Passing Judgement

Let me start by saying that I, in no way, intend to sound racist. But, it might totally sound like I am...whatever! I have been searching for a few months now for a really good place to get pedicures. Now, I do not just want any nail place. I am looking for a specific place, owned by certain people. Okay, I want to find a place owned by a cute little vietnamese family with their shrine and incense in the corner and their constant chattering (probably about my nasty feet) in their language. Is that too much to ask? Seriously! I want a nice pedicure, with a massage included and hot towels...THE WORKS...for around $20 (plus a tip, of course).
Now you might wonder why I want this specific type of service. Well, the fact of the matter is...WHITE PEOPLE SUCK AT PEDICURES!! Really, they totally do! If you would like to challenge me on this, please do. I challenge anyone to find a white american girl that can do a pedicure as well as a vietnamese girl or guy. I don't know what it is, but these people are seriously amazing! One of the best pedicures I have ever had was right in Riverton by my mom's house. A cute little vietnamese couple own the nail salon and the husband did my pedicure and the wife did my mom's pedicure. They were incredible! They scraped and sanded and massaged and wrapped my feet in hot towels then painted. Not just painted them a certain color, like hand painted a flower on each big toe. It was awesome! Why can I NOT find this in ANYWHERE around me??? I should not have to drive 45 minutes for a decent pedicure at a decent price.
I recently drove by a new nail salon RIGHT by my house. My first thought was, "it's called Shangri-La, that sounds vietnamese-ish." Well, I was wrong. I called the number on the sign and I heard an american voice and immediately judged the girl on the other line. I know, I'm a terrible person. Keep reading. So, I decide that I am acting really ridiculous about the whole "vietnamese" thing and decide to give her a shot. I make my appointment for a 50 min. pedicure/massage and head to the salon with my 4 year old daughter in tow (she loves her nails painted). We walk into the "spa" and I am directed to sit on a couch. I assume that this is clearly the waiting area and she will soon escort me to the "real" pedicure room. Once again, I was wrong. There were no "pedicure chairs", you know, the ones that give you a nice massage as you sit there and the tub is attached to the chair. Yeah, it wasn't like that. The girl advises me that she will be right back. A few minutes later, she emerges from the back room with a large bowl. Yes, you read that right a LARGE BOWL. Like the kind of metal bowl that is so large you only use it to let bread dough rise. She sets it down and my insides twist a little (okay, A LOT). Oh, and there are rocks in the bottom of the bowl. I am so confused at this point. I can only think of what river bed they got those nasty rocks out of AND how many other people's nasty feet were on these exact same rocks that day. EEEWWW! Imagine sitting on a couch the same height as the girl giving you the pedicure and having to try to keep your leg out straight while she tries to sand all of your caluses off with a sandpaper type device...IT SUCKED! Needless to say, I sat on this damn couch for the entire 50 minutes, uncomfortable, and wishing the 300 lb. nail tech across the way would quit bending over because I could totally see her thong and it made me sick to my stomach. I did live through this ordeal, obviously, but I considered ending it right there....that's how bad it was! The 300 lb. nail tech paints my daughter's nails and toes which was totally nice, but she was a, well, she was such a be-otch. Yeah I'm just going to put it out there. She was rude and I kind of wanted to punch her in the face. My daughter is 4....4 years old. She doesn't know that once you get your toenails painted you shouldn't put your flip flops back on. So she messed up one of her toes and the girl got all snotty. I am not the type of person to make a scene. In fact, I tipped them both and ended up spending a hefty $60 for the whole experience. I am not impressed with the result. I could have done it myself for free and it would have been better.
Would it be selfish of me to pray for a good pedicure spa? I'm considering it. For now, I'll just keep a prayer in my heart and my eyes open for a strip mall type nail salon with neon lights and window painting advertising their specials. In case you were wondering, this is what I spent $60 on, amateur at best: