The Vidya Tikari Studio Signature Services

Two things happen in the mad run-up to Diwali. My feet and face both feel as if they’ve been steamrolled. This time around, though, I’m on top of things. On a friend’s hearty recco, I went off to Vidya Tikari’s studio, to hand over my peds, pardon the pun, for her signature massage that’s put my feet back on the ground.

It’s done with seriously hot stones, and this is how it goes. First, my aching feet are dipped into hot water, and scrubbed clean. Then, aaaah, this is where the good stuff starts. I am made to lie down, my legs and feet are creamed and softened. And then, hot stones, wrapped in a towel to retain the heat, are placed on my legs, and cellophane wrapped around the whole.

You can feel the warmth seep in, and the tiredness leach out. Vidya, one of the best make-up artists in town and a living advert for her studio — her face is bright, and her hair all fluffed out in a swish cut — stops by to see how I’m doing. More cream, one more round of massage, and I am unwrapped — the possessor of shiny, smooth legs and a pair of peds that long to be back on the floor!

I do not ignore my other extremity: along with my feet, my face gets its share of pampering, too. I get an O3 Vitamin C facial, which I can vouch for being an absolute winner: in fact, this has to be one of the most effective face treatments I’ve had in a while.

The products have been formulated by dermatologists in Hong Kong, and can be used on all skin types. Once the cleansing-moisturising-massage-serum process is over, and the darned blackheads out, the mask goes on, and sits for ten minutes. When the therapist takes it off, I can see the glow, three feet away, in the mirror. And it’s still there, a whole week after.

I know where I’m headed back, once the festivities are over!

The Vidya Tikari Studio, B-21 Lajpat Nagar, Ist Floor (Opp Ozone Gym, Next to Barclay’s Bank), Ph 011-41635074/5, 011- 41630940. Services start from Rs 750. Hot Stone Foot Massage Rs 1,000. O3 Vitamin C Facial Rs 2, 200. Happy Hours all through October, with a 20 per cent off on all services (except make-up). www.vidyatikari.in