The Nail Story’s Advanced Pedicure Review: Will This Treatment Get Your Feet Fit For Public?

By Emma Gleason
Viva
Emma Gleason trials a treatment touted to prep feet for sandal season. Photo / Getty Images

Looking ahead to summer (and sandals) Emma Gleason finds out if this treatment is truly transformative.

Until very recently, this Viva Test Drive in fact, I’d never had a proper pedicure before (polishes at the mall excluded). Considering my feet a lost cause, I’d always been somewhat sceptical about their

So, self-conscious about my toes and dreading summer footwear, when beauty editor Ashleigh Cometti tasked me with trying the special pedicure service at Nail Story in Victoria Park it seemed like the perfect opportunity to see what all the fuss was about.

With their salon only five minutes away from our office, I made my way down the hill one afternoon to put my poor feet in their expert hands.

The promise

The treatment I’m there for is the advanced pedicure, which can be tailored to your needs. The Nail Story says its “advanced pedicure is very popular, especially for those who struggle with calluses and dryness”.

I’m in the right place then.

The cornerstone of the service is a callus removal tonic (no jargon here). It will be applied to my feet during the next hour and fifteen minutes, alongside an array of other steps, all aiming to get my skin soft and supple.

The practice

It’s a methodical process, with several steps involved to leave your feet smooth and sandal-ready.

First, your feet are covered in a callus removal tonic (special attention is paid to my problem areas) and wrapped with plastic for 40 minutes. While this is happening, they deal with my toes, pushing back and trimming the cuticles, clipping and filing the nails.

After the wrap is removed the technician gets to work (this feels really satisfying) manually removing all the dead skin using a 100/180 grit file. I can see the dead skin coming away. Another tool in the arsenal is something they call “e-file polo disks” with varying levels of abrasion, which smooth the skin.

Technicians use an array of tools to smooth feet and toes. This is an electronic file, which removes excess skin around the nail bed. Photo / @thenailstory.nz
Technicians use an array of tools to smooth feet and toes. This is an electronic file, which removes excess skin around the nail bed. Photo / @thenailstory.nz

Next is a neutralizer tonic before an exfoliation treatment. And after all that dead skin is sloughed off your feet comes a mud mask (feels lovely) and a good soak in an anti-bacterial bath. The last touches are cuticle oil and foot cream, which both hydrate the skin.

“For aftercare, we advise to moisturise hands and feet on a daily basis,” Nail Story says. “For feet, we recommend a professional cream with urea for better results and longer-lasting pedicures.”

I look down and don’t recognise my feet. My skin, toes and nails look … lovely. I’m dissociating as I leave the salon.

The place

The Nail Story is located in Victoria Park in central Auckland. It’s near the main bus routes, walking distance from the train station and ferry, and there’s plenty of parking nearby.

Owners Daria and Dasha launched the business in 2020, and what started with two stations has grown to seven technicians, doing everything from hair to brows and (of course) pedicures and manicures.

Unit 32/210-218 Victoria Street West, Auckland CBD. Thenailstory.co.nz

The price

The advanced pedicure is priced at $130 (or $150 if you opt for polish).

The verdict

Why didn’t I do this sooner?

In the weeks after the treatment I felt so much more confident wearing sandals. The internalised shame I’ve long carried about my feet was alleviated, and I couldn’t stop admiring my toes.

I’d would absolutely get this again, in spring and summer. And next time, now I know how good my feet can look, I’m getting polish.

Emma Gleason is the Herald’s deputy editor of lifestyle and entertainment (audience), and has worked on Viva for more than four years, contributing stories on culture, fashion and what’s going on in Auckland.

More beauty

The Viva team take beauty for a test drive.

Is A Himalayan Salt Scrub Worth The Time And Money? This post-winter body treatment is timely. Dan Ahwa takes it for a test drive.

Head Spa, Review: This Tingly Massage Offers A Moment Of Grounding. At Morgan & Morgan, you’ll find a senior stylist offering a tingle-inducing head spa, advice for deep-cleaning hair care and an excellent blow wave. Viva takes the treatment for a test drive.

How To Build A Low-Waste Beauty Routine. Overwhelmed by plastic piles, Madeleine Crutchley trials a low-waste beauty routine for one week.

Fire & Ice Facial, Review: Would You Try Cold Shock Therapy On Your Face? It’s affectionately known as the “red carpet facial”.

Is The Shark Beauty Hot Brush Worth The Hype? A Beauty Editor’s Review. Can it really transform tresses in the face of humidity? Viva beauty editor Ash Cometti found out.

Share this article:

Featured