Up & Coming Weekly

THIS WEEK WITH MARGARET by MARGARET DICKSON Like many little girls, my friends, my sister and I loved to snag a bottle of someone’s mother’s nail polish and paint our fi ngers and toes — sometimes literally — shades of red and pink. I do not think there were other colors available in those days — no blues, greens or Goth black. The fi rst professional manicure I remember having was the day before I got married, courtesy of my sister who clearly felt the gravity of the occasion called for some extra sprucing up. I did not have another one for years. That was the 20th century when we did not know or care so much about what have become known as “personal-care services,” and this is the 21st when we know a lot about such services and are crazy about them. For many Americans, a regular routine of manicures and pedicures, or “mani-pedis,” massages, haircuts and stylings, waxings of various body parts and other services I may not even know about is now de rigueur. Our neighborhoods boast day spas, and we expect nice hotels to offer such services, sometimes in our rooms. The industry is clearly booming, even in a down economy. That must be why when I found myself with a couple of unexpected free hours on a recent Saturday afternoon I jumped into station wagon #6 and zoomed to my neighborhood nail and day spa for a quick, and I thought much- needed, mani-pedi. Our neighborhood nail spot is owned and operated by a family of Vietnamese Americans. They all work there in some capacity as do many of their friends. I fi nd it a bit tricky to keep up with who is who, but they are all friendly and good at their jobs. The décor inexplicably includes a large wooden carving of a giraffe, an aquarium containing one large fi sh and nothing else, and eight pedicure lounge chairs lined up beneath what looks to me like the straw roof of a tiki bar. Those chairs are nothing short of glorious! Big and soft, they invite you to settle in as you put your feet into warm water to enjoy your pedicure. But even better, the chairs massage you as your feet and sometimes your hands are getting gussied up. THIS WEEK WITH MARGARET Saturday Afternoon In Fayetteville Using something that looks like an uncomplicated remote control, you can select “knead” on the controller along with speed and time, and rollers and balls within the chair move up and down your back in a steady rhythm. With a little practice on the controller, you can fi gure out how to make them almost grab your neck like the strong hands of a masseuse before moving down your spine and back up again. It occurred to me that Saturday afternoon that I might be willing to pay just to sit in the chair and never mind the nails. I did not say that to the staff of the day spa, however. The joint was jumping when I arrived about lunch time. The fi rst person I saw when I pushed open the door was the young woman who grew up across the street from the Dicksons and is expecting her fi rst child. Like me, she needed a Saturday afternoon pick-me-up. There were plenty of others as well, refl ecting the diversity of our community. I had called ahead so I was able to head directly to one of the glorious chairs. Settling in, I saw that my neighbor to the right was just fi nishing. She was there with her daughter of 12 or so. The girl was quite pleased with her toenails, which sported pink polish adorned with fl owers for some pending occasion. They were replaced by a woman who chatted on her cell phone in a language I did not recognize. On my left was a woman of 30 or so, and when her right foot emerged from the soapy water, I saw what appeared to be a small lime green and yellow lizard tattooed on her right instep. While I was nestled in the wonderful chair, other customers came and went. This day they were all women, but I have seen the occasional man there enjoying a personal-care service, and for the fi rst time ever, my mani-pedi was performed by one of the men in the family. He was quite agreeable and defi nitely competent at this work. His 7-year-old daughter, a gregarious little girl, was also in the shop, fi lling out what appeared to be a school worksheet. Later I saw her in conversation with a little boy about her age who had accompanied his mother that afternoon. He chatted with IPod ear buds fi rmly in place. The entire scene was presided over by the proprietor, a man of 50 or so who strolled around making sure things were running smoothly and that customers seemed relaxed and satisfied. He appeared to be wearing a new toupee of very black hair. I departed with much improved fi ngers and toes and a renewed appreciation for the diversity that permeates and enriches our community. I felt terrifi c the rest of the weekend. MARGARET DICKSON, Contributing Writer COMMENTS? 484-6200 ext. 222 or editor@upandcomingweekly.com. 6 UCW MAY 5-11, 2010 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM

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