“You only get one pair of feet – so you have to
look after them.” I’m being told this by Vicky Gates-Lundon a
beauty therapist at Liverpool’s chic new spa, Urban Calm.
I’ve popped in for a pedicure after work – and
as I sit in the huge leather chair with more controls for massage, vibration
and position than I know what to do with, Vicky and he colleague Hayley remove
my toe nail varnish quickly and accurately.
“The chairs also have special arms on them,”
Vicky informs me, “so you can have a manicure at the same time as a
pedicure.”
Urban Calm is based in the Met Quarter in the City Centre.
From my experience at the spa, the theme I picked up was that this is a place
for people with busy lives, city workers and business people who just need a
break. It’s city centre based and easy to get to, so if you’re in
need of a manicure or facial you can even pop in during your lunch hour.
“Everybody has the right to feel good about
themselves,” adds Vicky. “We lead such busy lifestyles, and
it’s important to take time out to relax and look after yourself –
especially when it comes to your feet.
“When visiting a spa, people tend to decide upon
treatments that are clearly visible, like a manicure, facial or spray tan -
they think that because winter is coming and their feet are likely to be
covered up they shouldn’t bother – but winter is a tough time for
your feet.
“They can dry out, become tired and hard skin can
mount up, so it’s important to attend to them. Some people have been
known to try some unhealthy methods to treat their own feet – I’ve
heard of people shaving the hard skin, which makes it grow back twice as tough
as before.
“You should use a pumice stone and keep your feet
moisturised. Also, remember your toenails are there to protect your toes, so
don’t cut them too short. Don’t neglect the care of them –
use cuticle oil and when painting your toenails make sure you cleanse and clean
them first to make sure there is no oil left on the plate – this all goes
for men as well as women.”
At Urban Spa they use all Leighton Denny products. These are
high end and totally luxurious, with some lines containing diamond dust to give
an extra sparkle.
After cleansing, soaking, cuticle oil and filing the bottom
of my feet, Vicky uses Leighton Denny Diamond Sole Mate to exfoliate before
massaging with Sole Pleasure cream.
“Some of the Leighton Denny nail polishes also contain
diamond dust,” she says.
After a gorgeous navy blue nail polish has been applied
(with undercoat of course) Vicky applies miracle drops and I don’t quite
understand what they do – but we all need a miracle sometimes so
I’m not complaining!
In all, the experience was great – I have never had a
pedicure – I am one of these people who doesn’t look after their
feet. In fact I felt quite self conscious and sternly warned Vicky of this
before I took my sandals off (which you should always wear when getting a
pedicure by the way).
“A lot of people are self conscious when it comes to
different parts of their body,” Vicky tells me. “And this can often
make them shy or wary of walking into a beauty spa for a treatment, but what
you have to remember is that we do this all day – there’s probably
nothing we haven’t seen and we know that everyone’s body is
different.
“We don’t judge anybody – this is a safe
place where everyone is welcome no matter what age or shape. It’s our job
to make people feel relaxed and happy, it’s what we love doing.”