Lower State Street on a Saturday night: jazz and a glass of Guinness? Thai dishes or Himalayan delicacies? The latest scores on blaring televisions? Instead, duck into one of the many Chinese reflexology salons springing up around town, which are open seven days a week, 10 a.m.-10 p.m., with no appointment necessary. You’ll re-emerge rested, refreshed, and ready to enjoy the weekend.
Although touted as “foot spas,” these reflexology salons offer much more than a simple massage. Based in ancient Chinese medicine, the practice applies pressure to specific points of the feet and hands that correspond with different organs in order to improve circulation, minimize pain, increase energy, remove toxins, elevate a mood ... the list goes on. All I know is that after 40 minutes of someone working on my feet, all of me feels better than when I walked in.
My research began at Evan’s Relaxing Station, where the $26 treatment consists of a brief foot soak and a half-hour pressure-point/rubdown session. In a cavernous room full of hushed voices, the large chairs are comfy, so I sit back, close my eyes, and succumb to the pain/pleasure of the massage, wondering which corresponding organ is being manipulated. But I don’t ask, for none of the technicians seem to speak much English.