SCARLET: Tried and Tested

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December 2009 SCARLET: Tried and Tested WHAT IS IT? The key ingredient for the Pinks Boutique Himalayan Pedicure is 250 million-year-old Himalayan ground rock salt crystals. Sustainably mined and 100 percent natural, they’re bursting with minerals such as iron, potassium and magnesium, essential for maintaining balance in the body. All Pinks Boutique products are Soil Association-certified and organic, so it’s ideal for people who like to keep their pampering natural, like Gwyneth Paltrow and Kate Winslet. Advise the therapist if you have sensitive skin or allergies, though, as parts of the treatment are abrasive. The Himalayan Pedicure costs £85 for a 90-minute session, which sounds expensive, but the massage incorporated into it is worth the extra cost. WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS? My beautician, Wioleta, prepared a warm footbath with fresh mint leaves in a traditional Indonesian hand-carved bowl. I sat on a chair with my feet in the water and she added a spoonful of Himalayan Crystal Foot Soak with essence of peppermint, lavender and eucalyptus to refresh tired tootsies. She massaged pressure points on my head while my feet soaked; I instantly felt relaxed and calm. Next, Wioleta applied Himalayan Rock Salt Foot Scrub to my feet and legs, in firm circular motions. The scrub contains Dead Sea salt, to remineralise, and sunflower seed oil and jojoba seed oil, to smooth skin. Eucalyptus, peppermint, lavender and geranium flower extracts revive feet, while the massage drains fluid from the legs and ankles. If you’ve let your leg hair get somewhat yeti-like over the winter, de-fuzz before the treatment to fully benefit from the scrub’s smoothing effect. Once my feet were dry, I laid face-down on the massage couch. Wioleta applied pressure to various points on my body, starting at my feet and working up to my shoulders, then back down to my feet again. This ‘journey’ made my body limp and relaxed. She then filed the rough skin on the soles of my feet with an emery board. Afterwards, I turned onto my back, and Wioleta trimmed and filed my toenails. She then applied a drop of Pinks Organic Cuticle Oil with fennel and frankincense, to promote healing, and Rosa Mosqueta, a native Chilean flower hailed for its regenerative properties, to each nail before pushing the cuticles back with a wooden orange stick. I chose to have my nails painted with SpaRitual’s nail lacquer in Epicurean – a deep plummy red, perfect for the party season. SpaRitual is the first brand of vegan varnish and is free from chemicals like dibutyl phthalate (a plasticiser), formaldehyde and toluene (a solvent) found in most varnishes. Wioleta then treated my ankles and feet to a massage using Organic Himalayan Massage Oil with eucalyptus and peppermint. She finished with a smear of rich Organic Shea Butter Foot Balm with peppermint and geranium, to seal in the moisture. DID IT WORK? I didn’t recognise my feet and all the aches from the gym had gone from my calves. Although this pedicure is available at all Pinks Boutique salons, profits from the Silver Pearl Beauty Clinic go to the Silver Pearl Trust, offering complementary holistic therapy to people undergoing cancer treatment, so you can look good, feel good and do good all in your lunch break. Ø

December 2009

SCARLET: Tried and Tested

WHAT IS IT?

The key ingredient for
the Pinks Boutique Himalayan Pedicure is
250 million-year-old Himalayan ground
rock salt crystals. Sustainably mined and
100 percent natural, they’re bursting with
minerals such as iron, potassium and
magnesium, essential for maintaining
balance in the body.
All Pinks Boutique products are Soil
Association-certified and organic, so it’s
ideal for people who like to keep their
pampering natural, like Gwyneth Paltrow
and Kate Winslet. Advise the therapist if
you have sensitive skin or allergies,
though, as parts of the treatment are
abrasive. The Himalayan Pedicure costs
£85 for a 90-minute session, which
sounds expensive, but the massage
incorporated into it is worth the extra cost.

WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS?

My beautician, Wioleta, prepared a warm
footbath with fresh mint leaves in a
traditional Indonesian hand-carved bowl.
I sat on a chair with my feet in the water
and she added a spoonful of Himalayan
Crystal Foot Soak with essence of
peppermint, lavender and eucalyptus to
refresh tired tootsies. She massaged
pressure points on my head while my feet
soaked; I instantly felt relaxed and calm.
Next, Wioleta applied Himalayan Rock
Salt Foot Scrub to my feet and legs, in
firm circular motions. The scrub contains
Dead Sea salt, to remineralise, and
sunflower seed oil and jojoba seed oil, to
smooth skin. Eucalyptus, peppermint,
lavender and geranium flower extracts
revive feet, while the massage drains fluid
from the legs and ankles.
If you’ve let your leg hair get somewhat
yeti-like over the winter, de-fuzz before
the treatment to fully benefit from the
scrub’s smoothing effect.
Once my feet were dry, I laid face-down
on the massage couch. Wioleta applied
pressure to various points on my body,
starting at my feet and working up to my
shoulders, then back down to my feet
again. This ‘journey’ made my body limp
and relaxed. She then filed the rough skin
on the soles of my feet with an emery
board. Afterwards, I turned onto my back,
and Wioleta trimmed and filed my
toenails. She then applied a drop of Pinks
Organic Cuticle Oil with fennel and
frankincense, to promote healing, and
Rosa Mosqueta, a native Chilean flower
hailed for its regenerative properties, to
each nail before pushing the cuticles back
with a wooden orange stick.
I chose to have my nails painted with
SpaRitual’s nail lacquer in Epicurean – a
deep plummy red, perfect for the party
season. SpaRitual is the first brand of
vegan varnish and is free from chemicals
like dibutyl phthalate (a plasticiser),
formaldehyde and toluene (a solvent)
found in most varnishes. Wioleta then
treated my ankles and feet to a massage
using Organic Himalayan Massage Oil
with eucalyptus and peppermint. She
finished with a smear of rich Organic
Shea Butter Foot Balm with peppermint
and geranium, to seal in the moisture.

DID IT WORK?
I didn’t recognise my
feet and all the aches from the gym had
gone from my calves. Although this
pedicure is available at all Pinks Boutique
salons, profits from the Silver Pearl
Beauty Clinic go to the Silver Pearl Trust,
offering complementary holistic therapy
to people undergoing cancer treatment,
so you can look good, feel good and do
good all in your lunch break. Ø