Best foot forward

By Rinky Kumar, Team iDiva


What: Biguine bio pedicure

How much: Rs 1,000

Where: Jean-Claude Biguine, Bandra, Mumbai

I must confess in my bid to look prim and proper, I splurge on cosmetics but often ignore my feet. Apart from a pedicure, which I manage to have once in three months, my dainty toes usually have to bear the brunt of heat, dust and pollution.

So one day when my editor told me that I could opt for a pedicure as part of a spa review, I jumped with joy. I could finally unwind, relax and have beautiful feet at the end of a long, hard day.

Once I reached Jean-Claude Biguine Salon, I opted for the Biguine bio pedicure. I was soon ushered into the plush interiors by Sandeep, my pedicurist for the day.

He started off by cutting and filing my nails. As Sandeep deftly started working on my feet, he explained how this procedure helps to give shape to rugged nails.

Later, he mixed a Mandarin shower gel in hot water. As I dipped my feet into the water, he described how the gel is a perfect potion to soften and re-energise tired skin. After soaking my feet for 15 minutes, Sandeep wiped it dry. He followed it up by softening my cuticles with an elixir oil. At the Biguine salon, the same oil is used in a body massage as its healing quality eliminates stress and pampers your senses.

Just when I thought my feet couldn't feel better, Sandeep asked me to sit back and relax and started scrubbing my feet. He used a foot scrubber to remove the stubborn dead skin and soften the heels. I must confess my feet soon felt as soft as a baby's bottom.

But wait, the ecstasy was not over yet. Sandeep soon rubbed an apricot kernel exfoliant body scrub that helped removed dead skin and gave a certain glow and softness to my lacklustre skin. As Sandeep kneaded and massaged my tired feet, I felt myself relaxing and enjoying the ethereal experience.

Later he applied a fragrant provincial garden mask that cleansed my skin further and improved blood circulation.

He concluded the process by massaging Ylang Ylang cream on my legs. As the cream seeped into my feet, I could feel its healing properties almost instantaneously.

But the best was yet to come. Now that my feet and toes were squeaky clean, it was time to enhance my nails with some nail polish. Sandeep first applied a nail hardener as it prevents chipping and then applied two coats of a light nail polish. Suddenly my feet started looking beautiful and went from drab to sexy!

I fell in love with my dainty toes and simply couldn't take my eyes off my feet. I just can't wait to enjoy the experience all over again.

The whole experience was peppered with Sandeep's tips and tricks. Here are some that you can use.

1) You might think that the best solution to get rid of dead skin is to shave them with a blade. But that's a misconception. Excessive use of blade only causes more dead skin. So the easiest way is to simply scrub it off with a foot scrubber.

2) Always apply one coat of nail hardener before using a nail polish. It acts a protective shield against the harmful chemical properties of a polish.

3) Remove your nail polish after every two weeks. If you allow it to stay longer, your nails might soon turn yellow.

4) Opt for a pedicure at least once a month. That helps to keep your tips and toes neat and tidy and those cuticles at bay.