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Elixir Salutis · A household recipe
A 100% natural cosmetic cream, by an old Balkan recipe — for an evening foot ritual. Applied to the centre of the heel on clean feet, and left to work overnight under a cotton sock. For the skin, not for illness.
What it is
PIMIVIR (Elixir Salutis) is a cosmetic cream with an entirely natural composition — by the kind of recipe our grandmothers kept in glazed earthenware, away from direct sun and away from metal. We use it at the studio and offer it to clients as an evening ritual at home. A cream for the skin of the feet — nothing more and nothing less than that.
The foot is where the day gathers. The skin of the heel is thick, it has worked for hours across streets and stairs, and it rarely gets any attention. A little salve, a sock over it and one quiet night — that is the whole ritual. In the morning the skin feels softer to the touch, more comfortable to its own owner.
We offer it as a cosmetic and as a habit, not as a treatment. The cream is not a medicine, it is not a medical device, and it does not replace any care your doctor has prescribed. That plain, that honest.
Why the heel
In Bulgarian folk tradition the heel is called "the earth of the body" — the point where the weight of the day that has passed settles. The feet are the roots of the tree; evening care begins where the day began — from the ground up.
In reflexology tradition the heel has long been treated as a meaningful, even special point on the foot — one reason the household ritual in Bulgarian villages began there. We share that tradition purely as cultural background. The cream works on the skin, and it claims nothing beyond that.
For us it is something much simpler than that: a drop of salve worked into the warm heel with the palm, a circular motion, a breath that slows. One gesture for closing the day. A small ritual, repeated every third evening, is the threshold between work and sleep.
The ritual
The ritual is for the evening only. Wash and dry your feet thoroughly with warm water just before bed, so the cream works while you sleep.
Take the amount you need with a wooden spoon or a plastic spatula. The cream must never come into contact with metal — not when lifting it out, and not in storage. This is the way the salve was made in the Rhodope villages; we keep the old custom.
Apply a small amount to the centre of the heel on each foot and work it into the skin with your fingers, slowly, in a circular motion, until the warmth of the palm draws the salve in.
Pull on a clean cotton sock — it holds the warmth in and helps the skin take up the salve more comfortably. Leave it until morning; rinse lightly if you prefer, once you're up.
The rhythm is one evening of application and two evenings of rest. No more often than that — the skin needs the pause as much as it needs the salve. Three evenings make one step; ten steps make a month.
The plants
The composition is short and plant-based. Below is the family of herbs on which Balkan household salves have long rested — with a short line on what each brings to the skin, and how folk tradition has known it. The precise INCI list for each jar is printed on the packaging.
Cera alba
The base of every real salve. It gives the cream a dense yet soft structure and helps the skin keep its own moisture in.
In Bulgarian households, wax from the family hives was melted with oil and herbs — the first step of every home recipe for a "мехлем".
Propolis Extract
Rich in flavonoids with antioxidant activity on the surface of the skin; leaves a light, protective feel to the touch.
The beehive's own "shield" — cherished by Bulgarian beekeepers for generations as an addition to household balms for heels and hands.
Rosmarinus officinalis
Rich in plant polyphenols with antioxidant activity on the surface of the skin — with a noticeably warming feel when worked in with the palm.
Rosemary is one of the most recognisable herbs of Balkan cooking and herbalism — present in household oils, baths and foot balms for generations.
Calendula officinalis
A classic "skin herb" — comforts the feeling of dryness and tightness on the rough skin of the heel.
By macerating the flowers in sunflower or olive oil, Bulgarian households obtained the golden calendula oil — kept in the kitchen as part of the evening ritual for dry, rough skin on the heels and hands.
Hypericum perforatum
The classic herb of the Bulgarian "red oil" — a caring, moistening feel on dry skin. For leave-on products: avoid direct sunlight immediately after use.
Gathered on Enyovden (St John's Day) and macerated for forty days in the sun — this is how the ruby-red "Bulgarian red oil" was made, one of the most emblematic household recipes.
Achillea millefolium
A herb with a fresh green aroma and a pleasant, mildly tightening feel on the skin.
The "soldier's herb" — part of the Enyovden bouquet gathered on the longest day of the year by the herb-women of the Rhodope.
Salvia officinalis
Contains rosmarinic acid and luteolin — leaves the skin of the feet feeling fresh and balanced.
A staple of the Balkan garden and of household foot blends — sage appears in hundreds of Rhodope recipes and in our grandmothers' herbal chests.
Olea europaea fruit oil
The carrier for the herbal extracts — oleic acid, squalene, vitamin E — a soft, caring feel that leaves no heaviness behind.
The Mediterranean and Balkan carrier of every household balm for centuries — warm oil worked into cold feet.
The exact composition of each jar is printed on the packaging (INCI). If you have a known allergy to Compositae (calendula, yarrow) or to bee products (propolis, wax), patch-test on a small area of skin before first use.
Heritage
This cream is not new. The form we offer it in is new; the recipe it rests on is as old as the Rhodope hearths themselves. In Bulgarian villages until a generation ago, salves for heels, hands and elbows were made at home, with wax from the family hives, with herbs gathered at dawn, with mountain oil and with patience. They were stirred with a wooden spoon, never a metal one; kept in earthenware jars, away from direct sun. They were applied in the evening, on clean feet, wrapped in a clean linen cloth or in a cotton sock. PIMIVIR stands in that tradition — for the skin, not for illness. We do not claim to replace any medical care; we continue a considered custom that has never stopped in our families.
In clients' own words
The notes here are personal impressions from our clients, shared with their consent. They speak to touch, aroma and ritual — not to health outcomes. For health, please consult a doctor.
I love the ritual on a Sunday evening — quiet, unhurried, like a full stop at the end of the week.
The skin on my heels is noticeably softer and more comfortable to the touch — after a few "three evenings" you can see the difference.
The scent of wax and herbs takes me straight back to my grandmother's kitchen in Smolyan. That is half the reason I use it.
The wooden spoon, the silence, the rhythm of three evenings — it has become my little evening pause.
I appreciate that no one is promising me a miracle. Just a soft, warm salve and one calm habit.
Care and storage
No metal. Not a spoon, not a file, not a metal container. Use wood, ceramic or plastic every time you take some from the jar — this is not superstition, it is the way old household salves have always been kept.
Evenings only. The cream belongs to an evening routine and is not applied during the day.
Feet only. External use, on intact skin. Do not apply to wounds, cracked or inflamed skin.
Patch test before first use. Apply a small amount to a small area and wait a full day. If redness or itching appears, stop using it.
Storage. In a cool, dry place, away from direct light and out of reach of children. Close the jar tightly.
If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, living with a skin condition or taking medication, speak with a doctor before you begin. Contains bee products and herbs of the Compositae family — do not use if you have a known allergy to them.
On the label
The full INCI list is printed on the packaging, word by word. We keep the list short — if an ingredient does nothing for the skin, it does not go in the jar. If you have questions, call us and we will read it to you line by line before you order.
A cosmetic product under Regulation (EU) 1223/2009. Not a medicine and not a medical device.
Ordering
The cream is available directly from us, by phone. We will talk you through the ritual, answer your questions about the composition, and arrange delivery.
+359 32 555 218PIMIVIR (Elixir Salutis) is a cosmetic product for external use only, on the skin of the feet. **It is not a medicine and it is not a medical device.** It does not diagnose, treat or prevent any illness, condition or symptom — including, but not limited to, high blood pressure, cardiovascular conditions, stroke, tumours, cancer, or immune and inflammatory disorders. It does not replace any therapy your doctor has prescribed. Never stop or change a prescribed treatment because of using this product. Contains bee products and plants of the Compositae family — do not use if you have a known allergy to them. For any health question, please consult a qualified medical professional first.