The feet bear the brunt of a busy daily life and many people complain of sore and tired feet. A good foot massage can lift tiredness away, speed up the healing of your feet and make your entire body relax. Reflexology, used in traditional Chinese medicine and Thai massage, even claims to be able to heal various body ailments through foot massage. When choosing which type of foot massage to get, consider your primary reason for getting it--if it's for a health reason, opt for the Thai or Chinese styles; if you just want to reinvigorate your feet, go for a Swedish foot massage.
Chinese
Reflexology is based on traditional Chinese medicine's concept of "chi," or "life force," and divides the sole of the foot into regions that correspond to internal organs (see Resources for a reflexology chart). A therapist manipulates a specific region on the sole using the knuckles and the theory is that this will improve the health of the corresponding body organ. According to learnfootmassage.com, reflexology originated over 5,000 years ago in China, and was investigated in the West in the early 1900s by Dr. William Fitzgerald, who put it in more Western terms and systematized the methodology.
Thai
Thai foot massage is very similar to Chinese foot massage in that both use the pressure points defined by reflexology. However, in Thai foot massage, according to modernmom.com, the therapist uses a special stick rather than the knuckles of her hands to manipulate the pressure points on the feet. Learnfootmassage.com states that a Thai foot massage usually also involves the manipulation of other body parts during the foot massage session--mostly the legs, arms and neck--to get the patient more relaxed.
Swedish
This is the foot massage that most people think of when foot massage is mentioned, according to modernmom.com, and is the most popular type of foot massage in the United States. This massage focuses on manipulating the soft tissues of the feet using a number of techniques, including sweeping and rubbing, thumb walking, toe rotation, kneading and cupping.
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