It actually wasn’t tea it was a cocktail, and we were not in London, it was Toronto, but it was the Queen of Feet herself: Margaret Dabbs. I think somehow that as a reader of The Etiket Insider you must be interested to know how we find the brands that we carry. Every one of them has a different story and for me there must be a connection almost as important as the quality and efficacy of the product. With Margaret Dabbs there is a story that ended when I finally met her about a month ago at the official launch of her products in Toronto. But I am proud to say that we were the first to have her products in Canada and have had them and been offering her foot treatment at Etiket since we opened the store in 2011.
It all started as we were planning our assortment of skin care, and feet seemed as important to me as the rest of the body. It is funny though as most of us never think of our feet unless we have a problem with them, or once spring and summer come around and you women get out your open toe sandals (and hopefully not flip flops at least in the city please !!!) and it is time to at least get polish if not a pedicure. But I wanted to go further; I wanted to find products and a treatment for the feet that were at the same level as the skin care and treatments we were offering for the face. There are the products we all know such as Dr. Scholl’s and GEHWOL but they just were not luxury or good enough for me. With a little research we found Margaret Dabbs and approached her in London.
I love the story of how Margaret started because it was and is all about passion for her – a passion for what she does. Margaret is a podiatrist by trade and it was in working with her patients that she found there was something missing. The products were either too medical or did absolutely nothing. As often is the case with passionate people, they don’t settle for what is out there but develop what they need themselves, and that is exactly what Margaret did. She developed products to use in her foot treatments – this is no ordinary pedicure – but a treatment that is all part of her reprogramming of how we look at feet, and more importantly how we look after our feet. We are always quick to worry about our faces, then maybe our hands, but our feet need anti-aging and care too.
Most of the products have super efficient organic Australian Emu Oil; Emu Oil is from Australia and is known for its proven healing properties. Other products have Lemon Myrtle for its intense relaxation qualities. The products have all been formulated with specific podiatry needs in mind which means that as much as they all feel luxurious and get to work immediately, penetrating the skins dermal layers – moisturising, replenishing and revitalizing and leaving the skin beautiful and illuminated, you see results and happier and above all healthier feet. It was through these products and the treatments that she developed that Margaret has become known as the Queen of Feet.
I have to tell you that I am a runner and a cyclist and my feet take a beating. I have the Intensive Hydrating Foot Lotion beside my bed and each night I rub a little dab onto each of my feet and it really works like magic. It is not greasy and soaks in but above all it works to keep my feet soft and moisturised. Even after running half marathons it only takes a few days before my feet are back to normal.
The ultimate though is to come to the store for a Margaret Dabbs Foot Treatment. Ariane, Paule and I all went to Toronto to not only meet Margaret but to learn in depth about her products and also how do to her treatment. Don’t worry though; it is Paule that does the treatment not me! We learned why it is so important to work on dry feet never after soaking – that comes at the end, why you need so little of the Exfoliating Foot Mousse to get the job done, and what I certainly didn’t know but do now – NEVER CUT YOUR OWN TOE NAILS! We often cut them too short and it is where we can cause more problems for our own feet than we can imagine.
But what about Margaret?
She is a beautiful, charming and passionate woman who has built her business based on a true and complete belief that what she does, and the products she sells, help people. It was wonderful to see her work with her Director of Podiatry, Tamara Iglesias, and talk about how she started small and grew the business. Besides her own Clinic in London there is now a Margaret Dabbs Sole Spa at Harrods and Liberty and she just opened in Dubai this spring. As much as she could have dropped the names of the celebrities and Lords and Ladies whose feet she looks after, spending the day with Margaret was learning that her true love is making sure that we all have happy and beautiful feet, but above all healthy ones.
Simon Tooley
President/Owner
The best way to discover Margaret Dabbs is definitely to come in for a treatment where we will make you feel like a Queen or King – this treatment is for men too – without the polish of course, but a cup of tea for sure. (Call to make your appointment at 1-855-687-3886
If you can’t come in to see us, the Discovery Kit will let you experience Margaret’s products but we have to warn you, you will probably become addicted too them as well!