That’s what past students in the Therapeutic Hand & Foot Reflexology Professional Certification program named these fun and hugely successful creations of theirs.
Reflexology Rugs are short “run-ways” that bare-footed (or socked) clients walk before a foot reflexology session. Easily constructed with items of varying textures, they provide a stimulating sensory experience to prepare the body for focused reflexology care.
Here’s how they’re made and what they look like when completed:
1. Purchase heavy-duty canvas about 18” wide and as long as you care to make your “run-way”. My students chose 6 feet. (Marine stores cover a wide selection of colors and thicknesses.)
2. Scour the dollar stores, toy stores, craft stores and landscaping nurseries to pick up various appliqués. Use your imagination! Some items you might consider: colored marbles (flat on one side for gluing, rounded on the other for walking), flat river rocks (no sharp points!), packing materials, ropes, pot & pan “scrubbies”, rug scraps. Choose a variety of textures including soft, firm and scratchy. Awaken those senses!
3. Purchase a reliable adhesive. We used Weldbond Universal Adhesive that I purchase from monstermosaics.com. Weldbond is non-toxic, free of fumes and cleans up fast. It’s a wonderful, reasonably priced craft glue that dispenses easily and dries clear and fast. (You can find it in some hardware stores, as well.)
4. Lay out your appliqués in some sort of creative design. Start and end with softer surfaces. Test it out before gluing. Walking the mat should feel invigorating and stimulating, not painful.
My students laid out their reflexology rugs so as to lead their clients directly to their massage table. It was beautiful to see! Clients removed their shoes upon entering the clinic room and walked barefoot to a tub of warm water infused with pure botanical oils in which to enjoy a luxurious soak before their reflexology session. Guests really appreciated and enjoyed their own individual “red carpet” and the clinic looked so special.
Have you ever made a Reflexology Rug? If you have, please share with us what items and textures you used.
Thank-you Karen! I just love this make-your-own reflexology “rug!” I would like to share this with the Maine Council of Reflexologists. With your permission, I would like to create a link to this page from the MCR website. Thanks for sharing! Wendy
Hi Wendy! By all means, you may share this with the members of the Maine Council of Reflexologists. I’m thrilled you like them. They are fun to make and clients love them! Enjoy and keep warm!
These look so beautiful and beneficial! How would you clean them? I assume the client would be wearing socks while using the rug. However, you would want to keep the rug sanitary for the next person. I just wondered if you have any suggestions for sanitizing.
Wearing socks is a good idea Denise. Students usually had their clients approach their table via the path and then leave after the session via the path. That way they could feel the difference in their feet.