Who Started the Lie That Getting Your Nails Done Is Relaxing?

Have you ever seen the meme of Tiffany Pollard, aka "New York," on an episode of "Bad Girls Club," saying, "Somebody lied to her — several times." Well, even if you haven't, you should know that I understand it a lot. It deeply resonates with me because somebody did lie to me several times. Ever since I was a little girl, the nail salon has been sold to me as a special treat. If I was good, if I got good grades, or if there was a special event coming up, I could get my nails done. And in a way, it is a special treat — being able to get my nails done is certainly a privilege, and I have the utmost respect for nail technicians who work their magic on someone like me who can barely clip her own fingernails. But, in a much bigger way, it isn't a treat at all, it's a hassle — and I know I'm not the only one who thinks so.

When I was a little kid and I didn't know things like iPhones, TikTok, and texting existed, I was cool to just sit in the nail salon and be entertained by my own thoughts. Now, as an adult who has way too many intrusive thoughts and things on their to-do list, the last thing I want to do is sit alone, just me and my brain, for two-plus hours. It's not lost on me that I'm extremely lucky to be able to go to the nail salon in the first place, but that doesn't help the fact that the process feels like a chore.

If I'm at the nail salon for just a pedicure, I can have an OK time — I can use my hands, turn on the massage chair, and scroll on social media to zone out. It's still a hectic place — it's busy, with lots of people and chatter — but I can make due. Getting my nails done is an entirely different story. I wish I could drop my hands off at the salon and then come pick them up later. While I am getting my nails done, I am at the mercy of a nail technician for at least two hours. I typically get builder gel, which is not a short and easy process. It involves a lot of filing, clipping, trimming, painting, and curing, and the process takes forever. During that time, both of my hands are completely useless, so I just have to sit there and mentally go through every single embarrassing thing I've ever done in my entire life — because what else is there to think about?

I already know people are going to suggest I listen to a podcast, but they're not really my thing. I would love to sit there and yap on the phone for two hours, but that's rude and annoying to the other people around me. So instead, I sit.

Some salons will have televisions playing, which is nice, but in all honesty, I have zero interest in watching yet another episode of "The Great British Baking Show," or "MasterChef Junior."

Listen — I'll be the first person to admit that there are caveats. If I go to the nail salon with one of my girlfriends, and we can yap the entire time, sure, count me in. But let's be real — we're all adults with busy lives, boyfriends, or kids (I have none of those things but I'm available if anyone is interested), so it can be hard to match up schedules.

While the end result is stunning and certainly something I could never do myself, I just don't find it to be relaxing. It's just another thing to add to the list of beauty treatments that I need to get done, right under Brazilian waxes and tinting my eyebrows.

Let me just end my mini rant by saying one last thing: I know some people are going to think I sound out of touch and say that this is a champagne problem, and trust me, I'm well aware. There are far more important things happening in the world, so I'll just be here, checking my privilege and delaying my trip to the nail salon for as long as possible.

Renee Rodriguez (she/her) is a staff writer and social producer for PS. She writes across all verticals, but her main areas of expertise focus on fashion and beauty content with an emphasis on reviews and editor experiments. She also produces social content for the PS TikTok and Instagram accounts.