FOOT CARE & HYGIENE
Proper foot care and hygiene is essential for bodyworkers who use their feet. All standards for OSHA apply. It is very important to keep your feet as clean and sanitary as you would keep your hands. Here is some basic foot care protocols.
1. PRE-GAME FOOT CARE
Filing the calluses and rough edges of your feet is essential for any bodyworker who uses his/her feet as manual therapy tools. Filing your feet can be done dry without soaking, but it works best after a foot soak when the skin is soft. Sit in a comfortable place and soak your feet in hot but comfortable water; no less than 10 minutes to thoroughly soften calluses, dead skin and cracked heels. The cooler the water, the longer you have to soak to soften the skin. It is best not to rush this process; have enough time set aside to prepare your working tools. Preparation should be done the night before or the morning of a day at the office. Focus on areas that have a tendency to build up calluses, such as the outer edges of the heels, the ball of the big toe, and the lateral edge of the pinky toe. One of the best quality foot files that we have found is the Swedish Clover Foot File which can be purchased online. This file has a coarse side and a smooth side. Also check out the Earth Therapeutics Smoothing Stone.
2. TOENAIL CARE
As massage practitioners, we are taught to keep our fingernails very short. The same is true for our toenails. Clean your toenails and cuticles and clip them short. File sharp edges and areas that might scratch or be abrasive to recipient’s bodies, especially the 5th toe/pinky toe.
3. MOISTURIZING
After soaking and filing your feet, apply a moisturizer to keep your feet soft. The Sarga Foot Rub or other moisturizers containing beeswax and/or cocoa butter are ideal for their deeply moisturizing properties. If your feet have a tendency to get dry, apply moisturizer before bed and wear socks overnight.
1. PRE-GAME FOOT CARE
Filing the calluses and rough edges of your feet is essential for any bodyworker who uses his/her feet as manual therapy tools. Filing your feet can be done dry without soaking, but it works best after a foot soak when the skin is soft. Sit in a comfortable place and soak your feet in hot but comfortable water; no less than 10 minutes to thoroughly soften calluses, dead skin and cracked heels. The cooler the water, the longer you have to soak to soften the skin. It is best not to rush this process; have enough time set aside to prepare your working tools. Preparation should be done the night before or the morning of a day at the office. Focus on areas that have a tendency to build up calluses, such as the outer edges of the heels, the ball of the big toe, and the lateral edge of the pinky toe. One of the best quality foot files that we have found is the Swedish Clover Foot File which can be purchased online. This file has a coarse side and a smooth side. Also check out the Earth Therapeutics Smoothing Stone.
2. TOENAIL CARE
As massage practitioners, we are taught to keep our fingernails very short. The same is true for our toenails. Clean your toenails and cuticles and clip them short. File sharp edges and areas that might scratch or be abrasive to recipient’s bodies, especially the 5th toe/pinky toe.
3. MOISTURIZING
After soaking and filing your feet, apply a moisturizer to keep your feet soft. The Sarga Foot Rub or other moisturizers containing beeswax and/or cocoa butter are ideal for their deeply moisturizing properties. If your feet have a tendency to get dry, apply moisturizer before bed and wear socks overnight.
4. PRE-TREATMENT FOOT SOAK
Before each session, fill the bottom of a basin with tap water. Have hot water ready in a portable hot water maker and add the hot water to the cold water in the basin until a hot but comfortable temperature is achieved. You may wish to add some essential oils (tea tree oil is ideal for its antibacterial properties). Keep this basin ready under the massage table while lubricating the recipient. Just before stepping up onto the massage table, slide out the basin and wash your feet thoroughly, between the toes, around the nail beds and above the ankles (we like to make some splashing noises with our feet so that recipients are reassured that we work with clean feet!). This process also helps to warm up cold feet! Dry and sanitize your feet after washing.
5. FOOT SANITATION
Sanitize your feet before and between treatments. Sanitizing should not take the place of a foot wash! We prefer alcohol-free sanitizers, as alcohol can dry out the skin of the feet and cause them to peel. Alcohol-free sanitizers can be found online, however for a quick DIY sanitizing solution, add 1/3 part ethyl alcohol and 2/3 parts water to a spray bottle. Add 10-20 drops of tea tree oil. If this solution causes your feet to peel, you will need to switch to an alcohol-free sanitizer. After sanitizing, dry your feet for placement in clean, sanitized sandals.
Before each session, fill the bottom of a basin with tap water. Have hot water ready in a portable hot water maker and add the hot water to the cold water in the basin until a hot but comfortable temperature is achieved. You may wish to add some essential oils (tea tree oil is ideal for its antibacterial properties). Keep this basin ready under the massage table while lubricating the recipient. Just before stepping up onto the massage table, slide out the basin and wash your feet thoroughly, between the toes, around the nail beds and above the ankles (we like to make some splashing noises with our feet so that recipients are reassured that we work with clean feet!). This process also helps to warm up cold feet! Dry and sanitize your feet after washing.
5. FOOT SANITATION
Sanitize your feet before and between treatments. Sanitizing should not take the place of a foot wash! We prefer alcohol-free sanitizers, as alcohol can dry out the skin of the feet and cause them to peel. Alcohol-free sanitizers can be found online, however for a quick DIY sanitizing solution, add 1/3 part ethyl alcohol and 2/3 parts water to a spray bottle. Add 10-20 drops of tea tree oil. If this solution causes your feet to peel, you will need to switch to an alcohol-free sanitizer. After sanitizing, dry your feet for placement in clean, sanitized sandals.
6. FOOT WASH & TREATMENT FOOTWEAR
To keep your feet clean in your treatment room and to avoid getting lotion on the floor, keep 2 pairs of smooth, simple, rubber slippers that are easy to sanitize (no fabric straps) that are reserved for this purpose. Having 2 pairs is ideal; 1 for freshly washed feet, and the 2nd to step into during treatments. This 2nd pair is to be washed between treatments, as it become greasy and soiled.
To keep your feet clean in your treatment room and to avoid getting lotion on the floor, keep 2 pairs of smooth, simple, rubber slippers that are easy to sanitize (no fabric straps) that are reserved for this purpose. Having 2 pairs is ideal; 1 for freshly washed feet, and the 2nd to step into during treatments. This 2nd pair is to be washed between treatments, as it become greasy and soiled.
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