remind you to pay before they put the polish on your nails. You can start the manicure process of trimming and shaping your nails before you pay, then just pay them right before the polish goes on.

2) You should tip at the same time as you pay. At a hair salon, if you have to pay at the cashier, then walk back over and hand a tip to the stylist. You want to make sure they remember how much you gave them. Otherwise, there's not much point in tipping (the idea being that it's to ensure good service in the future). Unless you're at a super fancy spa where they give you envelopes to put cash in and then you drop it in the tip box -- if you get that, use the envelopes.

3) Becks, totally agree with you about the pedicure. I am much more likely to get a pedicure than a manicure because they last almost 3 times as long, and it's so nice to have soft feet. When I get manicures, the polish always chips off after like 2 days and looks terrible. So if you don't like that look, go with clear or nude polish on your fingers, and leave the color for your toes.

4) In my experience, the best places to go are the cheap nail salons run by Asian immigrants -- Korean, if at all possible, but Vietnamese or Thai women are also very accomplished in the nail arts. In L.A. I was accustomed to getting a great mani-pedi from lovely Korean ladies for $18 plus tip -- here in D.C. it seems to be more like $30.

5) To avoid getting the dread fungus -- Do not use those big pedicure spa seats with the vibrating massaging tub unless you see that they clean it out with disinfectant, and ask them not to cut your cuticles, but just to push them back. In a lot of states it's actually illegal to trim cuticles because of the health risk, but even in those places a lot of manicurists still try to do it because it makes your nails look so much neater when you leave the salon. But just ask them not to. It'll save you a lot of trouble, even if your cuticles won't look totally perfect.

6) The thing that always makes me feel out of place and uncomfortable, like Becks described (I get like, 4 pedicures a year), is that I never know when I'm supposed to put my feet back in the tub or not -- but just try to follow directions and not feel ashamed that you don't know -- at this point I really think most women go through the shame nail salon shame cycle and we should just relax. And if you're not sure what to do when you first get there -- pick out your polish first. Just go immediately to the selection of polish and you'll look like a pro.

Also, I have no experience with getting pedicures in the middle of winter, but normally I bring flip flops with me so that I don't ruin my toenails right away when I have to put my shoes back on. I suppose in Chicago in winter this might not be practical, so you might want to think about whether a pedicure is the best bet for you this time of year. Or I guess you can just hang out at the salon for an extra long time while your nails dry ...

I wouldn't worry too much about not knowing what's going on...I have had many a manicure and I'm always clueless. I finally caught on to the tipping before the polish situation. I always feel like it's weird to tip before the job is done, but there's no other way!!!

Also there are a lot of places that don't clean their instruments well...this is hard to check out before you go but make sure they are taking out fresh or disinfected tools before they touch your precious nails!!

And, as some have already mentioned, manicure polish tends to chip, at least on my nails. I have never made it more than 48 hours without a flaw, but at least my nails look pretty for a couple of days!!!

oh i don't plan on getting a pedicure today, just a manicure. and i'm definitely going to go for a light, neutral color - i've never been a fan of big colors on fingernails.

thanks for all the tips, everybody!

post a picture!

i will, when i get it...unfortunately it was delayed! but i'm making an appointment for thursday evening.

just got new pedicure boots- i can get a pedicure in winter now finally! usually i have to bring flip flops and then carry my boots, but now i wont have to.
www.bootiepies.com

thanks for all the tips, everybody!
My tips at blog.y2k38.net

thanks for all the tips, everybody!
My tips at blog.y2k38.net