A Medicure?

Our Beauty & Fashion Editor Colleen Sullivan puts it to the test.

Pedicures, for me, are the ultimate beauty treatment. Nothing takes you to another place like having your feet rubbed and scrubbed. What I'm not so keen on is leaving the salon after paying 30 bucks only to find heels that peel and flake within days. That's why I was so excited to try the new foot treatment called a medicure (a.k.a. medical pedicure), during which a manicurist (no special license is required) removes dead skin and calluses, and thoroughly cleans feet and toenails in a supersanitary way. Some are done in traditional salons, others in medical spas.

At the Sally Hershberger Face Place in New York, I met manicurist Erica Marton, whose all-white outfit set a serious (sanitary!) mood for what lay ahead. I put my bare feet in a basin of warm water, as Marton slipped on a pair of latex gloves and looked for fungal infections, corns, ingrown toenails, even signs of skin cancer. In all my years of pedicures, no manicurist has ever done that!

With a jar of barbicide for soaking instruments beside her, Marton clipped and filed my nails and pushed back my cuticles. Next, she donned a nose-and-mouth mask and pulled out a drill. Yes, a drill. It looked just like something you'd find at Home Depot, except it had a small sandpaper tip. She revved it up and spent 20 minutes meticulously sanding off every last callus. Then she followed up with a paddle exfoliator. After a fabulous foot massage, she buffed and polished my nails. Medicure complete! My feet hadn't been so baby-soft since, well, I was a baby.

The bottom line: Six weeks—and a saltwater-and-sand vacation—later, and my feet still felt incredible. In fact, the skin on my soles outlasted my nail polish. My medicure cost a reasonable $35. But prices can be as high as $125, so be sure to ask about cost before you book yours.

The pedicure checklist
– Follow these tips, and leave the salon with pretty, healthy feet.
– Drop by the nail salon before making an appointment to see how clean it's kept.
– Bring your own tools to prevent infections.
– Look for a salon that uses basins instead of whirlpool tubs; germs collect in jets.
– Alcohol should be kept nearby to treat nicks.
– Never let a manicurist use a razor on your feet (it's illegal in most states).