Sometimes in life, when you have a myriad of other responsibilities that require your energy and attention, it takes another person to talk you into something you may not have initially thought of for yourself. Even though we usually know what’s best for our own individual lives, there are moments when a random opportunity or a buddy’s encouragement can broaden your horizons and open you up to something new, enjoyable or fascinating.
Meet Steve, a go-getter in the finance industry who doesn’t always slow down his fast paced life for some “me” time. Most people shooting between FiDi and Brooklyn every day would agree that he needed some overdue TLC. “I’ve never been into pampering myself,” Steve admits. “I don’t know if it’s a masculine thing or not. I just never did it.” With his manhood in check, we entered Aroma Nail & Spa on the Upper West Side and took a seat on their plush black leather chairs. Ironically enough, there was another male patron already there about halfway through a pedicure.
Before we got started, I went to pick a color for my pedicure as part of a new social side experiment I’m doing about guys who wear toenail polish. To my surprise, Steve popped up behind me and started giving me suggestions on what shades he thought would look good or not. Ultimately, he was actually the one who picked my final selection! After settling on a pale periwinkle blue over a dark black-purple, we sat back down in our chairs and our feet went into the warm soaking tubs.
Steve was pretty relaxed the whole time, chatting about work, friends and summer trips, except at one point when we heard a loud smacking sound coming from another room. Bewildered, Steve’s head looked around, trying to identify the sound. The manicurist looked up and smiled saying, “They’re getting a massage.” We chuckled and his body went back to being unperturbed. “I have the right to be a chicken if I want,” he jokingly said with a laugh.
As the finishing touches were put on his feet, he looked down and smiled, even rubbing them once to see how they felt. He looked over to me as the manicurist finished expertly applying the pale blue he picked. “You know,” he starts. “I would have totally tried a color, but you didn’t ask.” In genuine surprise, I told him I didn’t think he would have went for it, both wildly amused at his fascination with my polish and regretting I didn’t think to mention the idea before. “Maybe next time,” he quipped. “Deal,” I replied before shaking on it with him. One more NYC guy who enjoyed his first MANicure, and sounds like he’ll be back for more!
Check back here every other Friday for more reviews and tips on how guys are NAILING IT when it comes to their grooming.
