You always know that a treatment is good, when you wake yourself up with your own snoring!! That is exactly what happened to me when I went for reflexology in Bella and Me Beauty salon Maynooth. Thankfully, I was only asleep for a handful of minutes because I really was quite blown away with the reflexology treatment.
When I was invited into Bella and Me for a session of reflexology, I really had no idea what I was letting myself in for. I knew that reflexology had something to do with the feet but after that, I was completely at sea about what I should expect.
Basically reflexology is a treatment where the therapist applies pressure to specifics areas of your feet, hands or even to your ears. I had reflexology done on my feet and the feet seem to be the most popular area to work on and it’s not hard to see why.
There are certain areas on your feet, known as reflex points, that correspond to different body organs or systems. My therapist, Mary, explained to me that by putting pressure on certain areas on my feet it can help with any symptoms I might be experiencing, such as anxiety, respiratory problems, headaches, hormones, sinus pain etc. Basically the reflexologist works on any issues with your internal organs, glands, muscles, bones or nerves through these points in your feet.While the treatment isn’t a cure for these things, it is said to be something that will help ease the symptoms
Before the treatment began, Mary asked me was there any particular issue that I wanted her to focus on. As I wasn’t too sure exactly how reflexology worked at the time, I told her that having just had a baby, I was very sleep deprived, my hormones were all over the place and my body was just in a bit of a heap from everything it had gone through.If you’re going to get reflexology for a specific ailment, your therapist will still work on the whole foot, but will also pay special attention to the area of the foot that correspsones to the part of your body that is giving you some issues. Before she began the treatment, she also mentioned that for me to get the most out of the treatment, she wouldn’t talk to me but if I had any questions I could ask.
Reflexology was what I can only describe as one of the most interesting treatments I have ever had. For the most part it feels like a fantastic and relaxing foot massage. However, every so often Mary hit an area on my foot that while it didn’t hurt, it felt like a little more pressure was being applied. When this happened it meant she had hit an area that needed work. Each time she hit one of these areas I asked her what that part of my body that point was corresponding to and guess what they were? Mostly to do with my hormones, with the peturirty gland being the main one that I really felt the most pressure on!!
The session lasted about an hour and as I mentioned above, I did dose off, which is very unusual for me! I was mortified when I woke myself up with not just a snore, but a snort!!!! However, Mary did tell me that since this is an extremely relaxing treatment, she would have been very surprised if I hadn’t fallen asleep at one point or other.
So how did I actually feel after the treatment and did it relieve any of my issues. Well straight out the door, I felt way more relaxed and had a bit of a burst of energy. Also, I was having problems sleeping and I was getting a lot of broken sleep which of course is normal with a new baby. Finally, without giving TMI, I hadn’t returned to my regular cycle after having the baby, which if I am honest was beginning to concern me as it was 11 weeks since Conor was born. Well The night after I got the treatment I slept like a log and within a few days, my first period in a year showed up!! Maybe it was a coincidence, but personally I don’t think so.
While a one-off treatment of reflexology will sort you out for a few days, to see a prolonged difference in your ailments you would have to do a number of sessions. A good therapist will be able to tell you how many you need. I do think however it is worth pointing out, that this is not a replacement for going to see a doctor is that is what is needed!! Reflexology is just a form of treatment for an issue that you’re already aware of.
One thing that struck me while I was getting the treatment, is that this would have been fantastic for when I was pregnant. It is the type of treatment that while done lying down, could also be done sitting up in some way or other. I had so much stuff going on with my body when I was pregnant, that I know that this really would have been one of the answers to my prayers!
As for the salon itself. I was so impressed with Bella and me. It really is such a beautiful girlie salon and Mary and Emily are so beyond professional and lovely. I got a fabulous pedicure there also and they have the big american style pedicure chairs that massages your back while you’re sitting there. I can not tell you how happy those chairs make me!!
What struck me about the salon the minute I walked in the door, was that it is the perfect space for a bridal party to get their pampering done before the wedding as the main room is huge, so all the girls ( or guys) could sit around and have the chats and some bubbles while getting their pamper on! Also, as it is in the business park in Maynooth, parking and traffic are not an issue. I don’t know about you, but parking when going to a beauty salon can stress the life out of me!!!
If you fancy booking in for a session of reflexology with Mary or even want to just go and get your nails done, The girls have given readers of The Beautiful Truth a 20% discount until the middle of November, once you mention The Beautiful Truth when booking. You can find all their details here and you can even give them a follow on Facebook here. I honestly can’t recommend this treatment and the salon enough.
