1. Soak: Prepare your feet for their transformation by soaking them in warm water. Add some fragrant salts to soothe tired feet and enhance the spa-like mood.

2. Exfoliate: Depending on how much time you have, you can exfoliate quickly with a grainy scrub. Concentrate your efforts on the heels, balls of the feet and the underside of your big toe. If time is no object, pat your feet dry and use a foot file to slough away hard spots. Better yet, settle in with some relaxing music and a cup of tea and use both the scrub and the file.

3. Shape and prepare nails: Trim nails with clippers or file them down with an emery board. When filing, remember to swipe in one direction; sawing back and forth can damage the nail. After filing, use a buffer over the whole nail to smooth out ridges and remove any staining.

4. Moisturize: Smooth a heavy moisturizer onto the tops and bottoms of your feet, making sure to deposit extra love into the much-abused areas. For a bonus, halt your pedi here and hit the hay with cotton socks on, which will lock in moisture overnight. If time is tight, continue on to the next step.

5. Polish: The last step is to add the finishing touches: nail art, a pretty polish or a shiny topcoat, the choice is yours. Just be sure to figure drying time into your plan. And since you won't have to drive home from a salon in flimsy flip-flops, there will be no excuse for smudges.