It’s World Reflexology Week!
As one of my most popular treatments, I know that most of you will already have some knowledge of Foot Reflexology as I try to incorporate it into most of my treatments for you – while your face mask is on during your facial, as a balancing section during my Spa Rituals, or even as a standalone 60 minute treatment.
However, not quite as many of you have experienced the power of a Facial Reflexology treatment, so I thought I would share its’ magic with you to celebrate World Reflexology Week.
It was back in October 2018 that I had the honour of training in Facial Reflexology with Ziggie Bergman, reflexologist to the stars and founder of the Award Winning Bergman Method Facial Reflexology. From the moment I laid my hands on my model’s face in the training room that day, I fell in love with this therapy! Under Ziggie’s instruction the class spent the day learning the theory of, and the hands on practical application of Facial Reflexology.
I remember that the first training day started as a beautiful Autumn day at the London School of Reflexology at Regent’s University, with sunlight streaming into the classroom and the gentle sound of the breeze shaking copper leaves from the trees outside….but that is the last thing I remember of my surroundings. The training that day transported me around the world to the origins of this therapy, from the Far East where facial mapping originated to the Great Plains of the US where Native Americans developed their own facial techniques to care for the wellbeing of their tribe. I was completely absorbed in its unique global heritage.
Three years have passed since my training and I must have delivered hundreds of Facial Reflexology treatments since then, but the magic of that classroom experience has never left me and each treatment still sparks joy when my fingertips engage with my client’s face for the first time and I feel that surge of energy which is the magical connection between client and therapist as their two energy systems combine.
You see for me, Facial Reflexology is Foot Reflexology’s more spiritual sister treatment. Both are equally effective therapies that always seek to return the body to homeostasis, but I find that working on the face rather than the feet is a very different and energetic experience for my client.
This is because when delivering reflexology to the face, the therapist is in much closer proximity to the brain, cranial nerves and central nervous system and this results for many clients in sensations of tingling nerves from crown to toe followed by the deepest relaxation that they have ever experienced. It’s also not unusual for clients to tell me all about the beautiful colours and images that they have seen in their mind’s eye at the end of their treatment.
The mapping of all the body systems onto the face means that facial reflexologists are able to target any physical issues that might currently be an issue for you, in just the same way that foot reflexology functions. However, as the client’s face is much more visible to the therapist than the soles of the feet, a facial reflexology session begins even before the client is tucked into the cosy treatment bed – immediately on meeting her client the facial reflexologist is using the client’s face as a beautiful and precise tool to read what might be going on within the body’s internal organs, central nervous system and neuro-biological systems. Sometimes issues are apparent even before the therapist touches her client, for example it’s no coincidence that you might experience breakouts on your chin before your period – this area of the face houses the reproductive reflexes which mirror hormonal changes within your monthly cycle.
By using their knowledge of the reflex points of the face that correspond to the internal systems of the body, facial reflexologists are able to create bespoke treatments to suit the client’s needs on the day. If you’ve had a particularly stressful time of late, then I would be incorporating into your treatment reflex points such as the lungs and diaphragm to relax this area and encourage a deep slow breath, and possibly the digestive reflexes too if you carry your stress as a sensitive stomach or IBS, or the shoulders if this is where you hold your tension in the body. I would also be focused on your heart reflex point which is located just between the eyes to soothe emotional tension (it’s no coincidence that we are drawn to hold our own faces over this reflex point when we are feeling overwhelmed).
Through working on the Face, this type of reflexology is also the perfect choice to tackle conditions such as migraines, bruxism, bells palsy, sinus conditions and hay fever. I have had amazing results for clients with these conditions which has alleviated their need to reach for the usual pain relief tablets that they resort to.
Facial reflexology also has another wonderful point of difference to foot reflexology – you receive a mini facial within this treatment! My facial reflexology sessions always begin with a deep double cleanse with steamy hot towels to prepare the face for the application of a gorgeous organic facial oil. The oil generates just enough slip for a welcome massage to face, neck, shoulders and scalp to relax the client before I flow into the facial reflexology sequence of your treatment. Facial reflexology is experienced by the client as a soothing pattern of precise pressure point applications combined with relaxing effleurage massage to link areas together. The delivery can be quite hypnotic and is extremely soothing, so much so that it actually has an analgesic effect on the body, reducing pain by releasing natural endorphins. At the end of your treatment, your face is cleansed once more and eye gel and moisturiser to suit your skin type are applied so that you leave me feeling not only blissfully relaxed but also looking radiant.
Facial reflexology also has the added benefit of reducing the tension held in our face, thereby softening the fine lines and wrinkles that express our daily stress, making us look younger and more relaxed.
With all these benefits being delivered in such a relaxing and nourishing treatment, I’m sure you’ll understand now why I absolutely love it when a client hops onto the treatment bed to receive this treatment, especially if it’s their first time and they’re not quite prepared for the level of relaxation that they’re about to experience!
Why not try it out next time you’re here in the treatment room with me? If you’re a stalwart foot reflexology fan, switch over to facial reflexology next time you’re here – you won’t be disappointed with the results!
See you soon,
Vicky xx
