Struggle with back pain? Techs share their pain-free pedi setups

Scratch talks to two techs, who reveal how they created the perfect pedi setups to accommodate to their back pain.

Becks Dunn of Beautiful Destiny Nails and Tanning

Northamptonshire based Becks Dunn has suffered with a bad back for 15 years, after an injury which ended her former dancing dreams and transformed her nail hobby into her career.

“I have always found sitting in the correct posture difficult, especially if I have a lot of clients in one day, and pedicures have particularly pained my back from leaning over,” she says.

After 12 years as a nail tech, Becks has finally found a pedi setup that doesn’t exacerbate her upper back pain and ensures clients are comfortable.

“For years at the start of my career, I sat on the floor, knowing the client was comfortable and not thinking of myself. Then I tried sitting on a chair and putting their feet on my legs, but my upper back was bent,” she reveals. When she later added a platform that the client’s chair went on top of to raise their feet, she still found herself twisting her body.

It wasn’t until recently that Becks added a table at the edge of the platform and noticed a huge difference in her comfort. “I am now able to sit upright on a stool with my back straight and legs under the table and my clients’ feet resting on top in front of me,” she smiles.

Becks’ pedi setup

Loretta Walker of The Nail & Beauty Lounge

After years of not sitting correctly while doing pedicures – with her chair too high and clients’ feet too low, OPI Midlands educator, Loretta Walker, began to get severe back pain every time she performed a pedi. It forced her to change the way she carries out the treatment to ensure that she isn’t leaning over too much.

“It got to a stage in my career where I would have to stop doing pedicures or adapt my process,” she reveals. “My lower back was in excruciating pain, especially if I had back-to-back pedis, due to the constant bending down.

“I now work on a treatment bed, with the clients bending their legs to put their feet in the pedi bowl, and I use towels under the ankles to support their legs. I sit on a stool at the end of the bed, allowing me to sit straight,” she explains.

Loretta’s pedicure clients have given positive feedback about the change in setup, commenting that it’s much more relaxing. And in the colder months, the educator uses a heated bed to add further luxury to the client experience.

Loretta’s setup