"You are aching on the 16th tooth from the right? Don't worry, it will disappear after a rubdown of your feet."
That is what a masseur at Shu Ya Liang Zi Foot Therapy Center told a client.
Feet are an important but often ignored part of the body. As Chinese medicine theories show, a total of 62 reflection points corresponding with different parts of the body are separated on the soles of the feet.
Since the feet are the furthest point of the body from the heart, acid metabolites in blood, unused calcium and other organic substances settle on the feet, where they form tiny air bubbles and nuggets.
Stimulus on the points will help remove harmful matter, and it is a good method to treat a grey situation of health (a health condition between healthy and sick).
Shu Ya Liang Zi Foot Therapy Center is the first of its kind in Shanghai, which trains professional foot massage technicians.
People have doubted whether such a foot massage could take effect the first time they went to the center.
Recommended by friends, Mary Liu, a 24-year-old office executive, went to the health center for a foot massage.
"I was completely convinced when the masseur told me that I was not well in the stomach and was sleeping poorly after several minutes of rubbing my feet," Liu said. "I never told him before!"
He Yuping, general manager of the center, said: "People didn't understand us when the first shop opened in the city - they thought massage meant sexual services."
"However, this therapy can be traced back to ancient China," said He.
The center has separate compartments with glass walls. Soft light, green plants and quiet space create a relaxing condition for customers.
Lying comfortably on the specially-made long sofa, the senses become aroused with a fragrance of herbs.
The masseur took a wooden barrel containing liquid medicine that compounds 28 kinds of Chinese herbal medicine.
Customers should first dip their feet in the soup for a while to invigorate the circulation of the blood.
The heated medicine warms, causing the body to sweat.
Usually, an opposite-sex masseur will serve customers.
"I don't allow my employees to accept tips," He said.
With regard to the center's title, "Shu Ya" means comfortable and elegant, while "Liang Zi" stands for persons who provide excellent services in He's mind.
If it's the first time for you to go for a foot message, you should be prepared for the ache it may stimulate.
The technicians spread a thick layer of lotion on your feet and calves, and then rub every point.
The distribution of the points on the feet accords with the positions of parts of the body. For example, the points on the halluces connect with the head, and the middle of the foot reflects the bowels.
If part of the body is under stress, the corresponding point on the feet feels hard with granular matter.
The whole massage lasts about 90 minutes and induces a comfortable feeling all over.
The masseur said it is better to have the massage twice a week, so that waste and harmful matter from the cycle can be removed and the gray situation can be eased.
The owner has opened eight foot therapy centers in Shanghai, and prices here are a little higher than at other centers.
"The skills of our technicians are reliable," she said.
(Shanghai Star November 30, 2001)
