Twinkle Toes

I made the appointment in advance, and headed towards Solaris, Mont Kiara. Familiar territory to us, Solaris is always jam packed with cars that are double parked, even though the parking is only 1RM. (This is probably an expat gripe, as I can't understand why people won't park in the very convenient and safe parking lots. Compared to back home, where parking is nearly $5 an HOUR, this is still a bargain for us.)
The shop is located just across the parking lot/Cold Storage, and I made my way upstairs. It's a small but cosy shop, and there were 2 other patrons getting pedicures done. I was greeted by an assistant, filled in a form, then led to the pedicure chair, where an Indonesian worker began to scrub and polish my feet and legs. I got a quick foot massage, but after going to afew pedicure places, I know the massages are not that great in pedicure salons. The manager asked me if I would like ginger or green tea, and brought me a stack of magazines. I told her I was interested in nail art, although she did not appear to know the prices, so she deferred to the other two chinese workers who were doing the pedicures of the other customers. The manager was quite helpful in recommending nail colours that would complement my fair skin. I took ages to decide on the nail art, and the manager and assistant was very patient. They started preparing my toe nails and finger nails. They were very thorough in cleaning my cuticles, and at first, not harsh. However, after the manager had finished with my toenails, a second assistant began to work on my toenails again, and redid everything the manager had done. The effect of this was that the pedicure took twice as long as it was supposed to. I asked why it was being done again, and the second assistant responded that she was 'double checking'. In the meantime, the lady that had finished my manicure had brought her phone over to play games on it, while the second assistant was talking loudly to her. On top of that the second assistant was very very rough with my feet, and although I flinched with pain on more than one occasion and commented that it hurt, she didn't seem to notice that I was uncomfortable, and did not make it any gentler. On the upside, she was quite good in designing the nail art, but in an obvious rush to finish, as the rest of the workers headed to the back once lunch was brought in.
On a final note, I had worn half closed sandals, and had expected them to be able to wrap my toes in cling film as had happened at a very reputable and expensive salon I had previously visited. At Twinkle, they pushed me to purchase RM10 slippers, and I was told by the rough second assistant that the cling film was 'unprofessional'. I told them I would see whether I needed them after the session. In the end I was able to wear my own sandals home, after all, my nails had already been drying for a while.
Overall, the effect of the manicure and pedicure was good, and very thorough. I really love the color the manager chose for me. However, on the customer service side, the worker who did my toenails was quite rough. I think the manager realized the fault of the worker, and that I didn't enjoy the session 100%, and did not try to sell me the package, but mentioned it in passing, which I appreciated. At the end, she was lovely, and checked that the nails were not being smudged as I left.