Video | How Bruce Lee fought with ingrown toenails – thanks to a scalpel-wielding Shanghai pedicurist in Hong Kong
Who better than the man who tended to martial art legend’s painful toenails to take care of your ingrowns, verrucas or warts? Lam Kwun-ching is one of a handful of Shanghai pedicure masters still wielding their scalpels in Hong Kong
A pedicure is considered a mere beauty treatment or a pampering indulgence by many, but for some, it is a necessity.
Ingrown toenails, verrucas and warts are just some of the problems that a Shanghainese pedicurist has to deal with on a daily basis.
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A Shanghai pedicure is a technical procedure which involves shaving away calluses on the feet using different types of scalpels. Blades are also used to trim the toenails and to remove any warts or verrucas. Then, dead skin on the feet is buffed away, before a nail tonic is applied.
Lam Kwun-ching, known to his clients as Uncle Ball, is one of the best Shanghainese pedicurists in town. Now 72, he grew up in Hong Kong, where he has been helping his clients since the early 1960s.
When a customer walks in, Lam will invite them to submerge their feet in a tub of warm water. Not only is this for their comfort, it is also necessary to soften the skin and the cuticles. After they have soaked for about 15 minutes, Lam carefully dries their feet and places them on a small stool. What follows is all down to the master’s skills – and the precision of his sharp blade.
Ms Sin, 45, is one of Lam’s most loyal customers. “I have been visiting Uncle Ball for more than five years now,” says Sin, letting out a little sigh as Lam extracts a final piece of ingrown toenail.