Readers Choice 2011 Winners

Tri-Valley PC Medic. Whether your computer has a dreaded virus or just needs fine-tuning for better performance, PC Medic is the place to go. Owner Ken Cook even makes house calls, and he can deal with annoying popups and get your computer and network running smoothly. Second Place is Pleasanton Computer Repair, which can repair a PC via a remote desktop tool. Red Smoke Grill . All-natural chicken, choice tri-tip, and tender pork, with tri-tip and chicken cooked over red oak, and items such as the Red Smoke Original Tri-Tip Sandwich with fresh hand-cut salsa and a side item of Pinquinto Beans. Just writing about this makes us hungry. Second Place is Dickey's BBQ. We're embarrassed to admit we've eaten the whole picnic pack by ourselves. Great food and some funny videos, too. Peet's Coffee & Tea.That venti soy double mocha frappuccino and the growth of coffee culture in America in general can be traced directly to Peet's. Alfred Peet mentored generations of specialty coffee entrepreneurs, including the cofounder of Starbucks. Second Place is Starbucks. What started as a coffee bar is now a worldwide phenomenon, with specialty beverages, food, CDs and yes, even an iPod app. Wente Vineyards . Wente is the country's oldest, continuously operated family-owned winery, and the winery recently partnered with the Food Network to create a lines of wines to be paired with foods. Don't forget the summer concert series! Second Place is Mitchell Katz Winery, the hometown favorite. As a teen, Mitchell spent summers helping his grandfather make wines and decided to carry on the tradition. Murphy's Paw. It's a dog's world, say Melanie and Mike Sadek, owners of this shop on Main Street; we humans just happen to live in it. And, yes, there is a Murphy, who joined the Sadek household in 2002, and was the inspiration for a special place to take dogs for toys, treats and accessories. Our readers also like Pet Food Express, which won Second Place. Independent bookstores are a dying breed; heck, even chain stores of actual printed, hold-in-your-hands-and-turn-the-pages books are closing. But Towne Center is keeping the literary spirit alive with personal service, a great selection, book groups and events with authors. Borders came in second but it closed its Pleasanton store recently. It's still selling online. Trader Joe's. TJ's making cooking fun, always offering something new to try, and easy to prepare.

My California Day and Nails Spa Experience | Woman Care

Costs: Php 390.00 plus an additional Php 20.00 for a  special nail polish (Orly) for a total of Php 410.00

I don’t usually go to expensive salons to have a pedicure. I know a trusted lady who pedicures my toenails at a minimal cost; but since it was my birthday and wants to pamper myself I decided to have a pedicure in one of the most popular nail salon in our country.

I wanted to have a pedicure and foot spa to relax my tired feet so I tried the spa pedicure.

Since it is one of the most popular nail spas in our country, you can’t help it if you get to sit with celebrities and models. That day I had a pedicure I was sitting with Donita Rose, a popular Singapore-based Vee-jay turned TV host in a morning news show. And when she left, another model occupied the seat Donita vacated. It seems that they frequent the salon as they call them by their names.

The Service

First they started with a foot soak, your feet will be soaked in soapy water together with the scrub and nail brush that they are going to use to your feet. Maybe they soaked it too soften the scrub but I think it is too messy.

The foot soak lasts for about 5 minutes a. Next thing they did is to clean your toe nails, file them to shape the nails while alternately soaking them in the warm water. This procedure of cleaning the nails lasted for 45 minutes. The nail technician was very slow and cautious in cleaning the cuticle of the nails and some ingrown nails. I observed that they used a different kind of cuticle remover that has a shorter blade than the ordinary cuticle remover you see in regular salons. That is why you cannot hurry cutting or cleaning the cuticles.

I was timing the whole procedure because according to the receptionist pedicure takes 35 minutes to finish. After the cleaning, the nail technician put some sloughing lotion to my left foot and continues to slough away the dry flaky skin. Instantly, my foot was very clean and white. I feel happy inside. Next she sloughs my right foot and started to scrub after that. The whole procedure of sloughing and scrubbing takes 10 minutes to finish. Then, she finishes the foot spa with rinsing my feet with very warm water to shake off the excess soap and skin from my feet and wiped it dry. She started with my left foot after drying and placed some lotion and performed a quick massage.

She prepared my left foot for the pedicure while my right foot was soaked. I was worried because my right foot was too soaked in water so when she tried to start the pedicure the skin around the nails are too soft. I was worried she might “murder” my cuticles.

Natural foot care, herbal treatments, massage, and exercises for healthy feet

According to many salon owners I surveyed, of the nail care services booked by customers, approximately 30 percent are for pedicures. ...

Los Angeles Magazine

The athletically inclined should opt for the "Extremely Buff" pedicure ... All spa services — sauna, steam room and whirlpool — are included with nail-care ...

Milady's Standard Nail Technology

Now, for many clients, pedicures are a regular ritual in their personal care regimen. Pedicures are considered a standard service performed in salons by ...

Orange Coast Magazine

Bask in a European aromaology facial, manicure or pedicure — or try all three. ... You'll find full nail- and hair-care services here, a selection of ...

Milady's standard, nail technology

Pedicure Service When using a manufacturer's product line, ... Make the client feel that you have nothing more to do than to take care of their every wish. ...