Best Foot Massagers For Reflexology You Can Do Yourself
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Therapists and Reflexologists understand that within your hands and feet are the powers to improve every part of your body. By targeting zones on your feet using reflexology massage, you can improve health in areas all over the body. The massage known as reflexology is done by specialized trained therapists. While very effective, these sessions can become very expensive over time. By learning more about the best foot massagers for reflexology you have the ability to not only practice from home, but also save money down the track.
While of course, nothing will ever beat the sensation of finger pressure applied to these pressure points, having massage tools at your home can certainly help relieve whatever the problem you may be having. These tools act as a great ‘addition’ to specialized treatment and should not be seen as a miracle cure kind of device.
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Choosing The Right Massager For Reflexology Zones In The Feet
It’s important to understand that reflexology is not exactly like a regular foot massage. Specialists charge a lot of money for this practice. If they were offering a regular foot massage, nobody would pay the money and would end up going off to get a cheap foot rub down at the local massage parlor. If this is your first time experimenting with reflexology, I recommend reading about what to expect from a reflexology session.
The foot has many pressure points in which can affect many areas of the body. So unless you have extensive understanding of this, it can be quite difficult to know which foot massager is right for your condition. What I find useful is this ‘foot model’ which you can actually buy on amazon. It shows you exactly where you need to apply reflexology to relieve symptoms in the various parts of the body. It’s not just randomly massaging your foot and hoping for the best. There is a science behind it.
For example, way back in 1915 when it was known as Zone therapy, Dr Edwin Bowers famously wrote in a Everybody’s Magazine “To Stop That Toothache, Squeeze Your Toe“.
With that said, below you can find some of the best reflexology foot massagers and tools you can use on the pressure points on your feet.
Best Foot Reflexology Device
Physiotherapeutic Device with Foot Reflexology By Kendal
With this device, you will need to go in with an open mind as it is not a massager as such. Anyone that has gone in for acupuncture treatment before will know first hand that you are looking at around $50 a session. With this device by Kendal, you get just that as well as reflexology combined with infrared treatment.
It’s a very good machine for hitting those zones in your feet to heal other areas of your body. So for the rather affordable price tag, I find this machine to be very good for the money.
Remember, it’s not a foot massager. It’s a reflexology stimulation device similar to a Tens Unit basically. What it does is sends pulses (electrical stimulus) out into these pressure points. The level of intensity is completely controlled by you using the remote controller. So I would highly suggest you start out low and wet your feet slightly with a damp paper towel to get a good effect. Don’t start out at a strong intensity as it can get quite high.
The Kendal reflexology foot massage goes well beyond massage. If you are after the soothing effects a foot rub can give, this is not the right device. This device is intended for more chronic pain caused by nerve damage as well as worn down feet. If you suffer a herniated disc and other back problems, Stenosis, swollen feet/ankles especially lymph edema, a device like this is better suited.
Besides the electrical pulses sent into your pressure points, this Kendal machine also offers infrared light therapy and even comes with a massage belt for the lower back and 8 pads to stimulate other pressure points in the body. While the bonus accessories are a nice touch, I’m more excited by the fact it uses infrared light therapy.
Infrared light is a highly praised treatment around this website and for very good cause. It helps stimulate and circulate blood flow like no other. So to have the benefits of light therapy going on alongside the reflexology for your feet is quite incredible.
In Conclusion
Just to make this clear, this Kendal reflexology foot device does not offer a traditional foot massage like Shiatsu or vibration. It’s a infrared and electrical stimulus device to target the critical pressure pints in your feet. However, on some of the settings, a mild massage can be felt, it’s certainly not a foot massager like you may be thinking.
The thing I love most about this Kendall reflexology foot machine is the variety of nerve simulations and the number of varying pulsations offered during treatment. Like I said in the beginning, go in with a open mind. You may be more surprised than you think.
Foot Massage & Reflexology Acupoints Device
If you are chasing a real foot massage feel with reflexology benefits, the best one I know of is by SPT. This foot massager is more like your traditional foot massage. being that it offers kneading, percussion and infrared. The percussion being the really good style for reflexology.
Unfortunately there is no remote controller for the SPT, but to be honest, the buttons on top of the machine are easy enough to press and figure out. All you need to do is put your feet in and select from the options. Simple and relaxing at the same time.
It reflexology works in the sense there are hard nodes molded onto the foot plate. You place you feet on them and then the foot massager goes to work. What I like the most about this kind of foot massager is that your feet are not strapped to one position. So you can maneuver your feet around a bit to get the nodes in the right areas of your foot for the acupoints. Had my feet been stuck to one position, I wouldn’t find this foot massager so good. It really does allow you to pin point the areas you want worked on.
As the nodes are a hard plastic, they really get into the pressure points. No wimping out with this foot massager, it goes to town. However, you can turn the setting to low which I recommend on your first few goes.
The other massage which is good for getting the areas on the top of the foot is the air compression. At first you may feel as tho your foot is getting crushed, but don’t stress. This is meant to happen. It’s applying compression massage to the pressure points on the top and side of your feet that are good for working out troubles in the knees, elbow joints, ribs and much more.
Overall, It’s A Good Massage
The SPT is certainly not the most expensive foot massager in the world, however, for the price I find it does one hell of a good job. The fact you can move your feet around inside the machine to hit those pressure points perfectly is a huge bonus.
Being another of the foot massagers with infrared, I am very impressed with the quality and what you actually get for the cost. Just so you are aware, infrared light doesn’t heat the skin as much compared to traditional heating sources. It works from the inside out in where all the joints, tissues and muscles reside. Where you need the heat the most!. So don’t be surprised when you don’t feel as much heat from infrared.
A Foot Rolling Massage Tool
If you like full control over where your foot gets massaged, a reflexology foot roller set like this one by Gillsun Fitness is a good choice. Like using a foam roller for Myofascial Release, rolling your feet over a roller like this stimulates blood flow and helps it circulate throughout the body better. Especially good for plantar fasciitis.
The very dense (firm) roller has lumps all over it. These lumps act as nodes you would find on a massaging device. So when you roll this tool under your feet, the raised lumps push deeper into the pressure points of your feet applying reflexology.
However, with this set by Gillsun Fitness, there’s a bit of a routine to follow for maximum results. Which is quite simple. The rest of the set comes with a round ball that you put in the freezer and a spikey ball. Once you have stretched out your foot and fascia, roll the spikey ball under your feet for a few minutes. This helps knock out the knots and increases the blood flow up the fascia which runs form your hips down to your feet.
Next you just roll the actual foot massaging roller under your feet for a few minutes, this helps the healing process. Finally grab the frozen ball and use it as an anti inflammatory on the sole of your feet. This kind of foot massage is great for treating troubles with Kidneys, thyroid, small intestine and trapezoid muscles. A simple but effective (and cheap) foot massager for reflexology.
Best Reflexology Foot Massager Shiatsu Style
If you are wanting a Shiatsu kneading type of massage on your feet, I find the Belmint brand to be one of the best without costing you several hundreds of dollars. A shiatsu massage on your feet from a machine like this is good for reflexology as it feels like the thumbs of a person are really pushing deep into the bottom of your feet. However, not all foot massgers are created equally when it comes to this kind of massage. Which is why I recommend the Belmint.
Where this one differs from the SPT is in in the heat department. So if you really want to feel warmth and don’t mind sacrificing infrared, then this is the better option to go with. It heats your feet fairly quickly up to about 115°F, and you actually feel the heat.
With the Belmint, you get a unique kind of foot massage. This is created from the massaging nodes underneath your feet. It has a rolling bar type of massage that applies even pressure to you soles, while the rotating shiatsu nodes do the kneading of the finger type massage. All in all there is 48 massaging nodes. 24 for each foot which is quite a lot in comparison to other models on the market. There’s also the air compression massage for reaching those pressure points on the sides an tops of your feet.
What The Belmint Has Going For It
- Can handle fairly large feet, up to a size 12.
- Customizing the massage is probably the Belmints biggest feature. With the ability to choose the style of massage while controlling the amount of pressure applied is priceless. Especially if more than one person intends on using this foot massager.
- Very firm massage. This can also be seen as a negative, but I like my feet to have a more intense massage than most.
- The nodes even reach the arch of the feet where many other models fall short on.
- Just effective, my feet feel 20 years younger after using this for a week straight. Even the burning feeling has resided.
- Creates warmth during the colder months.
Unfortunately, It’s Not Perfect
- The heel massage seems to be lacking, only 1 node covers this area. Unless you have smaller feet and then you can slide your foot forward more to get more action on the heel.
- Can slide around on smooth surfaces like timber floors. Ideally you want to place it on carpet or a rug for better traction.
- Plastic around the ankles can be hard. But after some use it softens up for a more comfortable feel.
Reflexology For The Feet
Looking after your feet is probably one of the most important things we can do. Yet they are often overlooked and forgotten about. By applying reflexology to your feet you can help aid in the recovery of other areas of your body. So while being able to relax, unwind and de-stress from a foot massage. By targeting these pressure points with the above foot massagers, you can actually help the entire body feel better. It’s a win win situation if you have the time and energy to spend on helping heal your body, starting with your feet.
If none of the above massagers appeal to you, try getting your partner to apply foot reflexology to your feet. Follow the 5 simple techniques used in the video below for reference. Try to keep oils to a minimal when applying reflexology to someones feet as this can act as a barrier between you and the pressure points.