What is reflexology?
Reflexology is pressure on specific points of the feet, and sometimes the hands and ears, following a map that links each point to another part of the body: the toes to the head, the arch to the digestive organs, the heel to the lower back. The practitioner works across the foot slowly, pressing, holding and moving on.
The modern version is American. In the 1910s a doctor named William Fitzgerald described "zone therapy", which divided the body into lines running to the hands and feet, and in the 1930s Eunice Ingham, a physiotherapist, drew the detailed foot maps that reflexologists still use.
Is reflexology real?
The pressure is real and so is the relaxation. The maps are another matter: nobody has shown that a point on the arch is connected to the stomach. The US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health says reflexology has not been shown to treat any medical condition, though people often report feeling calmer and less tense, and it is generally safe.
So book it as a long, careful foot massage. That is reason enough after the waterfalls.
What a session is like
You sit back or lie down with your feet raised, and usually only your shoes and socks come off. Some points feel tender, others barely register; say so if the pressure is too much. Reana calls her version reflexology massage and offers it alongside cupping, so you can ask for the two together.
Reflexology with Reana
Reana Rae lives in Mindo and has worked in beauty and wellness for more than ten years, much of it with women and families. Sessions are 30 minutes for $30 or 60 minutes for $50, in English or Spanish, and you pay her directly.
Before you book
How to book reflexology in Mindo
Message Reana on WhatsApp from this page or her profile with the length you want and the day you are in town.
