‘Too Big For A Pedicure?’: Texas Woman Refused Pedicure Because She’s Overweight, Told She Was Too ‘Heavy’ To Get Pedicure

Going to a nail salon is a spiritual experience for some.  Many women religiously frequent their favorite nail salons in order to keep their appearance right, or just to feel better.  A simple (or sometimes extravagant) manicure and pedicure could be just the thing to make that person feel better and ready to take on anything.  Surely that was the case for a North Houston woman who had her mind set on receiving a pedicure.  Things didn’t go as planned and her experience left her in a more than disappointing state. 

When Tina Lewis left her house to get a pedicure, she didn’t expect to be discriminated against. According to ABC13 in Houston, Lewis and her mother arrived at the Rose Nails salon off of Greens Road and Imperial Valley in Houston, but they didn’t stay long. 

Lewis and her mother were seen on security footage entering the nail salon and having a brief exchange with the employees.  Their interaction was brief.  What transpired within their interaction at the salon left them appalled.   

Lewis told ABC in a clip, “I was like, ‘Can I get a pedicure? And what chair do I sit in?’ And (the employee) was like, the chairs were not big enough for me to sit in. And I was like, ‘Are you serious?'”   

The employee who stated the insensitive remark to Lewis, leaving her offended, was a woman by the name of Marie Bui.  “I said, ‘I’m sorry I cannot serve you because my spa chair is very small.”  Perhaps the chairs in the establishment were indeed too small for Lewis, but nevertheless, it didn’t stop her from feeling discriminated against. 

According to Bui, she did not mean to offend or disrespect Lewis with her comments.  Bui claims that there was an instance involving a previous customer who damaged a chair in the establishment. They believe it to be because of the customer’s weight. “After that, the spa chair and the machine broke underneath,” she said.   

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Lewis believes that Rose Nail’s salon should have some sort of signage to let customers, who may be too big to fit in their seats due to their size, would be aware to find another establishment that could cater to them.  The shop owner claims that seat repairs are hundreds of dollars and they aren’t able to afford the repairs.   

Lewis claims that she does not believe the excuses of the nail salon and won’t be returning.