PEDIKARMA - Healing for the Sole

PediKarma is sweeping people off their feet. It is reflexology with an Ayurvedic twist. It is based on the notion that each of the body's systems corresponds to a spot on the feet, where healing begins. The one-hour, five-step treatment begins with a neck and shoulder massage to set the mood. After your feet are filed to smooth rough spots, they soak in a warm bath laced with mineral salts and tridoshic oils, good for kapha, pitta, and vata, all three Ayurvedic body types. A reflexology marma-point foot massage promises to rejuvenate you from the bottom up. Then comes the magic of the Kansa Vatiki, a small metal bowl, to "relax and energetically rebalance the entire mind-body system," according to creators Robert and Melanie Sachs of Diamond Way Ayurveda.

Massage with the Kansa bowl is said to draw heat, acidity, and negative energy away from the body. After your feet are wrapped in warm towels for a short rest and an application of herbal powder is sprinkled on your soles, you can walk out with your best feet forward.

You'll find PediKarma in California at Mirabella Mansori, Solana Beach, (858) 720-1832, www.mirabellamansori.com; at Phyllis D. Rosenfeld Gentle Effective Skin Care for You, Ventura, (805) 320-5466; and At Haydee's Skin, Nails & Bodycare, Santa Ana, (714) 342-6163; and in Indiana at Jon Alan Atelier, Indianapolis, (317) 202-0063, www.jonalanatelier.com.

Judith Lazarus