The “Smart Cobblestone Road” / Reflexology Mat

“Smart,” “intelligent” reflexology mats are now being sold in China. Marketing material notes that walking on the mat’s special stones provides the opportunity to receive in two months the benefits typical of walking on a regular mat for two years.

All sorts of questions come to mind. How much difference could result from walking on the mat’s tourmaline and geranium stones? Is it a miracle product or a hyped marketing ploy?

Tap shek (stone stepping), the Chinese tradition of walking on a reflexology path for health, is a popular activity in city parks. When it rains, tap shek continues indoors on cobblestone-like mats. The mats, made of plastic “cobblestones” embedded in felting, are commonly sold throughout China.

Kunming Fukurokuju hi Fitness Equipment Co., Ltd. has created a “smart cobblestone road” or “intelligent cobblestone path.” (In the following the Kin Kin Tourmaline energy mat is referred to as a “health blanket” owing perhaps to the original manufacturer of the plastic cobblestone mats, a blanket company.)

The mat is made with tourmaline and geranium stones so that “…it not only has cobbled road foot massage function, but also release large amounts of the beneficial far infrared, magnetic, negative ions, the effect of the cobblestone road to the limits. Stepped on a day 15 minutes, so that each foot point is to move, not only can eliminate a variety of chronic, intractable diseases, but also longevity, many of the elderly is reflected in the step and more energy to go blanket foot health for some time, drugs do not eat a lot of chronic diseases all good!

“Dr. Chang pointed out that Chinese researchers: take the cobblestone path is to use the body's own point of gravity on the foot reflex zone massage, people have multiple, massage intensity there is much that a hundred times stronger than the intensity of foot massage, the new smart cobblestone path that has Energy massage is unmatched outdoor cobblestone road, take the 2 years before the effects of cobblestone road, now only 2 months to achieve. Smart cobblestone road has now swept South Korea, Japan, in China Beijing, Shanghai and other big cities, people have started using this amazing smart cobblestone road.”

One consumer notes his exploration of improving his health by walking on the above described Kin Kin Tourmaline Energy Mat (blanket). “I stumbled Taobao go on sale this blanket, and normally should be good for the body, before walking to the park with my parents, my mother would let me take off your shoes full of stones in the road to go, that is good for you, then without thinking to take off their shoes in the gravel on the way to go, really go in the above, the foot simply can not stand, or even pain untenable. Now grown up, knew the concept of health, often on television or the Internet to watch Beijing TV's “Yangshengtang” section, that there are many experts will be invited to explain the health regimen of treatment, about 30 minutes per episode, after seeing benefit, so I know Yang Yi, it is the speaker foot, and listened to her explanation, that the foot is so important,…”