DeSimone Foot and Ankle Centre and DeSimone Shoes and Spa have won three Sudbury.com Reader Favourite Awards this year, for the full-service care they offer to Sudburians.
“We go above and beyond to get to the bottom of what people’s problems are,” says owner and chiropodist Julie DeSimone. “We’re the one-stop shop for everything feet.”
DeSimone Foot and Ankle Centre opened its doors over 30 years ago, and treats almost any issue regarding the foot. They can fit patients with orthotics, help with issues like warts and heel pain, and provide regular foot care, as well as surgery when needed. They also have a Cutera Laser, to treat fungal nails.
After obtaining the laser and offering that treatment, Julie started to notice how many healthy women were coming in with fungal nails. She decided to start her own spa as well, with a focus on extreme cleanliness and all sterilized equipment. DeSimone Shoes and Spa started out small, offering manicures and pedicures. By popular demand, they expanded into sterile facials, and continue only using equipment which can be sterilized. No brushes are used, for this reason.
Now, the spa offers all kinds of services—laser hair removal, massage, scalp treatments, Hydrafacials, and more. As for the shoe side of the business, the store carries brands like Blundstone, Vionic, Aetrex, Finn Comfort, Mephisto, FitFlop, Viking, and more. In addition to regular footwear like sandals, slippers and heels, they also offer a variety of orthopaedic shoes.
Julie opened the shoe side of DeSimone Shoes and Spa because she noticed Sudbury was losing a lot of local family-owned shoe stores that gave such good service. She wanted to be able to send her clients somewhere nearby that she could trust. So, she started her own store.
DeSimone Foot and Ankle Centre and DeSimone Shoes and Spa are located at the same address, so receiving full-circle care is easy for clients. “We can treat patients on one side, and we know that we have the product on the other side to help them out if they need it,” says Julie.
Unless a custom orthotic is required (this happens at DeSimone Foot & Ankle Centre), DeSimone Shoes and Spa has everything available in their shoe store. The staff at the shop know footwear and how to fit shoes properly, for maximum comfort and health. “People can leave right away feeling good,” says Julie.
Julie runs the two businesses with her daughter Megan, and both are born and raised Sudburians. After graduating from a Chiropody program in Toronto, Julie moved right back to her hometown to work and raise a family. She appreciates the community support she’s experienced over the years of being an entrepreneur— including being voted a Reader Favourite three times over. “It feels great, you feel appreciated. It’s really nice when you reap the rewards of the work that you do.”
But the most rewarding part for Julie is helping her patients improve. “When people limp in and they leap out— it feels nice when you’ve made people feel better right away. I’m a lucky one, I have a good job.”
For more information about DeSimone Foot and Ankle Centre, visit here.
For more information about DeSimone Shoes and Spa, visit here.
This article was sponsored by DeSimone Foot and Ankle Centre, a 2025 Sudbury·com Reader Favourite.