A DAD got a ‘His and Hers’ pedicure to try and win back his wife – but an infection from the “dirty” spa meant it cost him his leg.
Glenn Morris treated his wife Melissa Morris to a $270 (£202) spa package in a bid to spend more quality time together and rekindle their romance after a brief separation.
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During the three-hour long treatment in 2017 which included a massage, manicure and pedicure, the 54-year-old noticed the technician cut his left second toe with one of the tools but he “didn’t think anything of it”.
However, just days later the dad-of-four noticed that his small toe had “swollen up” to the size of his big toe and went straight to hospital where doctors told him he had a “terrible infection”.
Despite doctors surgically removing the bone in his second toe in June 2017, the infection spread and led to eight years of “extreme pain” and the amputation of both his big and third toes.
In January 2025 doctors made the tough decision to amputate Glenn’s leg from just below his knee to give him the “best quality of life” and he had a prosthetic fitted.
The parent blames the nail shop’s “unsanitary” equipment for his ordeal and claims he heard it had affected 28 other people but he never took legal action after the owners fled.
He now wants to warn people against using high street nail shops and encourages them to visit a podiatrist instead, a healthcare professional specialising in foot, ankle and lower leg care.
Glenn, a printing company owner who lives in Fairmount Heights, Maryland, US, said: “That one treatment has completely changed my life.
“I never thought [a pedicure] would cause what happened. The price of looking good is not worth losing a leg.
“[My wife and I] went and got a ‘His and Hers’ package to get some quality time together because we work a lot. We had separated for a little while and got back together.
“We said we wanted to start doing things together and [a pedicure] was one of the things on the list that she wanted to do.
“While we were there she had one technician on her and one technician on me doing the pedicures and manicures on tables next to each other. We left feeling very refreshed.
“They cut my toe with one of the tools that they had but I didn’t think anything of it. We took a trip and on the way back we stayed in a hotel. The next day I got up to go to the pool and noticed my small toe had swollen up as big as my big toe. It scared me so I did not get in the pool.
“It had to be from unsanitary utensils or ones that didn’t get cleaned properly. I couldn’t see it but once the incision cut me the infection went in. You don’t think anything is wrong but then three days later you have to go to the hospital with a terrible infection.”
After going to hospital doctors told Glenn he had a bone infection so he had surgery to remove the bone in his second toe.
However, after the infection continued to spread he had his big toe amputated in 2018 and his third toe amputated in 2019.
He then had to wear a boot for a year and a half to protect and support his foot after having the toes removed.
Five years later…
In October 2024 the business owner went to hospital for three weeks with a blood infection and had to return in December after his ankle snapped while he was brushing his teeth.
This led doctors to amputate Glenn’s leg on 28 January 2025 to completely remove the infection and give him a better quality of life.
He now has a prosthetic leg which he is able to walk on after going to rehab.
Glenn, who got together with Melissa in 1992, said: “[The doctor] told me that amputation would be the best way to come back with the best quality of life I was expected to have. Amputation was the best way to respond. Mentally it was okay for me to go ahead.
“Once I had the amputation most of the pain stopped. I had been in an extreme amount of pain and lived with about a six degree pain over the last eight years. I haven’t been able to wear a regular shoe on my foot in about two to three years because of swelling so I’ve had to wear an orthopedic boot.
“Working was pretty hard because I needed to be up on my feet and I hadn’t been able to do that on my left side and I haven’t been able to walk long distances. Grocery shopping has been a chore and I couldn’t go to football games because I couldn’t take the steps. It’s been hard.
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“It was a massive relief because I could start over and the quality of life I’m looking to have is within reach. I got a prosthetic leg and have been learning how to walk on it.”
The dad revealed the nail shop owners quickly packed up and fled after receiving similar complaints so he was never able to take legal action.
He now urges people to stay away from high street nail shops and to instead visit podiatrists.
Glenn said: “The [owners] had packed up and left. At that time it was more important for me to save my leg than to pay a lawyer to find them.
“It hurts me to see nail shops so full every week knowing that every time I went to a podiatrist to have them check my feet the officer would say it’s full of people who are there because of an infection [from nail shops].
“He said it’s so common and that so many people come in with foot injuries from pedicures, whether they know at the time or not.
“A podiatrist is the best place to get your nails clipped and the safest place. I’d warn people against using places on the high street.
“I look at my life now going forward advocating for other people in my situation so that they can have access to the activities I like to do like golf, swimming, fishing.”
Things to avoid to look after your nails
TO avoid any problems with your nails, toes and feet, the NHS recommends avoiding the following:
- don’t cut your nails down the edges, and only trim straight across the top to help avoid an ingrown toenail
- don’t clean under your nails with sharp objects
- don’t wear shoes that pinch your toes, especially when exercising
- don’t bite or pick your nails or the skin around them
- don’t ignore fungal infections on your skin, such as athlete’s foot