Pampering Hands And Feet

Wendy Cowen
Owner, Wendy Cowen’s Manicures and Pedicures

Please tell us about your business. I give manicures and pedicures at Shear Nevaeh Salon in Kapa’a. I do natural nails with regular or gel polish.

What is gel polish? Gel polish stays on 10 to 12 days – depending on what you’re doing – with no chipping. It keeps your nails shiny. A lot of people, like nurses, people who do hair or others who are constantly using their hands or chemicals, love it because it stays on. And I love it because otherwise I wouldn’t be able to wear polish because I’m working with chemicals like acetone, which would make the polish come right off. Gel polish has existed for about two-and-a-half years now.

Can you create any special designs for clients? I came from Portland, and a lot of people there liked marbling, so I’ve gotten pretty good at doing that, as well as flowers.

What kind of nail polish do you use? OPI and China Glaze is a lot of what I have. I also have Zoya, and some different gel polishes that aren’t carried over here. I also sell the products here.

What are your sanitation methods? I know a lot of people are concerned about sanitation at nail salons, and so I have a pedicure bowl that has a one-use-only liner. So, when it’s been used, it gets thrown out. My tools I also sanitize after every use.

What sets your business apart from others? I have a couple varieties of scrubs and lotions – like right now I have coconut and mango. People like to have choices rather than just one set of products. I also warm up the lotion and use it with massage oil, so you get a massage, as well. It’s all really relaxing.

What is your experience or background in this field? I always wanted to pamper people. I attended beauty school and received my license for nails and aesthetics. From there, my mind originally went to working in a retirement home, because the older people there start to feel invisible, and so I wanted to pamper them by giving manicures and pedicures. I worked at a retirement home for three years, along with working down on the waterfront in Oregon.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of what you do? I love laughing and talking with people and getting to know them. It’s rewarding when they walk away feeling I’m not just their nail tech, that I’m their friend.

What’s the most challenging aspect of what you do? Every once in awhile you’ll get somebody who, no matter what you do, they are just not going to be happy. Thankfully, in the five years I’ve been doing this, there has only been one person I experienced like that.

What makes you get up every day and go to work? My clients. It doesn’t matter who they are. I just absolutely love my job.

4-1579 Kuhio Hwy., Suite 207, Kapa’a

By appointment only Call 389-4467