Brave Muscovites step out on new barefoot nature trail

Описание: (12 Jul 2021) LEAD IN:
If you're nervous about walking on hot sand or pebbly beaches, Moscow's latest wellness craze probably isn't for you.
Brave Muscovites are stepping out on a new nature trail, walking barefoot on a range of different surfaces from wood, stone, gravel, and pinecones.

STORY-LINE:
Slip off your shoes and get ready for a new type of foot massage.
This brave couple is trying out the new barefoot trail that opened in Moscow's Elk Island park on July 1.
"How is it?" asks the reporter.
"Tough," answers one man.
"It's okay," says a woman, bravely.  
At 3.6 kilometres long, the trail is made up of ever-changing surfaces that wind through the park's pine forest.
Organisers say the wellness trek offers a combination of massage, acupuncture, and aromatherapy from the fresh pine forest air.
"There is a variety of surfaces, that is, here you can find almost all types of surfaces that we see in everyday life, these are stones, crushed stones, cones, sawdust, various wood chips, wood bark, everything is presented here, as well as sea pebbles," says barefoot trail guide Yevgeniy Shevtsov.
In total, there's 43 sections of different surfaces. All are alternated to have different effects on the feet: hard and soft, warming and cooling, soothing and invigorating.  
"So, every time we have the surface changing, which is like a contrast shower for our body, it allows us to first relax, then strain, then relax again, then strain, which contributes to the fact that the body does not overwork," explains Shevtsov.
Along the way, trekkers come across other obstacles, such as streams, logs, and ladders.
They're designed to help with balance, there's even relaxing baths. But be warned: "The water is cold!" exclaims one visitor.
"We have a bath here, so that there is relaxation for the feet, it is cold water, people walking along the trail, put their feet into the water, walk along it and, accordingly the legs feet relax a little," says Shevtsov.
So far, the trail is proving to be popular.
Organisers say about 500 people have been visiting each day on weekends since it opened.
"In ordinary life, you walk in comfortable shoes, in slippers if you are barefoot, then at home, this is not at all the same. Here you have new sensations, some bits are similar to the beach, to the sea when you walk on stones, on pebbles, some bits are such as you would never walk on barefoot in ordinary life," says visitor Sofia Tsaregorodtseva.
A marker before of each new section informs visitors what is ahead and gives details of the health benefits walking on such surfaces is said to have.
For some, it is a question of endurance, followed by reward.
"It was painful to start, to go, to enter the trail, it was painful, especially on large granite chips, it was a nightmare, it is very painful, uncomfortable," says visitor Natalya.
"But when you walk more and more, your feet relax, you get used to it too, then it becomes a pleasure, really, it's just a miracle."
Reflexologists says there are more than 7,000 nerve endings in each human foot, which connect to pressure points.  
Those pressure points in turn relate to different parts of the body.
Stimulating pressure points is believed to have a general healing effect, improve blood circulation, even appetite.
Aleksandr Milyaev is a massage therapist with 27 years' experience working in a rehabilitation clinic in Khamovniki.
"There are a lot of reflex zones on the foot, acupuncture points, and when our foot comes into direct interaction with any uneven surface, blood circulation, lymph flow, namely of our lower limbs, improves," he says.

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