‘I am in so much pain’: Woman gets a pedicure before attending Coachella. Then it goes terribly wrong

A TikToker who was excited to attend Coachella says her experience was off to a bad start after visiting a nail salon. Caitlyn Rae (@caitlynraee) posted a video detailing how she sustained what many commenters thought were "chemical burn[s]" on her skin.

Rae said she was in immense pain following the procedure, and still felt a burning sensation long after leaving the salon. Her video on the matter accrued over 947,000 views as of Sunday.

It burns

Rae begins her video crying into the camera.

"I don't know what the [expletive] just happened at the nail salon," she began. "I can't even speak, I was just getting a pedicure like a plain pedicure. A callous scrub, and I was getting my nails done."

Initially, it sounded like a routine beautification process that would take place at the over 56,300 nail salons in the United States. However, Rae soon learned this would not be the case shortly after her visit. Less than an hour after her time at the shop, she experienced discomfort.

"It was like 20, 30 minutes after the pedicure was done. I started to notice these burning pains," she recalled. "And I saw my legs blotchy and red. I'm gonna put in the videos."

At this point in the clip, her TikTok transitions to the aforementioned footage superimposed on the screen. Indeed, there were pink splotch marks on her arm, showing a discoloration in her skin. Off-camera, someone speaking in another language can be heard as a finger applies what looks like ointment to one of Rae's blotches.

Immediately thereafter, the video cuts to nail salon workers applying the same cream to portions of her leg. Rae's lower limbs also sport the same discoloration. The camera then briefly cuts to her face. "Oh my God," she said.

What happened?

Following the footage of the newly formed skin condition, Rae shared exactly what went down in the nail salon.

"My feet were in the water, and they were in this bag, but that's like pretty much it," she said. She then showed off her legs yet again, which still sport the splotches.

The TikToker also states that the breakout couldn't have been the result of skin irritation. That's because she hadn't "shaved in days" prior to visiting the nail salon.

"[My] pores aren't open," she explains to her audience. However, even after employee attempts at ameliorating her skin condition, she stated that the breakout "still [expletive] hurts."

The unfortunate outcome of her beautification attempt ended up putting a damper on her plans to attend Coachella. The long-running outdoor music festival in Indio, California, is a three-day event Rae was excited to attend.

As it turns out, her nail salon trauma wasn't the only problem she encountered prior to the three-day music fest.

"I just honestly had the most chaotic past two days ever," she said. "Last minute, Liz and I were told that we couldn't stay where we were staying anymore. It happened so last minute too."

Rae went on to say that she was "so [expletive] up trying to solve" her accommodation problem. Moreover, this nail salon trip ended up giving her yet another issue to deal with. Consequently, she and her friend had to end up "staying with strangers" just to attend the 72-hour concert.

Coachella compromised

Rae explained, "There's no hotels left, there's no Airbnbs that we could book. And we finally found somewhere to stay. But we don't know these people. It's pretty far from the festival."

As a result of her plans being upended and her skin reaction, the influencer said she was devastated.

"I'm really [expletive] shaken up right now, like this is not the vibe," she shared. "This is not supposed to be my vibe and my energy going into this weekend at all."

After she puts on her sunglasses in the car, the video then cuts to her examining the splotches on her leg yet again.

She said, "I'm trying to get the camera to show like the burn and puss. These two hurt the most right now still." After highlighting the blotches on her skin, the video cuts back to her ranting in her vehicle one more time.

"I'm like actually a [expletive] wreck," she said before the video comes to a close.

Cleanliness is key at nail salons

Australian-based medical facility Highett Podiatry writes about some of the potential side effects of a pedicure. The facility writes that there are some instances where these procedures could very well end up "harmful" to customers.

One of the primary hazards folks have to watch out for are fungal and bacterial infections. Because bacteria thrive in warm and moist environments, nail salons are breeding grounds for them.

Businesses must follow stringent sanitation practices in order to avoid passing these infections from one customer to another. Furthermore, the same healthcare facility states that ingrown toenails can pop up as a result of "excessive filing" or "improper cutting" of nails.

Additionally, the outlet highlighted that patrons can sustain allergic reactions during a visit to the nail salon. These are attributed to the variety of different nail polishes, removers, and other products" in salons which "may contain harsh chemicals."

Not to mention that skin irritations can form because "natural oils" are stripped from the human body. Consequently, this subjects folks to rashes and other skin deformations akin to the ones shown in Rae's video.

Viewers speculated as to what was the culprit

Several people who saw Rae's video believed that her abrasions were caused by a chemical burn.

One individual who seems to understand Vietnamese said they heard one of the nail techs admit as much.

"The nail techs talking in Vietnamese were saying it might had been on his gloves when he was holding your leg. And it burned you," they translated.

At least one other commenter said they were able to translate the brief conversation snippet featured in Rae's clip.

Watch on TikTok

"I’m Vietnamese. I’m going to translate what they’re saying: nail tech is saying your skin is skin/sensitive. Other women is saying 'I think something on your glove got onto her,'" they wrore.

Another bluntly stated, "That's 100% a chemical burn."

This was a sentiment echoed by another user on the platform who penned, "Nail tech here! I’ve been a nail tech for 14 yrs. That is a chemical burn from the callous remover. The tech should have switch out his gloves before continuing the pedicure! So sorry this happen to you."

One TikTok user thought Rae should seek medical attention immediately. "Go to urgent care so that it's documented in case it gets worse," they said.

The Daily Dot has reached out to Rae via email for further comment.

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