Foot- and hand-care superstar Bastien Gonzalez was in town to visit his specialist PEDI:MANI:CURE STUDIO at The Ritz-Carlton, Bahrain. Liz O’Reily was lucky enough to experience his magic firsthand.
Feet are funny things. They bear the weight of our whole bodies and, if you’re privileged to have delicate little size 36 tootsies and slender ankles, you might well be a salon regular, painting your toenails in vibrant shades and celebrating your feet. But if, like most of us, your feet are functional operators, chances are they are, at best, kept clean with the nails trimmed or, at worst, neglected and a source of some discomfort.
Bastien Gonzalez’s mission is to change all that. He wants to educate both clients and foot-care practitioners that there’s another way… And what a way!
I have to admit, I arrived at his studio with some trepidation. Long-term callouses and nail damage have left me a little wary of pedicures in general – I find it almost impossible to get my nails cut straight, and the slightest curve leads to problems. But a quick chat with the man himself soon put me at ease. He agreed that shaping and curving, particularly for nails like mine, does more harm than good.
He also counselled against the practice of pushing the cuticles down with the usual small wooden stick, informing me that this would actually exacerbate my problems, causing the tough skin at the sides of my nails to impact. Instead, he suggested brushing – even recommending an electric toothbrush as the ideal implement!
We headed to the studio, where we were met by Amal Ammous, who manages the maestro’s Bahrain operation and would join him in administering Bastien’s Duo – a synchronised four-hands treatment focussing on both feet and hands. The boutique space boasts a superbly comfortable, adjustable treatment chair, the pale walls bearing images of Bastien alongside display shelves showcasing his Révérence de Bastien product line of foot- and hand-care products, many of which are made with the purest water from his property in France.
Soft music played and I settled in, waiting for the magic to begin. Bastien explained that the basis of his treatment is not simply a ‘pedi’ or ‘mani’ but rather a cure for the feet and hands – from nails to skin and bones to ligaments – in a three-step process.
Unlike your regular mani or pedi, everything is done dry because wet skin ‘gives a false impression’, whereas working with dry skin allows your therapist to see exactly what the issues are.
He began with my nails using four different grains of specially designed, ever-finer smoothing/polishing tools, to remove ridges and achieve an almost completely flat finish. This was coupled with the diamond powder from his own range and finished by buffing using a natural chamois buffer and Révérence mother-of-pearl cream to bring my nails to a bright, luxurious shine, described as the true French manicure.
I have to admit that, at this stage, I already felt like a princess, particularly since every move by Bastien at my feet was mirrored by Amal at my fingertips – and the best was still to come.
Next, it was the turn of my skin – a process I had been both anticipating and slightly nervous of. I have two particularly troublesome callouses and, after examining my feet, Bastien, who is a qualified chiropodist, explained that slight misalignment of my bones causes me to carry my weight on the outsides of my feet. This results in patches of very hard skin which set off a cycle. The skin is painful, thus I overcompensate, making the callouses even worse.
Single-use blades were employed on my callouses coupled with a Black Diamond Scrub to exfoliate much more kindly than using an abrasive method. The result? Feet as soft as a baby’s bottom – and, as an added bonus, he also showed me some gentle manipulation techniques to prolong the effect.
And lastly, the massage. Oh, the massage. Bastien describes this as one of the most important parts of the process, seeing the feet as puppets and the legs as the strings that operate them.
From the base of my feet up to my knees, he rubbed, jiggled and manipulated in a technique based on Thai massage to bring my feet and lower legs into alignment – skin, bones, ligaments all in harmony. Again, Amal, working on my hands and arms, mirrored each of Bastien’s movements, the pair of them working in perfectly synchronised rhythm to deliver the ultimate in both pampering and relaxation.
I can honestly say, I have never experienced a treatment quite like this. Considered, gentle and extremely effective. I actually floated, rather than walked, out of the studio and, several days later, I am still enjoying the benefits.
For more information or to make a booking, please call PEDI:MANI:CURE STUDIO by Bastien Gonzalez at The Ritz-Carlton, Bahrain on 1758 6808 or email rc.bahrz.spa@ritzcarlton.com
@ritzcarltonbahrain