When I was pregnant, especially in my third trimester, I used to get pedicures every other week. There’s nothing better than a great foot massage on any old weekday, but have you ever had one when you are 37 weeks pregnant and carrying an extra 40+ pounds? It’s life-altering.
I frequented a salon in Holly Springs before and during my pregnancy that I loved, but when I went the last time in February for my 30th birthday there was much left to be desired. They rushed through my manicure and finished within fifteen minutes. That included polish. My pedicure that should have been an hour long took only forty minutes. There is not much that irks my nerves more than not getting what you’re paying for. But hey, at least I got my wine!
I desperately needed another pedicure because my DIY pedicures were no longer cutting it for my seriously calloused feet from my many workouts. I decided to research a new place and make an appointment to finally give my feet some much-needed attention. I saw tons of recommendations on Facebook (shoutout Ladies of Fuquay!) for Lush Nail Lounge. I went on their website to make an appointment and was pleasantly surprised that they were booked up. I say ‘pleasantly’ because to me, this was a good sign. It had to mean they did an excellent job and had plenty of people coming back. It also meant they didn’t shove appointments in at every opportunity just for the money.
I made an appointment a week in advance to get a pedicure before an upcoming vacation. I arrived and was instantly greeted by a woman at the front. I let her know I had an appointment for nails since Lush Nail Lounge shares a space with Love is in the Hair. So if you walk in and think you’re at a hair salon, you’re at the right place. The spa is in the back part of the building. A couple minutes later my pedicurist, Melissa, came to the front, introduced herself and took me back to show me where the nail polishes were. If you read my previous post about nail polishes, I decided to take a break from one of my OGs to branch out and try ‘Morgan’ by Zoya. If you’re into polishes, it’s a bright pink, a lot like ‘LA PAZ-ITIVELY HOT’ by OPI but with a little less shimmer.
Once I sat down I activated the comfy massage chair which offered a full recline with varying massage features (percussion, compression, intensity, kneading). It felt glorious on my back after three days in a row of bodypump classes. Melissa offered me a warm neck pillow and a choice of coffee, tea, wine, beer, water or soda. The child-free adult in me wanted to say “give me all the wine!” but I made the smart decision and went with coffee since I could feel my afternoon blues coming on.
Despite being able to hear the hair dryers and people talking in the salon, I found that it was oddly calming. That might be because I am so used to noise and actually relax better with a bit of background noise. Melissa took a little more than an hour on my feet and was so gentle that I didn’t even realize she had done my cuticles when I noticed she was applying the polish. One thing she didn’t do was use a metal file (aka cheese grater) on my feet which I am so thankful for. That is something you use in your kitchen, not on your feet. There is no need to shave your feet down like a block of fresh parmesan.
Note: Since 2004, the NC Board of Cosmetic Art Examiners has prohibited the use or possession of razor type callus shavers in a shop. You can find more on that here. You can also read this terrifying story where a woman ended up in the hospital because of one.
Melissa was very friendly and when I wasn’t trying to get lost in my new book (I couldn’t, it was too boring) we chatted about various things. She told me that Lush Nail Lounge was originally located in the little white building across from where Cooley’s used to be. She said their old location was pretty small so they decided to “move in” with Love is in the Hair and it has been a great success. She also said when people come in they like to ask how they heard about Lush and the overwhelming majority say Ladies of Fuquay on Facebook.
Next time you are looking for a pedicure where you will really get your money’s worth and don’t want to travel outside of Fuquay, make an appointment with Lush. Their appointments do fill up fast, I already made my next one for the end of August, so make sure to book early. They also give a $5 discount to all first-time clients and bonus, they have Apple Pay!
Checkout Lush at their website or Facebook page!
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