Let's begin with a confession…read more
I am a grown man who gets pedicures.
I refer to the process, affectionately, as "sanding my hooves."
Now before the men reading this clutch their masculinity like a fragile heirloom, let me explain something. At a certain point in life you must confront the reality that the feet you've been ignoring for decades are attached to the rest of you. And if you live in Colorado, those feet are eventually going to end up in flip flops or sandals.
Enter Etoile Salon, where professional technicians transform what can only be described as feral hiking hooves into respectable human feet again.
They truly are superb. Gentle, focused, and extremely professional. No rushing, no chaos. Just skilled people quietly performing the miracle of turning your feet back into something you wouldn't be ashamed to parade around town.
For the record, I usually go with The Classic Etoile Pedicure. 35 minutes, $50.
It's the perfect amount of time for someone to politely and methodically restore order to your feet while you sit there contemplating life choices.
There are also plenty of add-ons if you want. Scrubs, treatments, upgrades. The spa equivalent of "would you like fries with that?"
Then something unexpected happened. I started adding color.
At first it was tentative black.
You know...safe. Masculine. The gateway color.
Then came money green.
A little flash. A little attitude. Fiscally responsible.
And most recently...royal purple.
If this continues, by summer I fully expect to be sitting in that chair calmly selecting something called "cosmic mermaid chrome."
The owner, Nara, is an absolute rock star. She's been in the industry for nearly two decades and that makes you realize the person working on your feet knows far more about taking care of them than you ever will.
But credentials aside, what really stands out is how she runs the place. Nara has mastered the rare hospitality skill of making every customer feel like a longtime regular. People walk in and greet her like family, and she somehow manages to keep everything running smoothly while making sure everyone feels welcomed and relaxed.
Which makes sense, because the entire vibe of the salon is calm and comfortable, not rushed.
A logistical tip: they get slammed early on weekends. My last appointment was 1pm on a Saturday and it was practically serene. Six chairs, three customers, zero chaos.
Now here's the part that tells you everything you need to know.
I live in Cherry Creek, which has roughly one nail salon per block. I could walk to several of them while holding an Americano and pretending I'm productive.
Instead, I drive 15 minutes to Etoile.
Because when someone is responsible for maintaining your toenails, you develop loyalty.
So gentlemen, if you've been avoiding pedicures because you think it's not your thing, let me offer a perspective.
You maintain your car.
You service your HVAC.
You sharpen your kitchen knives.
Why would you ignore the two things that literally take you everywhere?
Go get your hooves sanded.
And if you're feeling bold, try royal purple.
It's surprisingly empowering.
