Have I suggested regular foot baths for you yet?
Foot bath is easy, inexpensive, feels wonderful, simply awesome. It’s good for you, it’s good for me, good for pretty much everyone. (As always, please consult your doctor if you have any preexisting conditions. I am going to assume in this entry that you are in good enough health to try.)
The only thing you need is a bucket or a tub, large enough to comfortably hold both your feet. It should be deep enough to allow water to come up to about 2 inches above your ankle as well.
Which means, the tub we see in this Japanese woodblock print from early 19th century is just a little too shallow. That’s OK, since this guy is probably mostly washing his feet after a long day of walking. The picture is depicting a humorous scene in front of an inn. Two girls in the middle are literally pulling in more customers. Since it’s the 18th century, you see, the idea of making reservations doesn’t exist yet. Our guy on the right just checked in and has removed his footwear. Tub water might be warm, since it looks like the weather is a little cool. He’ll let out a sigh when his feet goes into the water.
We, too, are going to be soaking our feet. It’s going to be mostly for relaxation and health. To maximize the benefits, we need to get properly sized tubs to get the awesome acupoints of the feet warmed up.
Find a tub!
This flexible tub from IKEA seems just about right. 22 7/8 x 15 x 11, it says. Love the $4.99 price point.
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20254232/
(I’m not getting anything from the store when I put in links, these are just examples to show you what I am talking about.)
Or maybe this bucket from Tugtrugs. Medium seems to be the right size at 15.5″ diameter and 12″ height. They’ve got all sorts of cheerful colors. I have a blue one in Small. It’s usable, but a bit too small. Medium recommended.
http://us.tubtrugs.com/collections/original/products/medium
Other aspects of foot soaking, like how long to soak, how warm the water should be, do we put anything in the water, etc… I’ll get to those things in time. For now, just do it. Because warm water is great.
I will review the acupoints of the feet in my next entry.
Notes & Reference
- The 53 Stations of the Tokaido, by Hiroshige Utagawa, 1830s. This one is the 36th Station, Goyu. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fifty-three_Stations_of_the_T%C5%8Dkaid%C5%8D
Kirin Bodywork 