Manicurists and Pedicurists
Overview
Manicurists and pedicurists help people look and feel their best by cleaning, shaping, and beautifying fingernails and toenails. They use modern tools and techniques to trim, file, and polish nails, create stunning nail art designs, apply artificial nails, and provide relaxing hand and foot massages. This creative job combines artistic skills with customer service, and many professionals work in trendy salons, spas, or even start their own mobile nail businesses. You can enter this field through vocational training or cosmetology school, and with social media driving nail art trends, there are always new techniques and styles to master.
Did you know?
All states require nail technicians to complete formal training and obtain a license, with requirements varying significantly between states.
At a Glance
Median Wage
$35,516.33 Avg/yr
Growth
Fast Growing
Top Skill
Complex Problem Solving
Key Responsibilities
- Decorate clients' nails by piercing or attaching ornaments or designs.
- Schedule client appointments and accept payments.
- Extend nails using powder, solvent, and paper forms attached to tips of customers' fingers to support and shape artificial nails.
- Treat nails to repair or improve strength and resilience by wrapping.
- Assess the condition of clients' hands, remove dead skin, and massage hands.
- Remove previously applied nail polish, using liquid remover and swabs.
- Whiten underside of nails with white paste or pencils.
- Maintain supply inventories and records of client services.
- Clean and sanitize tools and work environment.
- Shape and smooth ends of nails, using scissors, files, or emery boards.
- Use rotary abrasive wheels to shape and smooth nails or artificial extensions.
- Advise clients on nail care and use of products and colors.
- Apply undercoat and clear or colored polish onto nails with brush.
- Polish nails, using powdered polish and buffer.
- Roughen surfaces of fingernails, using abrasive wheel.
- Prepare customers' nails in soapy water, using swabs, files, and orange sticks.
- Prepare nail cuticles with water and oil, using cuticle knives to push back cuticles and scissors or nippers to trim cuticles.
- Promote and sell nail care products.
Career Considerations
State Licensing Requirements
All states require nail technicians to complete formal training and obtain a license, with requirements varying significantly between states.
Physical Health Demands
The job involves prolonged sitting, repetitive hand motions, and exposure to chemicals, which can lead to back strain and respiratory issues over time.
Income Variability and Business Opportunities
Earnings depend heavily on clientele, location, and whether working as an employee versus independent contractor, with potential for salon ownership.