Kitty Wan turned her hands into a $2,000-per-day business after eight years of full-body modeling, and she now shares how the niche switch changed her career.
At a Glance
- Wan earns $1,000-$2,000 for an eight-hour hand-modeling shift
- She books two to three jobs weekly through her agency
- Simple skin care keeps her hands camera-ready for extreme close-ups
- Why it matters: Her story shows how a specialized body-part market can out-pay traditional modeling with less prep time
From Full-Body to Hands-Only
Wan, 29, had modeled for eight years in Los Angeles when she spotted a social-media post about an agency that represented only hands. She applied, signed, and within months began stepping back from face and body work.
“I’ve started enjoying it more because I got tired of just modeling in general,” she tells News Of Losangeles. “It’s been so long that hand modeling is so easy. You literally show up [and] most of the time you’re waiting for your shot.”
The pay matched her previous bookings, but the requirements shrank dramatically.
“I don’t need to do my makeup. I don’t need to do my hair. I don’t need to think about my expressions. I don’t need to think about my body movement. All I have to think about is my hands,” she says.
How Much She Makes
Rates depend on each brand’s budget, yet most jobs fall between $1,000 and $2,000 for an eight-hour day. Wan stresses that the actual hand-work time is far shorter.
“A lot of the shoots, it’s not eight hours straight where I’m constantly working. A lot of jobs where I can show up, wait for like three hours, then do the shot, wait more, and do another shot, because most of the time they’re setting up,” she explains. “The actual time that I’m working could be just an hour or two, but then they need me the whole day.”
Her agency now books her roughly two to three times each week, often with returning clients.
Skin-Care Routine on Camera
Extreme close-ups reveal every flaw, so Wan treats hand care like a daily job requirement.
“I have hand lotion in my car and everywhere in the house, because I’m always just lotioning it and making sure it’s moisturized,” she says. “And I also just use cuticle oil every night. I don’t do any other manicures besides regular polish because any other type of gel or anything could harm my nails.”
Night-before prep includes a hydrating hand mask. On set she carries:
- Cuticle oil
- Serum
- Fragrance-free lotion
She skips gloves in daily life, choosing not to “overthink too much.”
Viral Videos Draw Crowd
Wan began posting TikTok clips showing call sheets, set waits, and final shots. As views climbed, direct messages asking for industry tips multiplied.
“Anyone could do it,” she insists, while noting the market is small. Requirements she lists:
- Even skin tone
- Straight fingers
- Ability to hold poses for minutes
- Comfort under harsh lighting
“Even though it is an easier job, you also require some talent to know how to be in front of the camera with your hands,” she adds.
Childhood Insecurity Becomes Career
Irony colors Wan’s success: she once hated the look of her own hands.
“I had always been so insecure about my hands growing up. It’s just funny how I ended up being a hand model since I was so insecure about it,” she says.
She now earns a living from the same feature she once tried to hide.
Workload and Downtime
Schedules vary by campaign. Luxury jewelry may demand a single perfect pose, while tech commercials can require dozens of angles holding a phone. Either way, Wan says the job stays “hands-on” with no “worst part.”
Between bookings she keeps skin flexible, nails short, and cuticles trimmed. Regular polish only-gels and acrylics are off-limits because removal can thin the nail plate.
Key Takeaways
- A niche within modeling can pay mainstream rates with fewer daily demands
- Skin maintenance, not elaborate products, secures repeat bookings
- Social-media transparency turned Wan into an unofficial career coach for aspiring hand models
- Personal insecurities can become profitable specialties when market demand aligns
