I went to a nail salon on Lavista Road at around 5 pm on a Friday. Posters advertising their services covered the big glass windows in front. “Walk-ins Welcome,” screamed one poster, and another poster advertised, “Foot Massage; Hot Stone.” I went in for a pedicure without an appointment and did not have to wait.

When I walked in, the place was busy, but not bustling with activity. It was relatively quiet, with popular music playing on the radio. The water flowing in the pedicure stations sounded like a waterfall, creating an almost zen-like atmosphere. The only person I could hear talking was a little girl who had come with her mother for a pedicure. She played loudly with her mother’s phone, oblivious to her quiet surroundings. Three women were getting manicures and other than the mother and daughter, the stark black pedicure stations were mostly empty. One woman getting a manicure had her head down on the table and it looked as if she was either reading or resting. I soon realized that she was playing with a small dog on her lap while her nails were drying.

The nail salon was quite impersonal, but somehow created a small community of anonymous people. The customers did not know each other. The manicurists who worked at the salon did not know their customers’ names and did not engage in any chit-chat. The manicurists focused on what they were doing and talked to their customers only if they had to, such as, ask what color nail polish or add-on service the customer wanted. The customers seemed to ignore each other and focused on what they were getting done, as that seemed to be the protocol.

This “mind your own business” protocol was not followed by the little girl who got very excited to see the dog when its owner got up to leave the salon. She made the dog-owner hold the dog for her while she stroked its back. The owner was happy to introduce the little dog to the girl and hold the dog patiently as the girl and her mother played with her dog. It was interesting to note that the dog was able to create a conversation and communication between these strangers. The manicurists did not seem to mind the distraction and just went about their work.

I would like to write about the professional life of these manicurists who work so hard for little money, do they like what they do, do they prefer a certain type of customer, and how they started working here. I would also like to delve into the personal lives of these manicurists, how they came to this country, do they have families back home or here, and what they do in their free time. The third angle would be to write about the manicure salon itself – who owns it and operates it, how they compete with the numerous other nail salons in the neighborhood, and other aspects of the business.