This is not the kind of pedicure you get during a cost-of-living crisis. In many ways, it’s not a pedicure at all. There is no polish, and a complete absence of the usual cuticle clippers and foot files. Don’t let that put you off; this pedicure sets the bar for every other treatment you’ll have, and may even ruin you for all pedicures to come. And at more than $1000, it should.

Bastien Gonzalez has been referred to as a “foot virtuoso” and “the king of pedicures”. If you can’t get an appointment with him, don’t fret: Gonzalez has 108 employees in his 41 spa clinics across the world, which you’ll find at hotels like Raffles in Singapore and Le Bristol in Paris. His staff have been trained in his signature pedicure-podiatrist style, honed since he opened a private clinic on Paris’ Place des Vosges in 1997. A treatment from Gonzalez himself will set you back north of $1000, but you can be pampered by one of his staff members for around $300, depending on where you go. Part foot treatment, part education, Gonzalez’s modus operandi is not just to make your feet look pretty, but to help you appreciate the role they play.