Reflexology can make more than your tootsies feel better

Sometimes a foot massage is just a foot massage. And sometimes it's a complete physical examination. At the hands of Anne DeSouza, it's both.

The Indian-born reflexologist knows that soft, sweet-smelling feet are important to our overall sense of well-being, especially now that sandal season has begun. She also knows that paying attention to your tootsies can be as good for the body as it is for the soles.

"They say that the feet never lie," DeSouza says as she rubs some vanilla-coconut foot scrub into my heels and toes to soften the rough spots. Then she rinses and dries the foot and pulls it onto her lap.

"All the body's organs and glands have reflex points in the hands and feet," she explains. "By manipulating these points, I can bring about internal balance."

Reflexology, once the realm of Eastern holistic medicine, is catching on with the foot-fetish set as spas and fashion trends begin to explore the health and beauty benefits of baring your tootsies.

DeSouza claims that a full 45-minute reflexology session will detoxify and de-stress your organs. She says, for instance, that she can detect imbalances in the liver or kidneys. A build-up of lactic acid in these areas feels like a grittiness under the skin. Sure enough, as her fingers massage Sabon's lavender-eucalyptus foot cream into the ball of my foot, I feel a distinct crunching sensation.

"The energy gets blocked and the organ gets diseased," DeSouza says. "My job is to break up the blockage and allow the energy to flow freely. Then the body can heal itself."

As the mini-treatment continues, DeSouza detects stuffiness in my chest, stress and tension in my neck and tenderness in my knees. "Your throat," she says, "is there something wrong with your throat?" At first, I can't think of anything, and then I remember the borderline thyroid condition my doctor diagnosed a couple of years ago.

"Six treatments," she tells me "will allow your body to rebalance. But you have to make lifestyle changes. You should eat a more alkaline diet, more vegetables, less red meat. And avoid tomatoes and eggplant; they're bad for your arthritis."

I slip my sandals on and glide outside onto the hot and busy street. Despite all the unbalance, I feel as if I'm walking on air.