There’s nothing worse than reaching for your favourite pair of glitzy, open-toe heels or cute, strappy sandals to find your toes are looking, frankly, rather worse for wear. But rather than doing a botch-job of painting them yourself, look to London’s best salons to treat your feet with more than just a splash of colour, but a massage, mask, and scrub to leave you feeling confident in showing off your feet this season. Giving barefoot luxury a whole new meaning, discover our favourite pedicures in London below. 

Pedi:Mani:Cure Studio By Bastien Gonzalez, Knightsbridge

Nestled within the five-star Mandarin Oriental Park Lane hotel on the corner of Hyde Park, the Pedi:Mani:Cure Studio by podiatry and pedicure aficionado Bastien Gonzalez is one of the most renowned beauty treatments in the capital. Taking footcare to the next level, Gonzalez has been labelled the ‘king of pedicures’ and the ‘pedicure-podologue’ so, naturally, his comprehensive pedicure is a real treat for your feet. Priced at £145 for one hour, expect gentle buffing to restore the natural beauty of the nails, as well as a skin treatment that effectively eliminates irregularities and dryness, and a relaxing massage from the toes to the knees to relieve tension and heaviness.

Push the boat out further with a series of pedicure add-ons, including the Nail Enlightenment, focusing on the beauty of nails and soothing of dryness using chamois leather and a pearly buffing cream, and the Black Diamond Scrub Touch for vigorous natural exfoliation, aiding the removal of dead skin cells while thyme and sage essential oils contribute to the maintenance of healthy, elegant feet. Tick, tick, tick. 

From £115, visit mandarinoriental.com

Pre-, Islington

Catering to all your beauty-prep needs, Pre- is the ultimate beauty destination for anyone looking for a makeover. Whether it’s a pre-family gathering, pre-New Year’s Eve party, or pre-date night appointment, this salon offers an extensive treatment menu featuring cutting-edge facials, maintenance treatments, such as HD brows and LVL lashes, precision waxing, aesthetic injectables and, of course, manicures and pedicures. 

The latter comprises two menus: classic services for a quick splash of colour or a relaxing moment of self-care, to more medical-grade appointments designed to remove hard skin, and treat and transform feet. We recommend the 60-minute Elim Trademark for a nine-step pedicure where nails are shaped and buffed before a mini massage with foot perfector lotion, gentle cuticle care and expert colour application. For the full works, however, book the Elim Lux – aka a facial for your feet – featuring all of the above plus AHA exfoliation to leave feet bright and silky smooth, a detoxifying UltraMud volcanic ash clay mask, soothing hot towel wrap, and a stress-relieving extended massage. Trust us when we say your feet will thank you. 

From £26, visit presalons.com

Duck and Dry, Mayfair and Islington

Duck and Dry may be synonymous with its top-notch blow dry services but head to the outposts in Mayfair and Islington to find Duck and File – the brand’s offshoot specialising in manicures, pedicures, and delicious cocktails. Pick from BIAB, gel or polish in an array of colours, including a palette by gel specialist 14 Day Manicure, as well as carefully-designed nail art. We love the deluxe pedicure which scores on both style and substance as it includes shaping, cuticle work, a foot mask, massage and paint as standard. 

From £40, visit duckanddry.com

Townhouse, across London

Where do the It girls get their nails done in London? Townhouse, of course, which looks more like a cocktail lounge than a nail bar, featuring spotless marble counters where you can sip prosecco while giving your hands and feet some TLC. Book one of the whopping 29 Townhouse locations, spanning Wimbledon Village to Canary Wharf, to be treated to bottle colours named for London streets and neighbourhoods, including pearly pink Berkeley Square and powder blue Hampstead Heath. For a speedy in-and-out appointment, opt for the Colour Refresh, which shapes, buffs and adds a pop of colour to your toes within 25 minutes, while the Luxury Naked Pedicure takes things back to basics with a natural finish (no colour, polish or gel) as well as a foot soak, nail shaping, cuticle care, extended massage, scrub, a luxury hot cream treatment and buffing of the nail with an optional matte or shine coating.

From £30, visit townhouse.co.uk

So.Shell, across London

Short on time? So.Shell is the salon for you. Established in Soho, Fitzrovia, Chelsea, and Battersea Power Station, the salon offers a ‘six-hand service’ to deliver a manicure, pedicure and eyebrow treatment all within 90 minutes. Specialising in Ukrainian nail treatments – which follow the country’s high beauty standards to offer precise cuticle work and painting to achieve a clean, sleek look – So.Shell offers an extensive pedicure menu, centred around a signature treatment which involves a foot spa, hard skin filing and smoothing, a light foot massage, all before shaping, buffing, cuticle care and a gel polish finish. 

For those after a more natural treatment, book the Japanese pedicure – whereby natural ingredients like pearl powder, plant extracts, and minerals are used to nourish and rejuvenate the skin, while special polishing techniques and massages stimulate circulation to leave feet looking healthy and well-groomed – and add on the deep hydration foot mask for a soothing mango cleansing mask that will leave skin feeling soft and silky. Men needn’t feel left out too, thanks to a tailored pedicure which will rejuvenate any sandal-loving gent’s toes in under an hour. 

From £58, visit soshell.uk

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