During this time of year, many of us are on the go all the time. Between shopping, children’s school events and other Christmas activities, our feet take a beating! What a perfect excuse to head to a spa to pamper our peds. There’s nothing like a relaxing foot soak, massage and scrub to make our feet feel like new and able to tackle all those remaining holiday happenings. Here’s what you can expect during a spa pedicure treatment, and also some ideas if you just want to kick back at home.
The Perfect Pedicure
You can have a pedicure done at your local nail salon, or you can pay out more for a luxurious holiday spa treatment. Either way, your feet will thank you. Spa pedicures are typically longer and take more steps that at a nail salon, thus the higher cost. You can expect treatments like salt rubs, foot masks, hot stone massages, paraffin dips or a hot towel wrap at a salon, things that are luxurious and truly pampering. Also, you get the relaxing atmosphere instead of bright, fluorescent lights.
Your spa may have a special treatment room with tables for your pedicure, or chairs with raised seats and foot baths. Most treatments include a foot soak in warm, bubbly water to soften your skin and nails. Then, your nails will be cut and filed and oil will be applied to soften or dissolve your cuticles. Pumice treatments will get rid of dry, tough skin, especially on your heels. Then you’ll get an exfoliation treatment followed by a foot and ankle massage. The final step is application of the polish color of your choice.
Some treatments include a glycolic exfoliation to remove dead skin cells. It is applied in gel or cream for and really leaves your feet feeling soft! You can also have a paraffin wax treatment, in which your feet are dipped in solution and then covered in plastic bags. The wax solution hardens into a layer on your skin, which the therapist will remove to uncover baby-soft feet beneath.
Some Special Christmas Treats
Avante Salon & Day Spa in Texas is offering a Candy Cane Express treatment, which includes a Fresh Face Facial and Peppermint Swirl Pedicure. Also included is a special cocktail!
At Progressions Salon and Spa, located in North Carolina, you can enjoy a Peppermint Spa Pedicure. This 75-minute experience includes a foot soak in peppermint essential oil and muscle-ache oil to leave your feet feeling smooth and energized. You can also treat yourself to the Signature Spa Pedicure, which includes a full treatment and your choice of scent, including mango ginger and pomegranate.
A luxurious treat awaits you at The Spa at Canyon Oaks in Texas. The Peppermint Stick Moisturizing Spa Pedicure begins with a warmed, peppermint foot soak with in special bowls with heated basalt stones. A peppermint scrub is used to slough away calluses, rough spots and dead skin, followed by an application of a rich, thick Peppermint Moisture Mask. A lower leg and foot massage with Peppermint Stick Butter Cream and a paraffin dip come next, and your treatment is completed with the polish of your choice.
In Louisiana, Spa Concepts Salon & Spa offers a Rosemary Mint Pedicure. The treatment begins with a salt scrub that includes peppermint oils, a hydrating mask and rosemary mint foot massage. This pedicure feels cool and tingly, guaranteed to leave you feeling refreshed and invigorated.
Keldara Salon & Spa, located in Massachusetts, offers a 75-minute Peppermint Pedicure. This treatment includes a peppermint foot soak, exfoliating scrub, paraffin hand treatment, a peppermint mask with hot towels, peppermint butter cream foot and leg massage, and polish. Also included is a peppermint treat!
Solstice Day Spa in Virginia offers a delicious array of pedicure treatments. Choose from a Peppermint Pedicure; Cranberry Pedicure; Four Seasons Pedicure, which includes hot chocolate and peppermint in the winter; or a Champagne and Rose Pedicure, among many others. A truly decadent way to treat your feet!
In Chicago, head to Spa Space for the Space Signature Peppermint Pedicure. You’ll begin with a foot soak with rock salts from the Dead Sea, followed by a peppermint foot scrub and application of invigorating peppermint foot cream. How sweet it is!
Beyond Spa in Utah offers seasonal pedicures with the scents of the season that include a full pedicure treatment. You can also opt for the Vanilla Orange Pedicure or Ginger Lime Pedicure to really make your feet feel and smell their best.
Enliven Nail & Spa, located in California, offers a peppermint pedicure that includes a 10-minute reflexology treatment, a cool peppermint mask and a paraffin treatment for your heels. This treatment is aimed at stimulating circulation, easing stress and promoting vibrant skin.
DIY at Home
If you’d rather just take care of your own feet in the comfort of home, many spas offer products you can buy and use at your convenience. One of those is GCDSpa, which offers a full range of peppermint-themed pedicure products. Its At-Home Peppermint Pedicure Set includes sugar scrubs, foot cream, balm and a pumice to help you get that spa experience at home. Try soaking your feet in a warm foot bath with a couple of drops of peppermint essential oil to start things off.
Be sure to take care of your feet this holiday season, and they will keep you shopping/dancing/partying until it’s 2014!
Photo Credits: Chiaralily and Pink Sherbet Photography