Have you heard of Foot Reflexology?
Reflexology is a form of massage therapy and is the practice of applying pressure to parts of the feet, hands, or ears. It is typically done to relieve stress and relax the individual. The reasoning behind this is the belief that these areas are connected to various organs in the body. For instance, relieving stress from a certain part of the foot will heal that corresponding body part.
The person performing the massage, known as a reflexologist, will apply different amounts of pressure and use various techniques to these areas. Foot charts are used as a guide when applying pressure in specific areas.
Aside from your big toe, the pads on the underneath of your other toes correspond to your sinuses, while the centre underneath your foot corresponds to your kidneys, and so on. Other organs like your pancreas, liver, intestines and such can all be treated by massaging the specific parts for foot reflexology pressure points.
Many use reflexology as a form of physical therapy and such. It isn’t just about treating physical pain though. Reflexologists use it as a way to reduce psychological symptoms too for example anxiety. The best part about reflexology is that there’s little to no risk involved, so it’s definitely worth a try if you’re looking for stress relief!
What’s the Difference between Foot Reflexology and a Foot Spa?
1.Relax vs. Heal
The key difference between these two is that one is more of a healing treatment while the other leans towards being a relaxing treatment. While a foot massage is great for relieving pain, it won’t cure any chronic kind of pain.
2.Chronic vs. Short-Term
A great way to remember how to distinguish the two is to think of it this way: Do you have a sharp pain in your arm? If yes, a foot reflexology massage will help that, but a foot spa won’t! Foot spas deal more with relieving pain on a short-term basis. The main reason why people seek out foot reflexology sessions is that conventional solutions like a foot spa cannot fix it. These are cases like arthritis, sports injuries, back pain and such.
3.General vs. Specific Areas
A regular foot massage will stimulate circulation, and relax your muscles and such, while a foot reflexology session will target specific points and restore balance to your body naturally. Rather than apply pressure to tissues around your feet, a reflexologist will pay attention to the parts that connect your feet to other parts of your body.
Certain signs like indigestion indicate your body is imbalanced. This could mean you’re in need of a reflexology session and not a foot spa because there are obstacles obstructing your energy flow.
4.Reflexologist vs. Licensed Professional
A person who practices reflexology requires a different sort of training and actually studies to become a reflexologist. There are various techniques you need to learn to become a certified reflexologist. A licensed massager does not have to undergo training that is as intense.
5.Foot vs. Full Body
A foot massage will have your feet feeling incredibly soothed and you feeling de-stressed. A foot reflexology session on the other hand should have you feeling like you’ve had a full body massage. That’s when you know the session was a good one! Similarly, though, both a foot spa and foot reflexology should make you feel completely de-stressed and energized!
Here are Some Massage Techniques and Their Benefits!
1.Warmup Twists
This is a technique used that can do two things. One is that it can release any small aches in your feet that aren’t too much of a burden. On the other hand, it can help prep your feet for the rest of the massage.
To do this one must place their hands on either side of the foot and gently pull the right side while pushing the left side, and the reverse. The main benefit of this is how the motion will help you prepare your feet and precisely as the name suggests, warm them up.
2.Arch Rubs
This technique is fairly simple. All you have to do is hold the top of the foot and then massage the arch of the foot. You can do this repeatedly from the ball of your foot to the heel. Arch rubs will melt away the stress of the day in an instant!
3.Toe Bends
When it comes to Toe Bends, hold the heel with one hand and gently bend all the toes back and forth with the other hand. The pressure applied to the toes can vary depending on the individual.
Toe Bends is a massage technique that is typically done to help improve the flexibility of one’s feet!
4.Heel Squeezes
The top of the foot is held in one hand and the heel is held in the other. The back of the heel is then repeatedly squeezed. This technique is great for relieving tension in the back of our feet that sometimes builds up over time.
5.Toe Massage
If you’re experiencing cramps in your toes, you should try this! With the base of the foot in one hand, the massager will tug, twist and pull each of the toes gently and also massage between the toes. Each toe is given this treatment for about 15 seconds to help reduce pressure in the feet and toes
6.Traditional Therapeutic Techniques:
This technique focuses on relaxing the muscles and joints to reduce any pain. These techniques include smooth gliding movements, friction, squeezing, wringing and kneading of soft tissues to stimulate the muscles, promote relaxation and improve circulation.
7.Pressure Points
This is an incredibly relaxing foot massage. The thumb is used to apply pressure to the instep. Slowly from the instep, the massager will make their way down to the heel by pressing and releasing the various pressure points. Many use acupuncture. Acupuncture is applying pressure to specific points to improve health and your energy flow. It’s an Asian art of healing.
8.Swedish Foot Massage
This is one of the most commonly practised massages. It is great for how it is gentle while also involving 5 different types of strokes that will energise your feet! If you’re recovering from any kind of joint injury, this type of massage is ideal for how it benefits patients!
9.Deep Tissue Foot Massage
This massage is known for its more forceful strokes that target deeper muscles. This type of massage is more ideal for people who have suffered from painful joints or damaged muscles from chronic injuries.
10.Thai Foot Massage
This is a deep massage technique where you use your thumb to apply pressure along specific lines of the whole foot. This method involves the application of pressure by the massager’s thumb, finger, palm or elbow. Each point is pressed for approximately 5 to 10 seconds until the patient feels pain. This is then repeated five times. This kind of deep massage pressure is thought to improve blood circulation and enhance skin sensations on the bottom of the feet. It is especially known to help diabetic patients improve their balance by increasing the range of motion (ROM) and sensation of the foot.
11.Sports Foot Massage
Mostly preferred by athletes, this type of foot massage involves techniques of different strokes and massages before and after they take part in any hardcore sports events. This method is somewhat similar to the Swedish massage, but this is ideal for people who take part in sports activities. It helps prevent injuries by increasing flexibility. It’s also useful in treating muscle strains and injuries as well.
12.Trigger-Point Therapy or Myotherapy
This technique involves applying alternating pressure over the area of muscle spasm. Though the massage feels slightly painful at first after a while it will relieve the pre-existing pain as well. Pressure may be applied with the help of fingers, knuckles as well as elbows.
13.Reflexology Foot Massage
Reflexology massages are commonly known for massaging parts of the feet to help relieve pain in other parts of the body. Using various massage techniques on the calf, upper leg and foot, it helps target specific areas and is thought to help improve internal organ function.
Here are 10 Surprising Health Benefits of a Foot Spa!
1.Improves Blood Circulation
With a busy schedule, the muscles in the feet rarely get time to exercise. Foot massage involved in the foot spa keeps your tissues and muscles healthy and helps with healing. It also stimulates blood flow and significantly improves blood circulation in the feet. This is particularly beneficial if you have health problems that add to poor circulation or nerve damage, like diabetes.
2.Reduces Blood Pressure
In recent days, high blood pressure has become a common issue because of stress, poor diet, genetics, and environmental factors. Massaging on the acupressure points over the sole can reduce blood pressure and relieve much of the tension that builds up there. Studies have proven that people with hectic lifestyles benefited from frequent foot spas, which reduced anxiety and improved mood. Sounds relaxing right? Head to a unisex salon nearby and indulge in a foot spa session now!
3.Promotes Better Sleep
Just like any other spa session, a foot spa session can help you relax and improve your quality of sleep. The massage techniques used in the treatment calm the nervous system and induce sleep. There is a specific point on the base of the foot called the Insomnia point. Usually, in a person who lacks proper sleep, this point is sore. When pressed during a massage, it treats the sore and induces sleep. Hence, a food spa session is shown to reduce the signs of Insomnia and promote better sleep.
4.Lessens Anxiety, Stress, and Depression
Foot spa helps in increasing the levels of endorphins in the body. Endorphins are happy hormones that help in improving mood, which in turn lessens anxiety, stress, and depression. Some studies have proven that regular foot spas can help reduce anxiety by as much as 50%. So, the next time you feel stressed, head to a salon that offers foot massage nearby and takes the load off your mind.
5.Speeds Recovery of Foot Injuries
Quite a time foot spa sessions are recommended after a foot injury. Ever thought about why? These sessions speed the recovery of foot injuries by helping the foot to heal and making the foot and ankle strong and flexible. Regular foot massages also help prevent the types of ankle and foot injuries such as ankle sprain or muscle cramps.
6.Improves Immune System
You might now be wondering what a foot spa session has got to do with the immune system. Hold on! We are here with the answer. Foot massage improves your immune system by increasing the activity of white blood cells that help your body fight infections and other diseases. It also lowers the levels of level of the stress hormone cortisol which is often the culprit of various health issues.
7.Relieves Arthritic Pain
It is a known fact that foot spas help in the release of tension in muscles and joints. Additionally, people suffering from arthritis can be greatly benefited from these sessions as they can reduce pain. Increased blood circulation caused by the strokes used in the massage makes muscles malleable and improves the foot’s flexibility.
8.Aids in Detoxification
Yes! You heard it right! The relaxing foot spa sessions offered by unisex salons aid in the detoxification of your feet. They help the body to get rid of toxins and detoxify the liver and kidney, maintain pH balance in the body, and aid in clearing acne and wrinkles.
9.Keeps your Feet Healthy
Frequent foot massages give you a chance to check for any foot problems before they get worse, such as cracked heels, sores, corns (thick hardened layers of skin often caused by rubbing and pressure), dry skin, and ingrown toenails. Cleansing and moisturizing your feet during the foot spa might also help to prevent conditions like dry skin and cracked heels.
10.Reduces Headache
What else can make your day better than visiting a unisex salon near you for a foot spa? The nerve points present in the feet are treated using light strokes during the foot massage. This further stimulates them and helps in treating symptoms like headaches, migraine, etc.
How Often Should you Have a Foot Spa Done?
We all know that a foot spa is an easy way to make you feel relaxed and relieve some of the stress in your life. An ideal foot spa session involves cleansing, exfoliation, and foot massage and though it feels like a luxury, it’s much more than that! This therapeutic treatment, offered by most unisex salons near you, has several surprising health benefits as well!
If your feet are used to a lot of wear and tear, then you’ll most likely need to get a foot spa done more often than someone whose feet stay moisturised longer and are usually away from pollution and dirt.
Though they’re not the same, foot spas help a lot in foot reflexology too., But the truth is that if a foot spa is done too often, for instance, once a week, it can actually lead to you hurting your feet. Instead, opt to get a foot spa done every two weeks or once a month.
Be it a foot spa or foot reflexology session, both are definitely worth checking out! You won’t have any regrets. In fact, many feel so relaxed that they find themselves drifting off to sleep during sessions! You’ll find yourself with healthier feet and a healthier body!
It’s too often that our feet get knotted up and we don’t even realise it. Did you know that the kind of footwear you use can all influence this? It’s true! Say goodbye to headaches, lower blood pressure, anxiety and such! For many many years, foot massages have been practiced in cultures as a way of improving overall well-being. You’ll find yourself feeling calm and relaxed and in general happier!
We hope this blog has inspired you to consider getting a foot spa or reflexology session. So what are you waiting for? Head to a unisex salon nearby and pamper your feet. Maybe get foot reflexology in Chennai? There are plenty of foot massage benefits and foot reflexology massage benefits that should have you rushing to get a foot massage in Chennai!
We hope you found this blog informative and helpful! Do consider dropping by at Limelite Salon and Spa! Limelite is a unisex hairsalon in chennai, that aims to give you, the customer, the very best experience! Whether it’s any hair salon services like trendy women haircuts, men haircut styles, best hair cut for long hair, hair highlights, layercut for women, feather haircut for women, hair spa or a keratin treatment, olaplex treatment, hair smoothening, manicure and pedicure or our special Kerastase fusio dose nail art or a simple haircare routine when you are at Limelite, our dedicated team of professionals will ensure that you are well taken care of! To know more about our services or to book an free consultation with us, call us at the number mentioned on our website. We always have offers you wouldn’t want to miss, and we would love to have you in our salon. Thank you!
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