For those of you who read my blog regularly, you are well familiar with my rants and critiques of various restaurants, resorts, and other places around Lebanon. These rants are a personal opinion that was built based on an experience, and is in no way meant to defame any of these places. That said, and if you are offended in any way… Sue me!
It was finally Friday, and my friends/ colleagues and I were all in desperate need of a manicure, pedicure, and some pampering. After discussing our options we decided to try Paparazzi – Beauty Lounge and Spa on Bliss Street, because we all had friends who’ve tried it and liked it.
And so it went…
Noor and Aya arrived at the appointment at about 2:40 and began. I followed at about 2:50 because I had to run an errand. After waiting for about 20 minutes, I asked the gentleman at the reception about when I would start, so he informed me that I had to wait for Aya to finish and then it would be my turn.
After ages of waiting, I was able to begin at about 3:45. As I was sitting on the pedicure chair, the non-Lebanese (with all due respect to all nationalities and races) nail artist asked if I had an appointment; I said yes, but she insisted that I check. So I got off the chair and when to the reception desk and asked the gentleman to inform her that I had an appointment. We I returned with the gentleman, she was no were in sight. After 7 minutes of asking the other girls about her and tracking her down, we were able to find her and convince her of my appointment and I sat back down on the pedicure chair in hopes that the confusion was over. She asked me what I wanted to do and if I had selected my color; I told her I wanted a French manicure and pedicure, so again she told me to get off the pedicure chair as we were going to start with my manicure first. Again, I got off the incredibly annoying chair with the sink below the feet that trips you every time and went to the manicure tables. Then again, she decided that she would do both my manicure and pedicure at the same time, so again she asked me to sit back on the pedicure chair.
For someone with a history of hysterical anger episodes, and years of self anger management therapy, I was beginning to get irritated. Even Noor couldn’t help but comment on the extent of my patients, but I told her that she was about to see my other face, literally, if this continued.
I sat down again in that damned chair and began.
In the mean time, Noor was struggling with her own nail artist as she was not able to comprehend the fact that Noor wanted her nails to be filed rounded with a French manicure and didn’t want her toes to be filed too close to the flesh. With no use, the nail artist did exactly the opposite and hurt her. While this went on, another artist came behind Noor and asked her to turn around so she could soak her hands for the manicure. Can you imagine having to twist your back 90 degrees for about 40 minutes? Yes, that was the last straw!!! Noor asked them both to stop, got up, went to the reception desk, complained about the service, and left.
Yours truly was still sitting there trying to teach the nail artist how to file my nails evenly, and how to apply a French tip using the brush.
So much for the rest and the pampering!!
Finally, at 5:15, and after repeating my hand manicure twice, I was done and able to leave… and never come back!
