Mobile manicurist brings luxury to clients

WASILLA — When Bonnie Kozak rolls up a client’s driveway, someone’s about to be pampered.

A licensed and insured hairdresser, manicurist and pedicurist, Kozak spent 13 years doing hair and nails in various salons across Southcentral. When she broke out on her own five months ago, she’s been able to focus on her true passion — nails.

As owner and sole employee of Tootsies by Bonnie, Kozak brings a little bit of the good life to anyone anywhere, and finds a special joy visiting local seniors and shut-ins.

“Everybody does this in a shop, but there are so many senior citizens and older people who don’t want to go into a shop, and so many who can’t get out of their homes,” she said. “I thought, ‘well, I can go to them, make them happy in their own home.’ They may not be able to get out, but they can still be pampered.”

Whether in a client’s home or office, Kozak brings a professional touch that’s much more than simply clipping and polishing the ends of fingers and toes. A typical manicure and pedicure can take about 90 minutes, she said, and includes a warm foot bath and massage with sea salts. Painting and even airbrushing are also standard.

“You soak in the foot bath for, like, 30 minutes,” she explained. “Then I take the feet out and clip the toenails and clean the cuticles up. Then, I massage with sea salts, then massage with lotion. With women, they like polish too, but the men don’t.”

And don’t let those macho manly attitudes fool you, she said. While most men don’t indulge in pedicures or manicures, those who do love it.

“Right now, I don’t have very many men (clients), but I’m wanting to get more,” she said. “A lot of men need their feet done, but they’re scared to get a manicure or pedicure and they can’t do it (themselves).”

But when they do finally have that first nail experience, the reaction is usually the same, Kozak said.

“’God, that felt good,’ they say,” she said. “’I should have done that a lot sooner.’”

For Kozak, nails are more than her job, they’re her passion.

“You have to have that passion,” she said. “With doing hair, I liked cutting for men and the kids, but I hated doing women’s hair. They’re just too picky. But with the nails and pedicures, I just have the passion.”

Part of it is seeing how bringing something as small as a 90-minute nail job to a senior or shut-in can make someone’s day special.

“People want to feel good about themselves, and if you have ugly toenails or ugly fingernails, you don’t want to show them, you don’t want to put sandals on.”

A standard mobile pedicure runs $35, while a manicure is $25, Kozak said. And a lot of clients start out having received her services as a gift. With Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day on the horizon, gift certificates are a great, inexpensive gift.

When it comes to nails, Kozak is a believer in going all-natural. Fake products, she said, are not good for maintaining healthy nails.

“I used to get fake nails put on a long time ago, and when they take them off the nails left are horrible,” she said. “It peels all the nail bed off and takes layers and layers of the nail off. The best advice I have is to take care of the real stuff.”

Whether you’re a nail-biter or have problems with hangnails or ingrown nails, Kozak said she can probably help. For many people who cut th eir own nails, the biggest mistake they make is to cut wrong or too deep.

“If the side isn’t cut right, you leave that little point and that could lead to an ingrown nail,” she said.

Many little girls play dress-up and beauty parlor, which is how Kozak said she feels every day. “That’s how I feel, because this is what I really love to do.”

For those who think having manicures or pedicures are extravagant, Kozak points out that many pet owners put much more time and money into pampering their dogs and cats then they do for themselves.

“They won’t have their nails done, but they’ll have their dog’s nails clipped and painted,” she said. “If it’s good enough for your dog, it’s good enough for you.”

To learn more about Tootsies by Bonnie or to schedule an appointment, call Kozak at 232-1606.

Contact Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.