Questions people actually ask

Usually not. Most appointments feel like firm pressure rather than pain, and work on hard skin is not painful at all. If an area is inflamed I work around it slowly and tell you before I touch it. You can ask me to stop at any moment.

Yes. Instruments are washed, disinfected and sterilised after every single client. Disposable files, blades and covers are opened in front of you and thrown away afterwards. Only one client is in the studio at a time.

For hard skin, corns and heels, usually the same day. For an ingrown nail, comfort usually improves at the appointment itself. For fungal nails and corrective braces this is a longer process, because nails grow slowly. I will tell you honestly at the consultation which of these your case is.

Please tell me before you book. I offer routine comfort care of nails and hard skin for adults with well controlled diabetes and no complications. I do not offer diabetic foot care as a clinical service. If you have poor circulation, loss of feeling in the feet, a wound, or a foot ulcer, please see a CORU registered podiatrist or your GP instead. At every appointment I work carefully and I will stop and refer you on if I see anything I am not the right person to treat.

No. You can book directly, no referral or letter is needed.

This is the most common thing people say to me, and it has never stopped anyone being helped. I came to this work because of my own painful toes. There will be no reaction and no comment, just the work.

Yes, you are welcome to bring someone who supports you. If the appointment is for an older parent, tell me in advance about their health and how easily they move, so I can plan enough time and set the studio up properly. For children, message me first with their age and what is happening.

At the moment I see clients only at the studio at 32 Francis Street, where I have all my equipment and full sterilisation.

Payment is made in the studio at the end of your appointment. You always hear the price before any work begins.

Just let me know as early as you can, ideally at least 24 hours ahead, so I can offer the time to someone waiting. A message on WhatsApp is the fastest way.

Yes. Sabina Venkova speaks Ukrainian and English, and an appointment at the foot health studio at 32 Francis Street, The Liberties, Dublin 8 can be held entirely in either language. Write to her on WhatsApp in whichever is easier for you.

32 Francis Street, The Liberties, Dublin 8, D08 NN96, Studio 7. It is inside the building rather than a shopfront, so look for the entrance door. If you cannot find it, message me on WhatsApp and I will guide you in.

No. Podiatrist and chiropodist are CORU protected titles in Ireland and I am not CORU registered. My title is Foot Health Practitioner, trained to Level 4 in Birmingham and in Ukraine, six years in practice. I care for healthy adults with everyday foot problems, and I will tell you plainly and refer you on if something belongs in medical hands.