May 14, 2025

I went to the nail salon today…

It was the first time I had ever gotten a manicure

I did not realize how awkward it would be

and

I felt so out of place

I used 2 bite my nails frequently

and for some reason,

it felt like I was under interrogation

they had these gigantic overhead lights

and exposed ventilation

trendy

There were tracks of what appeared to be very bright cool white LED strips, lined up along a frame, with an array of trapezoidal cutouts running throughout the ceiling

held up by wire cabling

or maybe

aluminum posts

in the cutouts of the angular spaces,

there were dangling pendant sconces hanging from the ceiling above,

A slight shift in the tone of white, brighter, more clinical

I heard they got a hospital grade ventilation unit

for all the fine chemical aromatics

I myself didn’t mind either way,

but I could still catch a waft of solvent in the air

The kind lady massaged my arm with a scrub of sorts,

gel

sugar

orange

I felt so shy and awkward

and

I didn’t know this was what I had signed up for

I watched the TV on the back wall,

it appeared to be playing some kind of asian street food tour

It was all very jarring and stimulating

and I could barely hold my hands steady during the manicure

I opted for the UV gel clear coat for an extra $12

it will help my nails grow stronger, maybe

or more likely, another random commitment added to the pile

I liked putting my hand in the UV microwave

it felt like there was a weird vibration or tingling sensation on the skin around my nails

Radiation is Yummy