Men: Spoil your Feet

Even though spring is upon us and I’ll be busting out the open-toe shoes pretty soon, you won’t be seeing me getting a pedicure. 

I have the ultimate foot phobia. I can’t imagine anyone — and even myself — touching my feet. So pedicures for me are out of the question — completely.

But apparently, not for many men. What I’ve been seeing and hearing recently is that men are very interested in getting pampered — when it comes to their feet. Many men have believed, and a lot still do, that pedicures are strictly a female thing. But it can’t be further from the truth nowadays. Pedicures are becoming a thing that both sexes can enjoy. 

And why not? We all have feet and they all start to look terrible if we don’t keep maintaining them either by ourselves or via a professional.

Men most likely only go because they usually get pressured initially by the females in their life to try it. Once they realize that it’s not such a “woman” thing to do — they go more often.

But the pedicures women get are different from the ones men get. There are certain steps to a pedicure that men will see as too feminine. But the two main steps when you get one is the foot soak and polish application, and both of those can be manned up a bit.

To make foot soaks more masculine, the pedicurist will put natural fragrances and forgo anything fruity or flowery. Some non-toxic aromas favoured by males include: patchouli (great on athlete’s foot), cypress (great for sweaty, oily skin and feet) and ginger (great for aching muscles, poor circulation and arthritis).

As for the polished application, no guy wants polish on their toes and if they do, they’ll probably only agree to the clear polish to be applied to their toenails. If they’re still opposed to this, buffing them will also give the nail a nice healthy shine. The pedicurist might also use a diluted solution of water and chlorine bleach, which will help fight fungus and give nails a shine as well.  

But nonetheless there are so many benefits men along with women get from pedicures. For example, it will stop foot odour by removing dead skin and prevent ingrown toenails and calluses.

Spring is upon us, so don’t be afraid to give your feet a well-deserved pampering.   

— Sarah DiVito