After a summer spent alternately barefoot on the beach and trotting around town in open-toed shoes, my feet undoubtedly needed a good seeing to. Fortunately, the world’s first name in feet, Margaret Dabbs OBE, opened a new clinic in Chelsea near where I live, and to say that I hotfooted over to it as soon as the summer holidays were over would be an understatement.
Globally recognized as the brand leader specializing in premium feet, hand and leg treatments and products, Dabbs’ clinics provide the perfect fusion of science and aesthetics, offering highly trained, HCPC registered podiatrists with state-of-the-art equipment coupled with a unique range of exceptional, results-driven luxurious products and treatments. Underpinning the success of the brand are the special formulations created by Dabbs herself, which use the finest ingredients sourced from around the world, such as Australian Emu Oil.
I visited one bright Monday morning in September. Upon arrival I was welcomed warmly into the bright, immaculate clinic which opened in May, and is located at the Beaufort Street intersection on the King’s Road (one of London’s best bijou shopping enclaves). I was welcomed warmly by Holly on reception, and introduced to my HCPC registered podiatrist, Marwa, who undertook her medical training at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital, and has had a fascination with feet since childhood, when she suffered from a series of foot-related conditions, including congenital bunions. Having spent so much time having her own feet treated, she acquired an interest in foot health which she decided to pursue as her career. She exudes an unparalleled level of professionalism and competence, and immediately sets to work fixing my feet.
I am here to experience Margaret Dabbs’ world-renowned Medical Pedicure, which involves a thorough consultation, diagnosis and treatment for foot health, and now also incorporates a 3D Food Scan and moulding of insoles, making it the most comprehensive health-based foot scanning service on the market. Marwa guides me over to a gleaming Foot Balance machine, which produces a laser 3D foot analysis virtually instantaneously. The technology is so sophisticated that it recommends relevant products based on foot function, symptoms, and personalized needs. I discovered that I have low arches, and severely underpronate, so arch support is essential. There are a variety of insoles to choose from (gold, black and sport, which offer different levels of cushioning) and once a particular style has been chosen, they are popped into a small box appended to the Foot Balance machine, which Marwa likens to a miniature oven. In under ten minutes, Custom-Moulded Orthotics have been made especially for my feet.
I am then led downstairs to a spotless treatment room for the treatment portion of my Medical Pedicure. Amongst Dabbs’ roster of treatments, the Medical Pedicure is arguably the most celebrated. Akin to a simultaneous visit to a facialist and hygienist for the feet, it is probably the most thorough foot M.O.T. available in the world. The Medical Pedicure is always carried out by a fully qualified Podiatrist trained to Dabbs’ exacting standards. Whatever a client’s particular concern - be it hard skin, corns, calluses, dry skin, bunions, ingrown toenails or fungal nails, Athlete’s foot or myriad other issues - all are addressed within the 45-minute appointment.
As Marwa tends to my toes as I sit on a supremely comfortable high-tech reclinable chair, she brings various issues pertaining to my feet to my attention. She elucidates the probable cause of each issue, and how to avoid their recurrence. As she gently and painlessly removes calluses and trims my nails, she tells me about the great strides that have been made by Margaret Dabbs London over the past few years in the use of laser to treat both acute and chronic injuries and fungal nail infections.
Marwa is a fountain of fascinating foot information; her passion for podiatry is palpable. She explains that calluses can yield a great deal of information about foot function, and that we tend to inherit our parents’ feet. The shape of our feet, and the size of the arch, predispose us to particular foot problems. She buffs my nails until they acquire a shell-like lustre, and recommends I visit for a check-up every three months or so.
I look down in awe at my rejuvenated feet; they are so plump, pink and smooth that they appear to have undergone the equivalent of a facelift. They also feel substantially lighter. After my Medical Pedicure, my toenails are painted a glorious shade of scarlet. My feet have never looked better, and they are picture perfect for the last few days of September sunshine.
The Medical Pedicure at Margaret Dabbs costs from £90 for a 45-minute treatment with a Margaret Dabbs London Podiatrist.
Margaret Dabbs® London Foot Clinic and Nail Spa
325 King's Road Chelsea London, SW3 5ES United Kingdom
Margaretdabbs.co.uk/clinics/chelsea
Margaret Dabbs OBE.
Inside a treatment room at Margaret Dabbs King's Road.
