Happy Hands & Feet
I recently had the privilege of spending a few days at Rancho La Puerta during their inaugural Folk Festival. As a musician, songwriter, and music lover myself, I was very excited about the week. I brought my guitar along so I could participate in the fun and reveled in the inspiration emanating from the magical week. After a day of hiking, pickleball playing, and guitar strumming, my hands and feet needed some love. To show them gratitude for allowing me to do these things I love, I booked a Happy Hands and Feet massage at the Villas Spa Center.
To begin, my esthetician, Kate (Catalina), had me take deep breaths of a sandalwood and rose serum to calm my brain before applying it to my face and ears with a relaxing massage. She placed a cover over my eyes to help me maintain the sense of serenity. Beginning with my right side, Kate used a scentless massage oil on my hands and arms, loosening muscles and pressing pressure points. While it was not a deep tissue like the Intensive Release or Gemstone Reflexology treatments, it was incredibly satisfying. I felt my tight talons release and transform into soft paws as the tension melted away. Was I gripping the pickleball paddle too tight? Jamming too hard? I had no idea my hands needed this as much as they did.
When my arms and hands were well relaxed, Kate moved on to my legs and feet. Again beginning on the right side, she used a sandalwood anti-bacterial mist to clean my feet before wiping it off and applying La Puerta Core Essentials Foot and Leg Lotion for the massage. My calves were delighted by her steady pressure as she smoothed out the knots that accumulated during my first few days at The Ranch (hello Professor’s hike!). When she moved on to my feet, all my anxiety seemed to seep out of my toes. The beauty of reflexology is that nerves in the entire body can be accessed and unblocked via foot massage. For example, when Kate rubbed along the insides of my feet, from my big toe to my heel, I felt a tingling sensation spread up my spine from my tailbone to my neck, almost like I was watching a scary movie or going down the big drop of a roller coaster, but I felt completely safe and at peace. By the time she finished with both sides, my soles and soul were oh so very happy.
The final step was the application of Ecofin (an environmentally friendly, organic, chemical-free wax similar to paraffin – minus the icky stuff) on my hands and feet. Kate wrapped them in plastic before gently placing them in warmed mittens and booties. I relished in the warmth and weight on my extremities for about five minutes before she removed them. To assist the oil in fully penetrating my skin, Kate massaged my hands, arms, feet, and legs again. I could have sworn someone had oiled my spa slippers during the treatment the way my feet glided right into them when I was done. I almost didn’t want to put my shoes back on, but I decided against that to protect the softness. I couldn’t stop touching my hands and feet all through the next day.
Thank you to the Villas Spa Center staff for arranging this treat of a treatment for me.
A huge thank you and congratulations Kate (Catalina) for recently winning 3rd place at the prestigious Torneo Internacional de Masoterapia México! Rancho La Puerta is lucky to have you and your healing hands on their team.
