Pedicure: the full procedure

Soak the feet, trim and shape the nails, perform cuticle care, smooth calluses within safe limits using a file or pumice (never a credo blade where prohibited), exfoliate, massage, and polish.

• Applies to: Nail technician.
• Frequency: Every pedicure service.
• Scope: Covers the standard pedicure process. Calluses are smoothed only with a file or pumice — razor-type callus shavers (credo blades) are prohibited in many states, no living skin is cut, and any infection or abnormality is referred to a physician.

What you need

• Footbath / basin
• Toenail clipper
• File & cuticle pusher
• Foot file or single-use pumice
• Exfoliant & lotion

The procedure, step by step

1. Soak the feet — Place feet in a clean, disinfected footbath with warm water to soften skin and nails and relax the client.
2. Trim & shape nails — Clip toenails straight across and lightly file the edges to prevent ingrown nails.
3. Cuticle care — Apply remover and gently push back cuticles with the pusher flat to the plate — push, never cut into living tissue.
4. Smooth calluses (within limits) — Reduce thickened calluses with a foot file or pumice only; never use a credo blade/razor callus shaver where prohibited, and never cut healthy or living skin.
5. Exfoliate — Apply a scrub to the feet and lower legs and rinse to remove dead surface skin.
6. Massage — Massage feet and lower legs with lotion to condition skin and improve client comfort.
7. Prep & polish — Remove oils from the plates, insert toe separators, and apply base coat, color, and top coat (or cure, per service).
8. Sanitize after — Discard single-use porous items, disinfect the footbath and reusable implements per state board and product label directions.

Quality check before you finish

• Footbath cleaned and disinfected before and after service.
• Toenails clipped straight across, no sharp corners.
• Cuticles pushed, not cut.
• Calluses smoothed with file/pumice only — no credo blade, no cut skin.
• No bleeding or broken skin.
• Single-use porous items discarded; reusables disinfected per label/state board.
• Polish even with toe separators in place.

This is a free, source-anchored standard operating procedure (SOP) you can print and hand to staff. It documents the work sequence for a Nail Salon business — not safety or regulatory rulings, which defer to the cited authorities, the applicable code, and your own health-and-safety plan. Open the tool above to print it, toggle ink-saver, or (with a free ToolFluency Business account) edit it to match your own workflow.

Sources

• Arizona / North Carolina State Boards of Cosmetology — Callus-Shaver Ban (bcb.az.gov)
• NAILS Magazine — Foot Tools: Dispose or Disinfect? (nailsmag.com)