Evidence of working the feet for the benefit of your overall health has been documented in various parts of the world for thousands of years, in particular, Ancient Egypt, India and China.

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However, today’s Reflexology based on the ‘zone theory’ was developed originally by Dr. William Fitzgerald in America in the early 1900s. He believed that the body is divided into ten longitudinal zones from head to toe (five on each side of the body), and that every organ and part of the body lies along one or more of these zones. When certain reflexes within a zone are stimulated in the foot, for example, by applying pressure with thumbs and fingers, it will affect the entire zone throughout the body by unblocking the vital energy pathways and restoring balance. He found this method could be used for effective pain relief.

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In the 1930s it was further developed in more detail by Eunice Ingham who determined that the reflexes in the feet were an exact mirror image of the organs of the body. The unique map she created of these reflexes is what is used by many reflexologists today in some form or other.

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In the early 1960s Doreen Bayly introduced Reflexology to Great Britain after having studied with Eunice Ingham in America. She later went on to set up the Bayly School of Reflexology.