Feet are the most neglected parts of our bodies, but it doesn't take much effort to put the spring back in your step

What with strappy sandals and warm weather and holidays with lots of sightseeing and dancing the night away, summer is not a good time for feet. They take us everywhere we go and we just repay them by making them ache and giving them blisters.

So, time to give them a treat. From cheap and cheerful to blissful luxury, there are all sorts of treats available. They range from an instant pick-me-up to a bit of pampering.

You might not be walking on air, but they could put a spring in your step.

WE LIKED...

BOOTS COOLING FOOT GEL £2.99

Wonderful, pale green gel with mint, arnica and witch hazel. Massage gently into your feet. Very refreshing and antiseptic. Not messy either, so you could take it out with you as a quick treatment.

BODYSHOP LEMONGRASS FOOT SPRAY £4

Clear, fine spray, smells of sherbet lemons. Not desperately effective, but handy to pop in your bag for a quick lift on a day out.

BOOTS INSTANT REVIVAL FOOT FIZZ £4.99

Not a magic treatment, but something nice to add to the bowl when you soak your feet before a pampering session. Basically it's just sodium bicarbonate, but it has extras that make it smell nice and make your feet feel good.

BOOTS SOOTHING FOOT BATH £2.99

Nice minty lotion for a foot bath. Very soothing.

SUPERDRUG REVITALISING FOOT AND LEG SPRAY £1.49

Faintly lemon spray with horse chestnut that makes tired legs and feet feel a bit better if only briefly.

SCHOLL PARTY FEET REFRESHER SPRAY £2.99

Great whoosh of spray that has a nice effect.

MOST FUN PRODUCT

SCHOLL PARTY FOOT CRACKLE £4.99

Foam fizzes out, explodes on to your feet then fizzes and crackles - like space dust used to in your mouth. Great fun. Mess soon evaporates and feet feel cooler.

NICE MESSY PAMPERING TREATMENTS

BODY SHOP PEPPERMINT RESCUE TREATMENT £7

Smells of toothpaste but is pink, squidgy and refreshing.

BODYSHOP LEMONGRASS FOOT POWDER £6

This smelt nice (sherbet lemons again) but didn't seem to make much difference.

BOOTS INTENSIVE CARE FOOT KIT £8.99

Wonderfully messy. A small tub of foot polish to make your feet shine, some wonderfully gooey overnight foot balm - and a pair of little socks to wear while the balm soaks in. Not a miracle cure, but very pleasant.

NOT IMPRESSED BY...

SCHOLL PARTY FEET GEL CUSHIONS £4.99

For the right feet these are probably brilliant. They are little gel cushions that you put in your shoes and which help prevent pain in the ball of your foot. Just the thing after a night clubbing or a day walking on hot city pavements. But all the testers' feet - from small to large - found that they ended up with their feet on the edge of the cushion. Not particularly uncomfortable at first, but after a while quite irritating - so not much comfort there.

BOOTS SOFTENING LOTION £2.99

Smelt nicely of mint but was very thin, slow to absorb and didn't seem to make any difference.

SUPERDRUG REVIVING FOOT MASSAGE GEL £1.49

This gel is meant to provide instant cooling massage, but however much we rubbed it in, it just stayed squelchy.

SUPERDRUG CONDITIONING FOOT SPRAY £1.49

Made with lemon, tea tree and jo-joba, this should have been pleasant. It wasn't unpleasant, but was just a sort of nothing really.

Published: 19/08/2005