Sometimes, our hardworking feet require serious care, and for island residents looking to put their best foot forward this season, The Ritz-Carlton, Bahrain has unveiled the perfect remedy for our tired limbs at their award-winning spa. 
The resort has appointed Takoua Timoumi as the new studio manager and podiatrist at its prestigious Pedi:Mani:Cure Studio by Bastien Gonzalez. 
Ms Timoumi arrives in Seef with an impressive clinical podiatry background and international experience. She has managed the renowned Bastien Gonzalez brand across luxury resorts, serving as studio manager at Jumeirah Muscat Bay in Oman and playing a key role at One&Only Le Saint Géran in Mauritius. 
Under her expert direction, guests can look forward to treatments that effortlessly merge medical podiatry with luxury wellness, restoring the vitality, strength, and lustre of skin and nails.
Opened at the resort in 2024, the studio has quickly become a sanctuary for Bahrain’s elite. The approach centres on a holistic philosophy alongside a medical approach to treatments that focus on revealing the natural strength and health of skin and nails. 
This dedicated care is paired with and elevated by the salon’s exclusive use of the premium Révérence de Bastien line, crafted with ingredients sourced directly from Gonzalez’s very own forest in France. And here is my absolute favourite factoid: the brand actually harnesses the power of butterflies to naturally look after everything in their gardens! It is a charming, magical touch that makes you feel connected to nature before the treatment even begins.
I was lucky enough to check into the tranquil studio for Bastien’s signature Pedicure with Ms Timoumi. And truth be told, I have always felt clueless about nail maintenance, a fact obvious from the dry, sand-worn state of my feet. With a packed schedule, I constantly convinced myself that I simply didn’t have the time to look after them, routinely pushing foot care to the bottom of my to-do list. The overwhelming atmosphere of standard salons also made it easy to avoid proper care altogether. Walking into the studio, those old apprehensions and familiar anxieties bubbled up, but all hesitation vanished the moment I sat in Ms Timoumi’s chair. Warm and deeply reassuring, she demystified foot care for me, turning what I feared might be a strict lecture into an eye-opening, joyful conversation.
The ritual began with a strict dry approach, focusing on a precise medical process of keratinisation, which is healthier for the foot and avoids tissue damage. Ms Timoumi started with the cut, followed by a drill file to smooth out the irregularities of the nails. Next, she shaped the nails using a specialised glass file, explaining that traditional metallic ones are far too aggressive. The nails were kept to a straight, medical shape whilst preserving the natural white line.
Then came the nail drill process using a specialised diamond drill to clean the surrounding skin and edges. The absolute highlight of the nail treatment was the application of a small amount of the secret Révérence de Bastien pearly buffing cream to each nail. This provides natural shine and strength, which was then worked into the nail using a celebrated natural leather horn buffer–a traditional technique passed down from Bastien’s own grandmother to create an authentic, high-gloss finish. To lock in this natural beauty, Ms Timoumi applied the onguent (ointment) from the Révérence de Bastien line to deeply hydrate and nourish the cuticles. This process boosts micro-blood circulation and provides a radiant shine on the feet that lasts for up to three weeks.
Transitioning from the nails to the skin, Ms Timoumi expertly took a scalpel to the heavy pressure zones of the feet, explaining that this process is particularly beneficial for athletes, like football and tennis players, who tend to accumulate severe pressure points. 
She then applied the Heel Renaissance cream to gently but effectively eliminate calluses and hard, dry skin–making it the ultimate product recommended to take home for daily care.
Next came the amazing wellness massage, treating the feet and legs with Le Baume Sensitive Feet Balm. This plant-infused formula has a pleasant scent and addresses dry skin, “heavy” or tired legs, damaged nails, and sore footpads. Ms Timoumi used firm, sweeping movements to target deep-seated muscle tension, leaving me in pure bliss.
To finish, she applied Le Talc, a talcum powder enriched with kaolin that creates a protective ‘second skin’ film. This provides antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, and parasite protection, making it ideal to put inside sports shoes for tennis players prone to heavy perspiration. 
The final touch was the Celest dry leg oil, a shimmering formula containing finely ground mother-of-pearl particles, cottonseed oil, and sesame oil. This left my legs silky-smooth to the touch, tightened, and enveloped in a glittery silk veil that perfectly soothed any skin irritation.
Stepping out, I left with far more than just beautiful feet; I walked away with a true understanding of how to care for them. Wonderful and soothing, Ms Timoumi uses a gentle but firm hand alongside a wealth of knowledge. We can’t wait to return to try out the signature manicure!
The Pedi:Mani:Cure Studio by Bastien Gonzalez is located at The Ritz-Carlton Spa, Bahrain and is open daily, from 10am to 8pm. 
nFor bookings or more information, contact the spa directly on 17586808 or email rc.bahrz.spa@ritzcarlton.com.