Whether you want the best mani/pedi in town or help with foot problems, Sole Lounge is the place to go.
Please don’t confuse this sanctuary for soles with the many manicure/pedicure salons all over the UAE. It is so much more.
Margaret Dabbs’ Sole Lounge is nestled deep amongst the 40 shoe boutiques at the Level Shoe District, Dubai Mall, the perfect location for this foot therapy clinic with a difference.
Fusing health and beauty, this team of professional podiatrists provide outstanding care that will visibly transform the feet of not just the ladies, but men too.
Sole Lounge Dubai is the latest branch of a very successful chain of Margaret Dabbs foot clinics.
Margaret, a fully trained podiatrist and passionate about feet, set up the first in this series of foot clinics in 1998, pioneering the now renowned “Medical Pedicure”.
Fusing health and beauty, her team of professional nail technicians works to incorporate Margaret’s techniques and training to provide outstanding results, utilising Margaret’s award-winning product range, available at Sole Lounge.
We promise to never let you go during the Luxury Manicure pic.twitter.com/QCCFaaMuhX
— Margaret Dabbs SL (@SoleLoungeDubai)
Although you can get the best manicure/pedicure in town at the Margaret Dabbs Clinic, having a “foot doctor” look at your feet is a bonus.
Podiatrists deal with the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of the lower limb and are qualified to treat people with arthritis, diabetes, nail surgery and sports injuries.
They are highly qualified professionals.
Podiatrists can give you and your family advice on how to look after your feet, what type of shoes to wear and also treat and alleviate day-to-day foot problems, including:
► Toenail problems, such as thickened, fungal or ingrown toenails
► Corns and calluses
► Verrucas or warts
► Athlete’s foot
► Dry and cracked heels, cracks or cuts in general
► Painful or flat feet and any type of foot problem you may have
► Bunions
► Peeling or scaling on the soles
► Diabetes related foot issues
My interest in Sole Lounge was more from a health point of view, having seen how problems with the feet can cause health issues and pain right the way through the body.
I had a bad experience at a nail salon last year and vowed never to set foot inside another one again, but I was reassured by the fact that I would be seeing a pod-iatrist, so I knew I would be well cared for.
Part of the experience is the fact that it is set in such a great location, surrounded by all those amazing shoes. A treatment after a hard day trying on towering high heels would be a wonderful end to a day’s shoe shopping.
My Treatment
I was wearing FitFlops that day and loved the idea of having them sterilised before putting them back on my lovely, sparkly clean feet.
Everything is sterilised. I have known people get nail infections following a manicure/pedicure, but no problem with that here: the instruments are clean, straight out of a sterile wrapper.
Following the scanning of my feet, Jonny got to work on them and Viktoriya took charge of my hands whilst I relaxed in a very comfortable reclining chair.
Rather than a long soaking in water, a quick wash was followed by a cleansing using some amazing products and the removal of nail polish, most of which suffocate the nails which need to breathe.
There wasn’t any of that frightening clipping away at cuticles of aggressive cutting or filing of the sides of the nails which can cause ingrowing toenails.
All the nails were cut straight across and filed with glass nail files and the cuticles were treated, but not trimmed.
I was a little nervous when Jonny unwrapped a scalpel! He cut away some hard skin from a big toe and I didn’t feel a thing!
He also used what looked like a drill to take away the damaged surface of some of the nails.
All 20 nails were then buffed until they shone. I chose not to have colour although the clinic uses nail polishes that do allow the nails to breathe. The treatment was eff-icient and very relaxing.
The use of oxygen therapy and the clean, uncluttered décor added to the experience.
The clinic uses products created by Margaret, which feel extremely luxurious.
One of the key ingredients is organic emu oil, used by Aborigines for its healing properties for thousands of years.
These are available for purchase at Sole Lounge.
Services
An excellent service offered by Sole Lounge is made to measure orthotics.
Gait analysis and a scan of your feet, producing an interesting 3D image showing all the contours can highlight possible causes of foot problems.
You can be fitted with made-to-measure orthotics which can help with things like flat feet and chronic foot pain.
Faulty foot contours can cause pain in the knees, back, shoulders or even headaches, so if you suffer with any pain and haven’t yet found a reason for it, try Sole Lounge.
Orthotics are tailor-made insoles, padding and arch supports to relieve arch or heel pain.
You put the orthotic device into your shoe to re-align your foot, take pressure off vulnerable areas of your foot, or simply to make your shoes more comfortable.
This will improve your posture and if your feet are responsible for pain further up the body, this will correct it.
Years of ill-fitting shoes, sports and dancing, particularly classical ballet, can have a detrimental effect on the health of your feet.
More on offer
A few examples of treatments available for both ladies and men:
► A 20-minute invigorating massage, perfect for tired, aching feet – 230 AED
► The Sole Lounge Defining Foot Therapy will take years off your feet and includes nail paint. It takes 45 minutes and costs 465 AED. For the luxury version, allow 70 minutes for 785 AED
► Oxygen therapy to relieve stress and rejuvenate – 20 minutes at 100 AED
► Bunion Support to reduce pain and advice on exercises and stretches – 20 minutes/230 AED
► Foot manipulation and mobilisation – 20 minutes/230 AED
► Orthotic assessment – 30 minutes/465 AED
► All sorts of manicures and pedicures available ranging from 65 AED to 200 AED
► Bespoke Ladies and girls parties! You can even have one of Level Shoe District’s Shoe Stylists to ensure your party’s feet are styled to perfection.
You can check out The Sole Lounge by heading to the website
