Mr Chow is a married man, a new dad and a part-time windsurfing coach. Manicuring doesn't seem to tally with that.

But as chance and circumstance would have it, he stumbled into the manicure cosmetics business four years ago and is one of only a handful of professional male manicurists in the city.

It was exasperation with his advertising career as a graphic designer that first provided him the ideal launch pad for exploring other career options. 'I had been in advertising for five years and had grown increasingly disillusioned,' he recalled. 'Part of the problem as a graphic designer was that I never had any interaction with the customer so they never really understood my designs. Instead, the client would end up changing much of the work I had done so I felt the concept was no longer my own. That, I found, very frustrating.'

As the idea of working for himself took shape, he struggled over what he could viably do. 'Working for an employer is no good. You are never rewarded for good work and told off if you don't meet the requirements, so I knew I wanted to start my own business. At least all the hard work and sweat would be worth it because the business would be mine.'

In the end, the start of his business came by way of a small gift he bought for his then girlfriend, now wife, at a products fair at the Convention and Exhibition Centre. 'I saw some nail art products and I thought it would be fun to buy some for my girlfriend,' he said. 'Once I got home and began to see how good it looked and how she was playing around with it, I began thinking maybe this could be a business opportunity.'

Though he had initially set up his shop only to sell nail art products, there was such a large demandfor full manicure services that by the end of the first year of business he had hired a full-time manicurist and was enrolling himself on professional manicure courses.

On a busy day, he now gives manicures to six clients at most, while also managing the logistics of his day-to-day enterprise.

Being a man in a largely female dominated industry does naturally come with some drawbacks. For Mr Chow, it is a little like navigating around a landmine, so keeping his wits about him is essential.

'Having a man you don't know touch your hand and make direct eye contact with you can be a very strange experience for a woman, so I am always very mindful of that and am as professional as I can be to avoid any misunderstandings,' he said, adding, the chance of miscommunication can be reduced if everything he intends to do for the client is explained upfront.

'There are little things you wouldn't ordinarily think of, but because I am a man working mainly with female clients, I have to be aware of the consequences of my actions all the time,' he explained.

'For example, I may need to bend down to get my tools, kneel down to give a pedicure or may even accidentally brush past a female client. All these things could lead to misunderstandings which is why I always prefer to have a female staff present. It makes me feel more comfortable and helps me to go about my business with ease.'

Though the vast majority of clients are female, Mr Chow points out that nail care has gained popularity with men, particularly white collar male executives and rock 'n' roll type male fashionistas. 'Male executives are looking after themselves more these days so they are after well groomed nails, while the trendsetters will most likely go for black nail polish,' he added.

Being a manicurist has not only given Mr Chow a business he can call his own but has in the process drawn together two of his greatest strengths: creativity and teaching.

'My creative background has helped me tremendously, particularly in conjuring up nail art designs for clients and making recommendations on what suits them best. The experience I have had as a windsurfing instructor has on the other hand helped me to communicate better with clients and build up stronger relationships with them,' he said.

Despite his rather unconventional career choice, there is no question that this has been his calling all along. He plans to open more shops with the hope of one day producing or franchising his own nail art products.

'This business is able to fill the void I had felt in advertising. The customer relationship is very direct and the fact that you are able to see their gratification instantly gives me much satisfaction,' he added.

This is the ninth in our 16-part series on women and men who have entered career paths traditionally dominated by the opposite sex.

Touching tale

I once sat down to give a woman in her 30s a manicure. I had just started touching her hands when she suddenly withdrew them fiercely. That was when I saw her discomfort and realised that may be no man, except for her boyfriend, had ever touched her hands before. In the end, she happily took up my offer of having our female manicurist give her the manicure instead.