MR PORTER puts its best foot forward and gets a tootsie makeover.

I am about to have my first pedicure and I am apprehensive. Having your feet handled by a stranger is a disconcerting prospect, especially when the foot-man in question is a Cornish aristocrat, but that is what is about to happen. After entering through the Sharps barbershop in Fitzrovia, London, I am escorted through a secretive corridor to a dimly lit room at the back of the shop featuring an impressive chesterfield and an oak desk topped with bankers’ lamps. Apart from the MacBook that sits open on the desk, it feels like stepping back in time, and the vibe is country estate drawing room meets cosy speakeasy.

It’s here I meet Mr Aldwyn Boscawen, a businessman who has learned the craft and minutiae of what makes a good pedicure, and has successfully branded it for men in the form of Aldwyn & Sons. “It was in searching for somewhere to have a pedicure myself that a gap in the market was spotted – a nail salon really wasn’t for me and there was little else on the market to address my unsightly, coarse and, at times, uncomfortable feet,” he explains. “Footcare has never been accessible for gentlemen in a bespoke environment and tailored to their comfort. The feet are often overlooked, but can have a significant impact on a man’s overall wellbeing.” With that in his mind, Mr Boscawen launched the smartly named “The Modern Footman” treatment, and last year became the first and only place in Britain to create a dedicated place for men to have their feet taken care of.

The pedicure itself is much more pleasant and decidedly less weird than I expect, and any apprehension dissolves quickly in the warmth of the footbath. The process is as follows: exfoliation to slough away some dead skin, toenail clipping and filing and a foot massage, which all takes about 45 minutes. The reassuringly discreet setup works well, but the pedicure itself feels closer to getting a haircut than it does a spa treatment – a surprisingly good place for a chinwag, and in retrospect an essential component of straightforward maintenance. Leaving the place felt like walking on cotton wool, my freshly oiled cuticles singing from my shoes.

Few will know how nice your feet look, of course, but that’s not the point. The best thing about a pedicure is not how pool-slide fresh it makes your feet look, but how it makes you feel – although if you are cursed with particularly gruesome trotters, this will ensure they’re markedly neater. We’re not suggesting that good grooming starts from the feet up, but to put a spring in your step, there are few greater luxuries.

Aldwyn & Sons’ “The Modern Footman” pedicure treatment is £50. A full treatment menu can be found at aldwynsons.co.uk

Keep up to date with The Daily by signing up to our weekly email roundup. Click here to update your email preferences.