Pedicures for me conjures up images of those tiny little shops on the high street that are all about making your nails pretty for the weekend with a spectacular range of colours from Emo black to saucy red – clearly NOT territory for your average bloke.
I run a complementary therapy centre ..I’m nearly 50 and even I’ve never really thought about getting a pedicure, that is until recently.
I like to run and this year my feet have taken a serious pounding with lots of miles in preparation for my first marathon. I’ve always invested in top of the range running socks (yes they really make a difference) and so I’ve never had to deal with blisters or toe nails going black or even falling off, like some runners have.
That said my toes nails did look pretty ugly and jagged and I was starting to get a lot of hard skin from all those miles plus I had a huge amount of tension in my feet.
The great thing about having these treatments at my place of work is that the environment is discrete and very gender neutral. We have a great reputation for Osteopathy and Sports massage and no one will know if you’re here for a clinical treatment or something more pampering.
I booked in for 2 treatments, a pedicure followed by some reflexology.
Natasha, my therapist, started by placing my feet in a stimulating footbath to cleanse and relax the feet.
This was followed with a mint scrub to exfoliate the skin and then nail shaping, cuticle care and removal of hard skin with a cheese grater (I’m sure it wasn’t but you get the idea). Finally the tension in my feet was redressed with some incredibly relaxing reflexology massage.
I almost drifted off with the foot massage and really felt my whole body letting go. My feet felt relaxed for the first time in ages and I started to appreciate how running really compounds the natural healthy tension we hold in our feet allowing us to stand and balance.
My feet actually looked healthier too and it made me realise how just because you have them covered all day, in the winter months at least, it doesn’t mean they don’t need looking after.
You won’t find me down the high street nail bar and no I won’t be pontificating over whether I want scarlet red or ruby red on my manly toe nails … but I’m a pedicure convert and can’t wait to book again.
Pedicures are available for both men and women at Natural Balance Therapies in Hove with either Natasha or Lorena. To check their availability and book online click here