The guest settles into the cockpit chair with a glass of rose and says she has an hour. In that hour you will handle a sharp implement, a solvent, hot water and someone else's feet, on a vessel that moves. Everything in this lesson is about doing that calmly, in order, without drawing blood.
Before You Touch Anything
- Consult and check contraindications — infection, broken skin, diabetes, poor circulation, recent surgery.
- Wash your hands. Sanitise the guest's hands or feet. Set out sterilised implements on a clean, covered surface.
- Protect the surface beneath everything (see the treatment-space lesson).
Manicure, In Order
- Remove existing polish — acetone-based remover for gel; gentler remover for lacquer. Do not soak the skin.
- Shape the free edge — file in one direction from side to centre on natural nails; a see-saw motion tears the layers. Agree the shape first: square, squoval, round, almond.
- Cuticle work — apply cuticle remover or oil, soften, then gently push back the eponychium with a hoof stick or metal pusher held flat. Take off only the dead cuticle tissue adhering to the plate.
- Do not aggressively cut the living skin. The eponychium is a seal against bacteria. Cutting it causes hangnails, thicker regrowth, infection risk and — in a paronychia — a very unhappy guest and a possible medical case. Nippers are for a loose hangnail or a tag only, never for a routine trim of healthy skin.
- Buff lightly if at all. The plate is finite; over-buffing thins it permanently.
- Massage — hand and forearm, with a suitable medium. This is why guests rebook.
- Dehydrate the plate — wipe with alcohol or nail prep. Any oil left on the plate and the polish lifts.
- Polish — base coat, two thin colour coats, top coat. Thin coats cure and dry; thick coats stay soft and dent. Cap the free edge on every coat.
Pedicure, The Differences
- Soak, then file hard skin with a foot file on dry or barely damp skin. No blades. No callus shavers. Removing callus with a blade is illegal for non-medical practitioners in many jurisdictions and can cut to the blood.
- Toenails are cut straight across, not curved down at the corners — curving them causes ingrown toenails.
- Do not work into the nail groove corners.
- Toes need separators and real drying time. Rushing the polish onto a guest walking to dinner in sandals is a waste of an hour.
Diabetes and Circulation
Reduced sensation and slow healing mean a small cut becomes a serious wound. With a diabetic guest: no soaking to soften, no blades ever, no aggressive callus work, no cuticle cutting, minimal pressure, and refer any wound, ulcer or numbness to a doctor. If in doubt, restrict yourself to gentle care and polish.
In a Seaway
Sharp implements plus motion equals blood. If the vessel is moving, brace the guest's hand or foot, work with your elbows anchored, and if you cannot keep the file steady, stop and rebook.
Onboard Notes
- File one direction; cut toenails straight across.
- Push cuticles, do not butcher them. Nippers are for tags, not skin.
- Never use a blade on a callus.
- Diabetic guest: no soaking, no blades, no cutting. Gentle only.
- Thin coats. Always thin coats.
- Preparatory study only. Nothing here qualifies you to treat a guest. Beauty and nail work requires an accredited vocational qualification and professional insurance.