Best for mistreated feet
The famous French podiatrist Bastien Gonzalez, who paints A-list toes the world over, claims to offer no ordinary pedicure. Instead, he provides a foot education. According to Bastien, nail varnish shouldn’t be left on for more than three days: ‘Would you keep make-up on for that long?’
His unique approach involves three key stages: treatment to eliminate skin rigidity through filing, drilling and smoothing, followed by buffing with chamois leather creating a sparkling natural shine – no need for nail polish, (a technique passed down by his grandmother), and finally a deep, blissful foot and leg massage.
Bastien's aim is to maintain the elasticity of the skin and muscular and joint mobility for youthful looking feet. He has developed his own product line, Révérence de Bastien, including mother of pearl buffing cream using the finest crushed pearls.
We like
The personal approach by Bastien to understand your feet and their problems. No need to be shy about your toes. He relishes a challenge!
We don’t like
Pulling and stretching my little toes and feeling the joints move – a strange sensation, although Bastien says I should continue doing this to ensure good mobility throughout life.
Verdict
My feet felt light and rejuvenated after Bastien’s pedicure, and I walked away with a newfound respect for my feet and every intention of caring for them. Although on the pricey side, this holistic technique is much more than pampering. It’s serious foot therapy.
Cost
Bastien's pedicure from £110/60 minutes.
Bastien Gonzalez at the Cadogan Hotel, 75 Sloane Street, London, SW1X 9SG; +44 (0)776 666 3271, bastiengonzalez.com
Reviewed by Claire Richardson
Best for men
Duck into Selfridges from the foot-wearying scrum of Oxford Street, up the escalators to the first floor, and you’re in for a small surprise: Gentlemen’s Tonic, as it says on the tin, is a grooming and relaxation station for men. Appropriately, there’s nothing showy in the décor. Woody masculinity prevails in the four treatment rooms and lobby, but there’s a cosy personal feel to the four private barbering cabins, and zesty smells from the salon’s Babassu & Bergamot range.
At the hands of Kylie, my Bespoke Foot Treatment began with a fizzy electric foot bath while I chose music from the iPod. The ritual was cranked up with a vigorous peppermint exfoliation, before implements were produced and Kylie – having anointed my nails with moisturiser – set about snipping and filing my pitifully cared-for cuticles and talons.
It looked like hard work from where I was lying – she showed all the dedication of a Gothic carpenter. A brisk pumice job, more moisturiser and the best bit was the last: a full-foot coating in piping-hot paraffin wax, which set slowly within polythene bags like a deep-heat treatment.
We like
Kylie’s easygoing nature – the antithesis of the hippy-dippy behavourial vogue.
We don’t like
A slightly over-zealous filing of the big-toenails. Not painful, but for the uninitiated it set the teeth on edge.
Verdict
A very pleasant place to deposit the man who doesn’t like shopping, leaving women free to flex the plastic.
Cost
The Bespoke Foot Treatment, £55/50 minutes.
Gentlemen’s Tonic, Selfridges, 400 Oxford Street, W1A 1AB, +44 (0)20 7318 3709, gentlemenstonic.com
Reviewed by Nick Redman
Best for beauty queens
Hidden beneath the Space NK next to Harrods, the tiny Spa NK has three private treatments rooms, an open beauty treatment area that can handle about four clients, and an established local reputation for the quality of their pedicures. Products are all from the Space NK shop, which features a wide range of cult beauty brands, such as Caudalie, Frederic Fekkai and Elemental Herbology.
My therapist, Nicola, began by soaking my feet in a bubbly vibrating foot bath while I played with the controls on my massage chair. For the next 45 minutes, my toenails and feet were filed, buffed, rubbed and scrubbed.
I chose classic cherry red for my toes, and they still look pedi-fresh more than a week later. The spa feels less like a luxurious retreat and more like a beauty salon, which gives it a friendly, chatty atmosphere among the customers and staff.
We like
As opposed to some pedicures, which seem intended to cause pain, this one was nothing but pleasure, with no stabbing or poking of tender bits. The therapist was also a delight to chat to, and the time whizzed by.
We don’t like
A proper foot massage added into the therapy would be nice.
Verdict
No pain, all gain, great Knightsbridge location and friendly atmosphere make this pedicure one you’re likely to get on a regular basis.
Cost
Luxury Pedicure £45/60 minutes (an express pedi is available at £30/30 minutes, and a simultaneous mani/pedi is £80/60 minutes)
Spa NK, 40 Hans Crescent, Knightsbridge, London SW1X 0LZ; +44 (0)20 7727 8002, spacenk.co.uk (Other locations: Notting Hill, Soho, Clerkenwell)
Reviewed by Jill Starley-Grainger
Read on for Best for earth mothers and fashionistas.
