It's OK, really! They just want your business

[michelleddg]

Nothing new here, just more reinforcement that it's OK to seek out service providers for your feminine side.

My go to nail salon was closed for redecorating so I tried a new one just opened near me. I asked for the mani/pedi, walked over to the wall and chose a polish. Nail tech said "Oh, you want color? Same hand and feet?" So much for breaking the ice!

She was skilled but her English is a work-in-progress. After finishing my toes she asked "oval or straight" for my fingers. There was no discussion, no issues, no difficult moments about giving me girly nails.

What she did do, which nail salons are notorious for, is try to up sell me the whole time.

You want facial?
You want massage?
You want eyebrow wax?
You want long lasting color?
You come back tomorrow for different color!

In my consistent experience if you own it and treat service providers well you'll get good service in return. Today I have pretty toes and oval fingers (been growing them for a month) with matching shiny purple polish. Happy girl! Hugs, Michelle

[pamela7]

now that's the spirit, own it, walk it, talk it ...

[Tracii G]

Thats the way its done bravo!!!

[Meghan4now]

What? No pictures!? Awwww, how am I to live vicariously without a shot of your oval nails.

Right now nails like that are a bridge too far. So I have to be happy with temporary glue ons. I might just get my toes done, up the road a piece. Don't need to share that with the ladies at church. Right now I just do them myself. Actually enjoy doing them, but a professional job might be fun too.

I would do my wife's but she is so less girly than me in that department. She doesn't even own any polish! Too bad, but she has better nails than me naturally. Mine are too flat ect. At least I can buff and polish them.

So did you get the eyebrows done? I might have taken that one.

[kimdl93]

Positive vibes and courtesy know no language barriers. A nice tip helps too!

[Sara Jessica]

So did you get the eyebrows done? I might have taken that one.

Oh yes, eyebrows are a must!

I have yet to have a nail salon turn me away. They don't care of gender issues, all they want is your $$$. You will always be welcomed back, at least in my experience.

[BLUE ORCHID]

Hi Michelle, That's walking the walk and talking the talk .:daydreaming:

[Leslie Langford]

I totally agree, michelle.

I haven't had the pedicure experience yet due to my matrimonial circumstances (DADT, but slooowly moderating), but I have enjoyed salon manicures en femme at least a half-dozen times now over the last few years. Once one becomes attuned to "nail salon protocol" and some of the behavioral nuances that entails, it's smooth sailing, and one's comfort level there rises exponentially. I've never had an awkward moment in one of them - the gals know, I know that they know, and they know that I know that they know etc., etc. :eek: :heehee:, and it's all good from there on in. Pleasant chit-chat ensues (a working knowledge of Vietnamese would be a plus here ;) ), smiles all around, lots of compliments, and of course - the requisite up-sell. One gal was particularly tenacious about trying to get me to agree to an eyebrow waxing and I finally relented, figuring that if she had no problem in being up close and personal for such an intrusive procedure, neither would I.

The only thing that I am still a bit leery about is how I (and he) would react if I wound up with a male nail tech through the luck of the draw. :doh:This could be a distinct possibility in some salons that are either run by a working male owner, or perhaps where they specifically have another male on staff for security reasons given the typically large number of female nail techs working there.

Consider me an unabashed convert, though. Do I like manicures? Does a zebra have stripes? NO - I love manicures, and the pedicure is definitely on my bucket list - hopefully still this year (no, not the "kicking the bucket part", the "pedicure" part - LOL!)

[Jaylyn]

Your title of your post says it all about the business world and could really not care who or what they sell any thing to. They want your business and money.

[Claire Cook]

Yes yes! I now have my nails and eyebrows done regularly. I'm treated just like one of the other customers, and I love the interactions with other women at Juanita's salon. If they read me, so much the better! And yes, a nice tip is always welcome.

[Teresa]

Michelle,
You have a good excuse to keep going back to help her with her English !

I'm envious ! To have ten finger nails that are all suitable for the full treatment at one time hardly ever happens !
I go with oval shaped, I don't like the straight look besides I could do serious damage with square edges, my nails are so hard, my grandmother always said I inherited her hazel nails, maybe she knew something about me then !

[KayMcLaughlin]

I had my first salon experience yesterday!!! Was so fun. I went in for a manicure and ouidad hair style, my fiancée went for a pedicure. She had a blast - wants to go again. I had never had a manicure before, and it was awesome. She spotted little traces of pink polish on my fingers from the night before (was out dressed), mentioned them... I said it was probably bits of polish I had missed. She hit them with remover, said "oh, it is polish", didn't blink or miss a beat and immediately offered to add a color - "mademoiselle", a faint pink tone that looks awesome on them. And clear coat. They are all shiny. :)

The haircut was amazing. I have long, curly hair - falls to the middle of my back, and the small of my back if you yank it out straight. Now it's all set in a mass of tousled curls that look great. And he showed me how to reset it myself. Very fun outing!

[Krisi]

The ladies (and gentlemen) at our nail salon often kid me about what color polish I want (I get clear). Most of them are very poor at speaking English but a couple speak it like they were born in the USA. Perhaps they were.

I'm more comfortable with the English speaking ones, we can have a conversation without me having to guess what they are trying to say

[Pat]

I haven't had the pedicure experience yet due to my matrimonial circumstances[...]

You know unless you get nail color there's nothing that would blow your cover in a pedicure. You just come out of it with trimmed nails and smooth feet. I see lots of manly men getting their feet worked on.

[Krisi]

Many men, especially older men, have trouble trimming their toenails themselves, that's why they go to salons. They don't necessarily get polish, but clear polish doesn't really call out "crossdresser" and it may help to strengthen the nails

[michelleddg]

Took some doing (camera on tripod with timer, sheesh) but here's my manicure. 10 ovals, and they really are my nails :-) Hugs, Michelle

[Richelle]

Like the others have said, they do not care, they just want your business, especially nail salons, where there seems to be one in each strip mall. I am lucky that my wife and I have found one where all the manicurists are native English speaking so we can have some "girl" talk while we are being pampered.

Richelle

[Meghan4now]

Nice!!!

My nails are too flat, so I have to do fake, which is ok because boy mode comes back too fast.

[Kandi Robbins]

DDG,

Amen! Well said.

Quick story to underscore your point. Last Wednesday I ran a rare weekday 5K. Driving back from the race, feeling horrible (I had a bad run that day) I see a sign on the side of the road "$5 dresses". So, of course, I have to stop (now remember, I am feeling like crap). I walk in and the woman running the place is the only one in there. I see a bunch of wedding dresses and other formal dresses (my weakness). I ask about the $5 dresses and tell her I'm a 12. She laughs, and says, no really, who is it for? Me, I'm a crossdresser. She did not believe me until I showed her a recent picture.

It ends up the store is a charity. They get donated dresses and provide them for girls that can't afford a prom dress, etc. Pretty cool. I spend about 10 minutes showing her pictures (remember, we just met). She says I can come back and try on whatever I want, so guess where I am going this week? I told her she can dress me up like a doll, she was as excited as me. We've been texting back and forth in anticipation of doing this.

Michelle's point and mine, go out, have fun, no one is judging you, especially the people employed by the establishment. I am sure you say, yeah, it's easy for you. No, I spent years being hesitant and there are a few girls here that inspired me to get out there. You will find out, once you get out there, you'll want to do it again and again! Woman up and get out there!

[Alice_2014_B]

Very nice manicure!
:)

[TrishaTX]

I go into most stores and shop. Clearly my size...clearly me selecting and knowing what I want...they all are polite ask if need help and at worst say these are for your wife...so I say yes....

[michelleddg]

Postscript - six days later I got all dolled up (basically my avatar look) and paid a surprise visit on my nail tech. While she had spent an hour giving me female nails nothing related to my gender identity came up in any way, shape or form in conversation. I also need to be a boy over the weekend so I switched out my purple fingernails for French pressons, and was wearing close-toed stilettoes.

Her response was instantaneous. "Oh, wow! Look at you! Wow! So pretty, so sexy!" She was delighted and complimentary (and insisted on taking photos) but there was never any doubt, not even for a second, who I was. I have long maintained my own mama wouldn't recognize me dolled up, but my nail tech certainly did. Be careful out there! Hugs, Michelle