Nailed It!

On a beautiful crisp afternoon at Rancho La Puerta, I went to the Women’s Health Center seeking pampering and relaxation. A Ranch Custom Manicure and Pedicure were just the ticket.

I decided to make this a real Ranch manicure to remind me of my wonderful time spent there after I got home. Selecting a color was the most difficult aspect of this treatment. This is a reoccurring struggle for me when I get my nails done, so I was glad to get it out of the way first thing. I picked a vibrant orange and added a little Ranch man logo on my ring fingers and big toes myself when I got back to my room. I also got to select a candle scent. Sticking with the orange theme, I chose orange lemongrass.

We began with the pedicure. A large copper tub was filled with warm water and soap to submerge my feet in to soften them. One foot at a time, lotion was applied before pushing back cuticles, trimming, and filing. Griss, the manicurist’s, tools and care made me think that she was like a dentist for toes. She used a pumice stone to remove calluses and dead skin on my heels and the bottoms of my feet. I tend to get squirrely at this part since I have ticklish feet, but her pressure and speed almost made me forget that. When the true softness of my feet was revealed, Griss mixed a cream of rosemary, coconut oil, goat milk, and brown sugar in a bowl with a precious tiny whisk and applied it. With the scrub still on, she stepped away to grab warm towels to wrap around my feet. It was a chilly afternoon, and my feet are always cold anyway, so I loved that immensely. After a few minutes, the towels were removed, and Griss poured warm wax from the burning candle (which smelled delicious and was perfect with the orange infused water provided in the spa that day which I sipped while I enjoyed the treatment) onto my feet and rubbed it in with a delightful massage. It was like an organic and less messy paraffin wax. After all that preparation, toe separators were added, and the painting portion began. A base coat, two coats of color, and a topcoat were applied. Griss fan dried my toes by hand with a cute little accordion fan in between coats.

As my toes were drying, it was time to handle my hands. The process was pretty much identical to the one used on my feet. Cleansing oil was rubbed into my hands before applying cuticle milk, pushing back and removing overgrown cuticles, and shaping my nails. The same rosemary scrub that was used on my feet and new warm towels blessed my hands and softened them by removing dead skin. Lemongrass oil and a bit more of the candle wax were combined to rejuvenate the newly exposed skin via a hand and arm massage that was seriously dreamy. While I was in that blissful state, Griss painted my fingernails the same way she did my toenails, doing a great job to evenly coat the full nails and remove excess from my fingers.

I was pleasantly surprised when Griss gifted me with three new to-go nail files; what a great touch! I left feeling relaxed and pampered, which is exactly what I was looking for. I found myself speaking with my hands a little extra that afternoon and casually admiring Griss’ handiwork all day. I welcomed the confidence boost that smooth skin and a fresh coat of paint gave me.

If you are feeling (un)inspired or in need of a refresh, you can create your own rosemary scrub to use in your at-home manicures and pedicures when you’re not at The Ranch or can’t make it to the salon.

You’ll need:
3 Tablespoons Oatmeal
1 Tablespoon Salt
3 Tablespoons Coconut or Sunflower Oil
4 drops Rosemary Essential Oil
1 small piece of Rosemary (cut into small pieces)
Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and massage into skin.

Thank you to Griss for her excellent work on these treatments and to the Women’s Health Center for allowing me to try them.