Soothing Souls Reflexology

🌍👣 WORLD REFLEXOLOGY WEEK — CELEBRATING REFLEXOLOGY 👣🌍

To celebrate World Reflexology Week, here is a brief look at the history of this popular complementary therapy and how it has developed around the world.

👣 From ancient traditions to modern practice

Foot and hand massage have been used in many cultures for centuries. However, modern Western Reflexology began developing in the early 20th century.

American physician Dr William H. Fitzgerald introduced ZONE Therapy, based on ten longitudinal zones of the body. His work was later developed by Dr Joe Shelby Riley.

Physiotherapist Eunice Ingham then focused particularly on the feet. During the 1930s, she developed detailed foot maps and published Stories the Feet Can Tell in 1938. Her teaching helped shape the reflexology practised by many practitioners today.

🌎 A global complementary therapy

Through books, teaching and professional training, Reflexology spread internationally. Today, it is practised in private clinics, wellness centres and spas, and is also used in some supportive healthcare settings.

🔬 Research continues

Research has explored reflexology’s possible role in relaxation, stress, anxiety, pain, fatigue, sleep and quality of life.

Reflexology is a complementary therapy that supports relaxation and wellbeing and is not intended to diagnose or treat disease or replace medical care.

World Reflexology Week is an opportunity to celebrate the profession, share responsible information and recognise the importance of therapeutic touch, relaxation and wellbeing.

Happy World Reflexology Week! 🌍 👣 💙

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please note: Historical portraits in this graphic are AI-generated illustrations used for visual representation.

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Introducing a new treatment now being offered to my clients, foot reflexology with added gel polish.

Relax, unwind and restore balance with a soothing foot reflexology treatment; finish with a beautiful, long-lasting gel polish in the colour of your choice.

Message to book on this page or 07768530937

"I love how I came in like a whirlwind and I'm leaving completely calm"

Those were my client's words at the end of today's reflexology treatment ... and they perfectly capture why I love what I do.

There's nothing more rewarding than seeing someone leave feeling lighter, calmer, and more relaxed than when they arrived.

Reflexology offers the opportunity to slow down, reset, and give your mind and body the care they deserve.

If you're feeling overwhelmed, stressed, or simply in need of some time for yourself, I'd love to help.

You can either call or message me on 07768530937 to book an appointment or to find out more about reflexology.

I often hear these comments "excuse my feet", "I hate my feet", "how can you work with feet every day?"

The truth is, feet are amazing.

We often ignore our feet, until they hurt. But they carry us every day, support our posture, and connect to the rest of the body in ways we don't always realise.

As a reflexologist, I don't judge feet - I care about how they feel and how I can help you.

Containing thousands of nerve endings, feet are incredibly sensitive - in reflexology, stimulating these points sends signals through the nervous system, helping the body relax and potentially improving function in certain areas.

The best part of my job as a reflexologist is the immediate effect of calm I see on clients faces at the end of treatment. They often say they feel completely relaxed and more balanced.
Sometimes we all need a moment to pause, and I'm pleased I could provide that space.

Taking care of your feet isn't a luxury - it's a simple way to support your whole body.

If you've never tried reflexology before, now might be the perfect time. Take an hour for yourself, switch off from the outside world, and enjoy the deep relaxation that so many people value from the treatment.

You can book via messaging me on this page or calling on 07768530937. I will look forward to welcoming you.

Life rarely slows down on its own. We move from one task to the next, often without noticing how tired we've become.

Then you lie down for reflexology... and realise how long it's been since you truly paused.

A quiet moment just for you.
Space to breathe.
Time for your body to reset, restore, and feel like itself again.

Grounding is a natural thing to do for humans and animals and as such, there are no magic lights, buttons or whizzy tech to show us what is going on inside our body.
So it’s a really common question that we get asked as to whether being grounded is “working” even if the person doesn’t “feel” anything, and it’s completely understandable.

The short answer is……YES! It is working.

Whether you are barefoot on the grass or using one of our indoor grounding products, you ARE getting all the health benefits.

When we consider our whole body, there may be no immediate change, feeling or sensation occurring to us but when we delve into the cellular level, there’s lots and lots going on.

Your blood begins to flow more freely, your nervous system is calmed, and inflammation is being quashed with the flood of electrons throughout our body.

For many medical conditions, by the time you notice symptoms, it has already been rumbling away for a long time and taken time to establish.

So when healing begins through your cells, it’s natural for things to take a while to improve to the point where you notice a change or an improvement yourself.

It can feel frustrating when you first begin grounding and you don’t “feel” the immediate benefits, however keep going with it.

Try and make it part of your daily routine if at all possible – your body will thank you for it in the long term.

When a single cell heals or thrives you won’t notice that, but over time this becomes a cumulative effect and your body will begin to function better and you will notice the difference.

We often talk about how reflexology feels - calming, grounding, restorative.
But what’s happening underneath that?

A double-blind randomised controlled trial (the gold standard in research) looked at what happens in the body during a reflexology session.

Researchers measured real-time cardiovascular responses in healthy volunteers and found:
✔️ Immediate changes in haemodynamics (how blood flows through the body)
✔️ A measurable effect on cardiac function, specifically the cardiac index
✔️ Effects observed during targeted reflexology on foot areas linked to the heart

In simple terms?
This wasn’t just “feeling relaxed” — the body showed objective, physiological changes in real time.

It’s a powerful reminder that touch therapies like reflexology can have measurable impacts beyond relaxation alone.

📚 Source: Jones et al. (2012) – Reflexology has an acute (immediate) haemodynamic effect in healthy volunteers: A double-blind randomised controlled trial

Reflexology helps these symptoms 😊

WHY YOUR PAIN MOVES AROUND YOUR BODY 🛑

Do you feel pain in different parts of your body at different times? One day it’s your back, another day your leg, and sometimes even your shoulder?

Most people think they have multiple problems… but in many cases, it is actually one irritated nerve system sending signals to different areas.

When a nerve root is irritated, the brain can interpret pain in different locations along the same pathway. This is called referred pain.

This leads to:

Pain that shifts location
Confusing symptoms
No clear single injury site

It’s not multiple injuries… it’s one source sending multiple signals.

That’s why:

Pain location changes over time
Treatment of one area doesn’t fully solve it
Symptoms feel unpredictable

Understanding nerve referral patterns can help identify the real source behind changing pain patterns.

The hayfever season has started and reflexology can help ease the symptoms.
The typical pollen months for the UK are:
● Tree pollen usually starts around March
● Grass pollen peaks May-July
● W**d pollen can continue into September

Combined with treatments such as antihistamines, steroid nasal sprays, and saline nasal rinses, reflexology can reduce the symptoms with benefits such as:
● Less congestion
● Better sleep
● Reduced headaches/sinus discomfort
● Feeling calmer during allergy season

If you would like to start your reflexology sessions please contact me either on Facebook or 07768530937.