When you think of a pedicure, what do you see? Is it a large, plush reclining chair with a basin at your feet? Is it swirling water and pumice stones? A large part of what has become known as a “pedicure” is the cleaning of one’s feet, which usually involves having your feet soaking in a water/soap/essential oil-filled tub for at least 10 minutes at a time. Though a lot of women tend to enjoy this treatment, there are some things that are definitely detrimental when it comes to the “water” pedicure.

The basins or tubs that are being used are difficult to keep up to standard. What this means is, there are a whole lot of spas and salons out there that do not have clean foot baths and tubs. They are difficult to clean, hard to keep in operation, and they use a ton of water – all of this for ten minutes of what you can do yourself for a fraction of the cost, and at a fraction of the impact on our environment.

That is what is really selling people on this new waterless pedicure idea: the environment. Did you know that with each “water” pedicure we are seeing 12 to 15 gallons of water go down the drain? Not only that, but with water comes the risks of waterborne bacteria, of which there is quite a lot of in spas and salons. The cleaning products themselves used to clean out these water foot spas are horribly harsh and very bad for the environment.

Why a lot of salons and spas are switching to the waterless pedicure is because it saves them quite a bit of money. To operate a foot spa, you first need to lay down the money to buy one (these can easily cost as much as a car). Then there’s the maintenance part of it. Then there is having it installed by a professional plumber and getting the appropriate permits in place to have the foot spa. Spas are charged high water and sewage fees to run a foot spa and it’s also very time consuming to clean a water foot spa properly.

Why does this matter to you, you ask? With all of the money saved by using a waterless foot spa, the savings are also passed to you. This means you can probably get those same flashy feet for at least $10 or even $20 less than you are used to paying, and you’re saving the environment.

The only drawback to the waterless pedicure is that it is a rather new idea, meaning that in more remote areas it may not be available. Larger cities tend to have several spas that have the waterless pedicure, given the high demand, but if you do live in a rural community do not be surprised if the waterless pedicure is not being offered yet.

If you have any questions about how the waterless pedicure works, ask the spa! They will be able to lay out just what will happen during your appointment to make sure that you are happy with the process.