The massage technique known as reflexology can be part of a holistic approach to well-being - Reading Eagle

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Kat Romett was struggling and knew she needed help.

About five years ago, the mother of two, including an autistic son, was experiencing loss of feeling in the left side of her body and loss of taste.

Little did she know that physical symptoms such as those could be triggered by the stresses of her day-to-day life.


"I didn't know what was going on," the Montgomery County resident said. "I went to a lot of doctors. One of the neurologists I visited started asking me questions about my home life — really comprehensive questions — and she looked at me and she said, 'You're in an extreme state of chronic stress, and your body is manifesting it this way.'"

Romett said right up until that moment, she had no idea that stress could take such a physical toll on the body. She started to wonder how many other people were going through the same thing she was going through. And she looked into ways to lower her stress, which led her to massage and reflexology.

But she didn't just want to help herself; she wanted to help others going through the same thing as she. She looked into massage schools, but the schedules didn't line up with hers, so she enrolled in a reflexology course offered by the American Reflexology Certification Board.

There, she learned the extent to which stress can affect our bodies, and how to manage it through diet, exercise, reflexology and self-care.

She also started to get reflexology herself, which she continues to this day.

"Sometimes when we are in a cycle of stress, it's hard to get out of it ourselves," she said. "Getting outside help to turn that mode off, without having to think and just receive, is helpful for me and those I've worked with.

Five years later, her Peace Roots Reflexology business is taking off, mostly through word-of-mouth.

Romett said reflexology is a component of a holistic approach to well-being, which involves factoring in mental and social factors, rather than just whatever symptoms one might be experiencing. The goal is to coax your body into a state of homeostasis, or equilibrium, through healthy eating and stress management.

Reflexology, she said, is based on the concept that our body is a network of nerves and all of those nerves come to the bottom of each foot. There are more than 7,000 nerves in each foot, and those nerves are connected to every gland, organ and system of the body.

Reflexology entails applying specific compression techniques on those nerve endings while also employing relaxation techniques. The goal is to get the body to exit stress mode and enter homeostasis, or natural self-regulation.

Romett works on the bottom, sides and the tops of the foot — each part correlating to different organs or glands — being careful to avoid anything that might cause pain.


"A lot of people have a preconception that reflexology is painful, but you never need be putting a client in pain to get those nerve impulses working," she said. "So it kind of feels like a very thorough foot massage. A lot of times people will fall asleep because it's so relaxing."

A typical reflexology visit starts with having the client fill out a questionnaire to rule out any contra-indications, which include being on blood thinners for clotting or being in the first trimester of pregnancy. The client will then have a seat in the reflexology chair and she will begin working on their feet.

"All they have to do is relax," she said. "They can talk as much or as little as they want. It's usually a 60 minute session."

The sessions cost $1 per minute, and for an additional fee she offers add-ons such as heated stones, CBD cream, or hand and ear reflexology. A full foot, hand and ear reflexology session typically lasts 90 minutes.

"It just takes reflexology to another level," she said.

A big part of her work is caring for caregivers. She said many of her clients are women who, like her, are mothers of special-needs children, but she also sees plenty of people who are caring for elderly parents.

"I'll get a lot of people who have a lot of anxiety or stress that they're not able to regulate themselves, and sometimes we need outside help to do that," she said. "So stress, anxiety, issues with sleep. I've had a lot of women who aren't able to have kids come in, having that whole reproductive system regulated.

"I even had a guy come in who was a veteran and he had a lot of foot pain, and he had no idea what reflexology was, but he knew after he came to me he felt better."

She also treats seniors, many of whom have spent their entire lives caring for one person or another.

"I think what's really great is people who are coming to that age is they're starting to understand self-care," she said. "They've been caring for so many people for so long they're finally starting to understand they need to care for themselves. ... So it's definitely a great age to start looking at 'What can I do for myself to feel good on a regular basis?'"

She said reflexologists are not allowed to treat, diagnose of cure, but she has found that her return clients tell her they are sleeping better, or their allergies are better, or they're breathing better.

"And it's funny, too, because some people will come in for one condition, like back pain, because working reflexology can really be a support to strain in your spine, and they'll come in for that and then say. 'Oh my gosh, I just realized I slept better. So when the body is getting into that homeostasis, you have no idea how it's going to regulate, so you'll come in for one thing and it might actually help another thing."

Romett said she takes great satisfaction in having found something that not only has helped her feel better, but that she can pass on to others.

"As I got into training, I felt so blessed that I could help other people going through the same thing as me," she said. "It's just become such an amazing way for me to help other people."