WHAT is reflexology?

Reflexology is one of our massage add-ons but what the heck is it and who would benefit?

A lot of people know it has to do with the feet, but there are also reflexology systems that focus on the hands.

First, in each foot, there are 7,000 nerve endings. There are 17,000 nerve endings and touch receptors in the palm of each hand, and there are more than 3,000 touch receptors in each of your fingertips! No other part of your body is as sensitive as your hands and feet when it comes to nerve endings and touch receptors sending information back to the brain.

Though we’re not exactly sure who started the idea of reflexology (there is evidence of it in Ancient Greece and India), there was a point in time when a physician and then a nurse/physiotherapist mapped the sections of the feet and their corresponding areas of the body or organs. It all goes back to those thousands of nerves. They don’t just suddenly appear on the bottom of the feet; they come from other areas, of course.

Gentle pressure is applied to each area specifically with special finger and thumb manipulations. The therapist may also use a wooden tool made especially for reflexology.

Sometimes a client will react unknowingly and precisely with comments like, “Oh! I just felt a weird sensation in my stomach!” and it turns out the massage therapist was working exactly on that area of the foot.

So what’s it do (besides feel really fantastic)? Every client will have a different experience, of course, but according to the Mayo Clinic, there are several studies that indicate it may reduce pain and psychological symptoms, such as stress and anxiety, and enhance relaxation and sleep.

On top of that, practitioners and clients have found other effects, such as helping with nerve function, improving circulation, decreasing headache severity and frequency, improving thinking, and reducing PMS and menopause symptoms.

If you’ve never tried it, why not tack it on to your next massage?