Spa Blog 6.3.2026
I had to deal with a very difficult client yesterday, possibly my hardest conversation yet. I could intellectualize this woman’s personality to the moon and back, but there are a few key things that made her unacceptable as a client
She clearly suffers from disordered eating that has severely damaged her nails. Hers are the weakest nails I’ve ever seen, they are maybe 20% the strength of a normal nail. They are nubs of mostly overgrown cuticle that she picks at. By her own accounts she does not tolerate any solid foods anymore and lives off a liquid diet and some 28 daily supplements. I’m really glad my mentor was around when I spoke to her so that she could back me up in telling her that we are not able to change the nature of her nails that are already grown, and that she must change her consumption to build better nail material. I can remove dead cuticle but I can’t put the nail plate she peels off back on for her. It’s very discomforting to see such naked disregard for one’s own diet especially in one so old. It brings up memories of my inherited eating disorders that I sent a lot of time defending against. I feel for her but I also rebuke her harmful beliefs. I just can’t imagine inhabiting a body so starved, so out of control. I finally have to admit that I’m not a miracle worker and I can’t actually heal nails. These are beyond salvaging and they fully reject any polish. She has come back consistently because every manicure we applied did not stick. We put a mark in her client profile to cut off her free repairs because clearly this is systemic not accidental
The frequency of her visits and the nature of her tipping is grossly parasocial and made me feel uncomfortable. She set up standing appointments for every two weeks on the dot for several months, which is normally a boon, but she has this aggressive gift-giving streak wherein she decorates a full envelope to hand me my tip, and she also pawns me random small gifts she found. I know I sound ungrateful but my tipped income is not up for negotiation. I’m not some private tech taking trades under the table, and frankly I am not thankful for these bits of random Temu trash. For a woman as sensitive to foreign substances touching her skin, she was way too proud to offer me a pack of under-eye moisture patches with zero manufacturing information or ingredients list. Her aggressive booking speaks to a clear denial of the state of her fingernails. The aggression feels extra pointed as her last gift was a coloring book she wanted me to bring on my vacation, after I had told her that I already had a coloring book that I was planning on bringing. She gave me this book after childishly coloring in the first page. This is a clear move to insert herself in my private life, which none of my clients are allowed in. She is enchanted by “creativity” which she defines as writing 200-word flashes and using AI to create fictional art of herself. Usually I encourage creativity, I think it is essential to a healthy mind, so I don’t have the heart to tell her to stop the thing that brings her joy, but I can’t keep tolerating her pathetic performance.
Like I said, I can go on and on about this difficult complicated woman, but what I really need to focus on is myself. I set her straight yesterday, told her that I can’t change the quality of the proteins her body is growing, and that I can’t accept gifts instead of tips. She reduced her bookings to once every 6 weeks and was made to understand that gifting is a bad precedent. I’m proud of myself for having this difficult conversation and not backing down, but she was clearly disheartened. Obviously she thought our relationship was different. This was not a fun experience, no part of it makes me happy. I see her pain and I wish I could help but I must accept that I am not responsible for anyone else’s quality of life, just the quality of their experience with me. For the sake of my own sanity, my teammate’s sanity, the rest of my clientele, my whole life, this had to happen. The longer I do this job the more I learn that it’s really not about the nails. It’s not all rainbow colors and glitter, it’s not my job to just boost people’s egos and make them feel good about themselves. Strangely, the more I commit to this job the less I’m sure what it is.
