Pedicure chair types: whirlpool spa chair or podiatry chair?
One of the questions we hear most from salon owners is simple: "I need a pedicure chair, which one should I buy?" Start with the work you do. Do you sell pedicures as a relaxing treatment, or do you offer medical foot care such as ingrown nails and corns? This guide covers the two main chair families, plumbing, tub cleaning, the therapist's working position and how to plan the room together with your manicure tables.
Types of pedicure chair
Whatever the catalogue calls them, most models belong to one of two families.
- Pedicure spa chair: the chair and the foot tub are one unit. Whirlpool pedicure chairs, pedi chairs with hydromassage and what some call a pedicure throne all belong here. The client sits, the feet rest in warm water, and the therapist works facing them on a low stool.
- Podiatry chair: designed for the treatment position rather than a foot bath ritual. A motor system adjusts the backrest, seat, height and leg section, so the specialist reaches the foot at the right angle and height.
Which chair suits which business?
Beauty salon, nail studio, foot care centre
If you sell the pedicure as an experience, a hydromassage tub is essential. The massage effect of the water relaxes the client, and the session feels like a break rather than a wait. Our pedicure spa chairs are built for exactly this.
Spa, wellness and hotel spa
Here the chair is part of the look of the room. Zen and Rozen also suit spa and wellness areas. Plan the upholstery colour and the line of the body together with your reception desk and waiting area.
Podiatry clinic, foot health centre
Diabetic foot care, medical pedicure, ingrown nails and corn treatment are long, precise jobs. They call for a motorised medical chair. In centres that offer both spa pedicures and medical care, the cleanest solution is two chairs in two separate areas.
What our models offer
Zen is a complete system: integrated pedicure basin, hydromassage jets, hand shower and chrome mixer tap. The body is glossy, hygienic fibreglass. The backrest and foot mechanism adjust, and the chair offers seated and reclined positions. There is a cup holder in the armrest and a removable foot cushion. Upholstery comes in black, tan, red, turquoise or pink.
Nova combines a spa tub with hydromassage jets, a massage function and a wired remote. The upholstery is faux leather in a choice of colours.
Rozen measures 136 x 67 x 142.5 cm. It has a hydromassage tub with water jets, a seat that slides forward and back, and white PU leather upholstery.
Bella is our podiatry chair. Quiet motors adjust the backrest, seat, height and leg section from an ergonomic hand control. It is upholstered in a range of colours and its surfaces are easy to clean.
Plumbing: plan it before the chair arrives
Every chair with a hydromassage tub needs two things: a clean water supply and a drain. Zen has a mixer tap and a hand shower, so hot and cold water lines must reach the chair. The tub is emptied after every session, so the drain point should be close by. Drains work by gravity, and a long run with little fall is prone to blockages.
Hydromassage jets and Nova's massage function run on electricity. Have an electrician install the socket near the wet area on a circuit with residual current protection (RCD). Bella is motorised, so plan a socket next to it as well.
If you are installing several tub chairs, lining them up along one wall keeps the water and drain runs short. When adding to an existing salon, an old basin point is often a good place to start. Send us your floor plan and we will fix the connection points with you.
Hygiene and tub cleaning
The pedicure tub is cleaned after every client. Make it a fixed routine:
- Drain the tub and rinse away residue with clean water.
- Wipe the surface with salon disinfectant and respect the contact time on the label.
- Rinse and dry, so the next client finds a clean, dry tub.
The hydromassage jets are also cleaned separately and regularly, because residue collects around them. Do a more thorough clean at the end of the day. Zen's fibreglass body and Rozen's PU leather are easy to clean, but abrasive pads and scouring powder scratch a glossy surface, and scratches hold dirt. Do not leave nail polish or dye stains sitting on white upholstery. On a podiatry chair, wipe the upholstery after every client and use a disposable cover.
The therapist's working position
In a pedicure spa chair the client sits high and the therapist works on a low stool in front. The goal is for the therapist to reach the foot comfortably while sitting upright. Working hunched forward shows up in the back and neck by the end of the day. On Zen the backrest and foot mechanism adjust and the foot cushion is removable. On Rozen the seat slides forward and back, so you move the chair, not the stool, to bring the client closer.
In podiatry the treatments are longer and more delicate, so height adjustment is decisive. With Bella the specialist uses the motor to bring the chair to their own working height and sets the backrest and leg section separately for each treatment. In both cases a stool on castors with adjustable height and a good work lamp matter as much as the chair itself.
Floor plan: pedicure and manicure together
The chair's footprint is only part of the plan. Leave about one metre in front of the tub for the therapist's stool and trolley, and allow passing room between chairs placed side by side. Zen and Rozen are made in standard sizes and their dimension drawings are on the product pages, so we can plan your layout to the centimetre.
Keep manicure tables out of the splash zone of the tub chairs. Pedicure is wet work and manicure is dusty work; filing dust and water should not meet in the same corner. If you sell manicure and pedicure as a package, place the tables close to the chairs but in their own row, so the client only takes a few steps.
Our manicure tables are planned the same way. Pop is modular, with a 144 x 60 cm work surface and a height of 75.2 cm; several tables join side by side into a nail bar, and it is made with or without a dust extractor. Lucy and Bone come with an integrated extractor. Plan sockets for extractors and lamps too; Pop has cable holes in the work surface.
Common mistakes
- Ordering the chair and thinking about plumbing after delivery
- Running a medical foot care clinic with only a spa chair
- Leaving no room for the therapist in front of the tub
- Leaving the socket in the wet area unprotected
- Placing the manicure table right next to the tub
Short checklist
- Your work: spa pedicure, medical foot care, or both?
- Clean water supply and drain point for every tub chair
- Socket with residual current protection
- About one metre in front of the tub for therapist and trolley
- A cleaning routine applied after every client
- Upholstery colour that matches your reception desk and waiting area
We design and build every chair and table in our own workshop in Istanbul. We have more than 17 years of experience, production takes 1 to 2 weeks and every product carries a 2 year warranty. We ship worldwide and work with businesses in Qatar, France, Belgium and Iraq.
Send your floor plan and the treatments you plan to offer on WhatsApp; we will choose the chairs, tables and connection points with you and prepare your quote.
