Massage and Reflexology

For about 3000 years Chinese practitioners have used these techniques to energise tired people. So it has a serious history of working!

A great Reflexologist will be able to check over your feet and know if you have certain issues. It could be sluggish kidneys or digestive issues.

By working these points on the foot and focusing on areas they notice. Clients feel deep relaxation. In some cases improvements in clients digestion, lethargy or even pain have been recorded.

The Reflexology offered by the Skinologist is on the feet. Though other areas can be treated such as the hands and ears.

What are the benefits of reflexology?

Now that you know what it is, you can probably understand that there can be many benefits! Here are a few:

• Relief from tension and stress
• Full body relaxation
• Relieve and even heal aches and pains
• Help balance hormone levels
• Assist with digestive issues such as constipation
• Improve back pain
• Sooth sore feet
• Promote overall body healing
• Release emotional tension and energy that has built up in the body

The main benefits are a reduction of stress and tension, which we now know can be a major contributor to several health conditions.

Stress is one of the biggest factors in high blood pressure which can increase the risk of heart and circulatory disease. Check out this British Heart Foundation article if you would like to know more about stress and your heart.

Isn't reflexology just a foot massage?

We did say at the start it's a kind of massage. They are two very different things, with two different styles being used.

For a massage long strokes are used, some kneading and uses friction to create some heat. The goal here is to work the soft tissue and muscle to relax these areas of the body.

While Reflexology is focused on following the map of the foot. A fully trained and experienced practitioner will:

• Walk the fingers and thumbs around both feet to check for any signs
• The work over the whole area using a micro-movement technique on both feet
• Focus will then be given to any areas that have previously been identified

So a message is more superficial and treats the muscles and tissue on your feet. While Reflexology addresses the whole body and is deeply relaxing and stress relieving.

Reflexology also shares some similarities to acupuncture and acupressure. In that, it uses a map of the body and uses pressure (reflex) points that can be found in energy lines in your body.

The other main difference is that for the reflexology you are usually still fully clothed. While a massage you are usually having other parts massaged and so will have fewer clothes on.

Reflexology process

Here is a step by step guide to what you can expect!

If you are a new client we will start by doing a very short consultation. Just to make sure we understand your medical history and if there is anything we need to consider.

Most people can have reflexology and it can actually be beneficial for people being with underlying medical conditions and pregnancy too, check out this article on Reflexology and pregnancy on the Bolton NHS Trust website.

We will get you comfortable and set the room to your liking:

• Set the temperature of your comfy heated bed
• Choose your favourite music from Spotify
• Set the colour you want with our led wall lighting
• Relax and switch off or have a proper natter, the choice is yours!

The Skinologist will then ask you to take shoes and socks off and sit on the bed and get you comfortable.

A first scan will be completed of both feet and anything identified will be shared with you. It could be "Your stomach feels a little tight" or "There feels like something around your liver".

The Skinologist will go to work on gently working around the mapped area of both feet. Then giving some special attention to any areas that have been identified.

It is not uncommon for people to fall asleep. If you do that is absolutely fine, that is what your body needs.

The treatment should not be painful or uncomfortable. If you do feel anything please do let the Skinologist know. It may be something to do with your body position or there may be some other medical reason (bruise or tissue damage) that you have not been aware of until the treatment started.

After Reflexology

This part is so important it has its own section!

Very much like a massage, your body will respond to Reflexology, but in many cases, this will be much more pronounced. This is why we state the treatment is 45 minutes but ask you to add 15 minutes to the end.

Most people will feel a very deep state of relaxation, you might have fallen asleep and so your body will need to wake up a little. Take a glass of water and just sit still for a while your body adjusts to your new state.

Some people may be much more sensitive or have been holding onto a lot of tension and stress. On release people can respond differently, some may feel a little spaced out, some may become emotional and even tearful.

This is absolutely fine and is your bodies natural response. There is no need to hold back anything, we have seen it all before. You are in a safe space so you can let it all out, you will feel so much better for it.

On leaving the clinic you will feel more refreshed and energised. But we do ask you to take it easy. If you are driving take it slow and steady. Try not to rush around too much for at least one hour afterwards. I know this can be easier said than done!

Also please try to drink plenty of water to flush out your system and avoid alcohol if possible.

REFLEXOLOGY RECOMMENDATION

We recommend a course as this will maximise the benefits. If you think of it as yoga, if you go to one class you not going to become super flexible and relaxed. It is only through regular practice that it's possible.

As a minimum, we recommend a course of six. Though ten is optimal with one per week. You could then drop to one treatment per month or two. Or you might feel so good that you want to carry on with one per week. The choice is entirely yours!