Looking after your feet between visits

Our foot ritual is one of the treatments guests book most often, especially those who walk a lot, stand at work or have just spent a day climbing Chamundi Hill. You can do a shorter version at home once a week in about 20 minutes.

Start with a soak. Fill a basin with warm water, as warm as is comfortable, and add a handful of rock salt and a few drops of lemon juice. Soak your feet for ten minutes while you sit with a cup of tea. The water softens hard skin on the heels and the sides of the toes.

Then scrub gently. Use a pumice stone on the heels and the ball of the foot, a few strokes at a time, rinsing as you go. Never scrape hard or use a blade. A homemade scrub of a spoon of rice flour, a spoon of curd and a pinch of turmeric works well on the tops of the feet. Rinse and pat dry, especially between the toes.

Finish with oil. Warm a teaspoon of coconut or sesame oil between your palms and massage each foot for two or three minutes: long strokes from toes to heel, small circles around the ankle bone and firm pressure along the arch with your thumbs. Put on clean cotton socks for an hour, or overnight. If you have diabetes, poor circulation or broken skin on your feet, check with your doctor before soaking or scrubbing at home.