Have you ever been for a Pedicure and had your pedicurist ask you if you have any body pain? Most people think pedicures are about how your feet look—but what if they should be about how your feet function? Recently I completed my Certified Master Pedicurists (CMP) through the North American School for Podology (NASP) and I that was a big part of the theory that we learned – how issues in the body show up in the feet and how issues in the feet show up in the body.
Now don’t get me wrong – this was not entirely new for me. Being a Massage Therapist – I knew how issues in the hips can lead to plantar fasciitis – and exactly how that happens in a chain reaction. But what was new for me was how issues in the body effect how your feet connect with the ground when you walk – which can create issues like hammer toes, bunions and pain in the feet and ankles. I found it absolutely fascinating to learn how the patterns lead to different issues in the calluses and how your toe nails are shaped.
What I really learned was where a traditional pedicure gets a huge upgrade into medical care. Foot care is not about the polish you put on your toes – its about how your feet feel now and in the future. That’s not to say that a medi-pedi won’t make your feet look amazing – all the pieces of a spa pedicure that people love and make them look pretty are still there – right down to the Nail polish. But a medi-pedi addresses so much more – from the underlying cause for your feet being the way they are, making a treatment plan that addresses your concerns and protecting your feet with care that will help you and your feet stay healthy for your future.
A really important part to talk about in a medi-pedi is that you can rest easy knowing that you are not putting yourself in a harms way of picking up an infectious disease while getting your service. We took care in our planning of our foot care services to ensure that hygiene and cleanliness was maintained at a hospital level standard. We took extra training in the latest protocols for sanitisation and disinfection. We use medical-grade tools that are sterilized after every treatment and sealed. These seals are not opened until they are in front of you – where you can us opening them for you. We also don’t use a traditional pedicure chair with a bowl – we use a pedicure system where every client’s foot cleanse is in a tub with a new liner in a sealed system.
I really wish Health Inspectors could hand out Gold stars – because we earned it. When offering Foot Care Services in Sherwood Park – we were required to submit our plans and documentation to Alberta Health Services and undergo an inspection with a Health Inspector before we were allowed to begin offering these services. We received high praise from AHS on both our documentation and our inspection for not just meeting the minimum standards – but going above and beyond. This is something at Kollectiv Health that we are really proud of.
Your medi-pedi begins before you ever arrive. Prior to your appointment time – we send out a Health History. We don’t pry into your entire medical history – but we ask the really important questions that allow us to get a really clear picture of what your needs are and how we can help you. When you arrive – we analyze your feet (and if needed – even your shoes for wear patterns!) to make a plan of what we will be working on today and in the future – to ensure your concerns are addressed. Not everything can be taken care of in a medi-pedi- and that is why we have done the research so you don’t have to – whether it be a podiatrist, your doctor or a specialist in orthotics – we can refer you in the right direction.
Did you know – not everyone should have the same pedicure? Depending on what we see in your analysis, will depend on what we do and what we don’t do in your pedicure. For example – diabetics need an entirely different pedicure than your average adult. We need to watch your neuropathy (numbness in feet), infection and so much more. Once we know what is best for you AND how to address your feet – then do we proceed.
Only after we have a really clear picture of what we need to do – do we let your feet soak. This allows us to clearly see all your calluses, tell the difference between corns and warts, see the condition of your skin – is it crack skin or is it a dry fungal infection, and the nails when they are naked. If we were to soak your feet first and not look at them before – a lot of these conditions would be impossible to see or be hidden when the skin and nails are soaked.
One of the biggest differences between a spa pedicure and a medical pedicure is how soaking is used. While in a traditional spa pedicure, we would let your feet soak for a good amount of time – we only soak the feet for a few minutes in a medi-pedi. When skin is over-soaked (Maceration), it becomes almost sponge-like—making it harder to work on safely and effectively – especially calluses. Those calluses are there for a reason and if we remove too much, that spot will be sore (and possibly blister) and your body will build more callus to replace what was there before. A brief soak cleanses the skin to reduce the chance of infection, maintains the skin natural protective qualities but also softens hard calluses and cuticles – making it easier to shape them.
Speaking of calluses and cuticles, medi-pedis look at these structures a little differently. Spa pedicures often talk about removing calluses and removing cuticles. But these structures are there for a reason. Calluses form as a result of friction – if we remove them it means we have left your skin unprotected to friction and you will form these calluses back – but will have sore feet until you do. Instead – in a medi-pedi we shape, refine and reduce callus. We use electric file to precisely blend edges, take care of fissures so that they can close and heal, reduce the amount of callus over time – not just all at once – to create a gradual change that is comfortable and manageable, and smooth the callus to it is softer and smoother. We also analyze the callus to look at the root cause of why its there – is it caused by a health condition like hypothyroidism? Is it from your feet sliding in your shoes – and changing your shoe laces could fix it? Is it from a more complex condition in your feet that an orthotic could help with?
We also look at the cuticle – when we push the cuticle back – we are exposing the nail bed and matrix to damage and infection. Your skin is attached to your nail for a reason: to protect the base of your nail. We clean up the extra skin on the nail plate and smooth the cuticle and any hang-nails – but we don’t push the cuticle back. You would be shocked at how clean-up of the cuticle produces the same look as pushing the cuticle back – without any damage.
While this all sounds very clinical – a medi-pedi at Kollectiv Health feels anything but clinical. We call it a 0 gravity pedicure for a reason. I mentioned earlier that we don’t have traditional pedicure chairs – but what I didn’t mention was what we did use. We use a Massage table – along with some very special bolsters – to have you in a fully reclined position while your feet are being worked on. We treat this experience just like any of our other treatments – with dimmed lighting, soft music, a heated table and soft blankets. This reduces the strain of holding your legs up while they are being worked on and the strain the pedicure puts on you. Instead, you are in a much more comfortable position and your pedicurist is also working in a more ergonomic position. This is a win-win treatment.
If you’ve only ever experienced traditional pedicures, you may not realize what’s possible when foot care is approached differently. There is so much more that I could go into with how we do pedicures differently – but nothing compares to the experience itself.
Medical vs. Spa Pedicure: What’s the Difference?
Focus: Appearance vs. Foot health and function
Soaking: Extended soaking vs. short, controlled soak
Approach: Standard service vs. individualized treatment
Callus Care: Removal vs. gradual reduction and management
Goal: Temporary results vs. long-term improvement
When you look at it this way, it becomes clear that these are not the same service—they simply serve different purposes. If your goal is relaxation and aesthetics, a traditional pedicure may be exactly what you’re looking for. But if you’re starting to notice discomfort, recurring issues, or you’re ready to take a more proactive approach to your health, a more advanced approach to foot care can make a significant difference over time.
