Visitors shed their shoes to celebrate reflexology path at Marymoor Park

Blustery winds and threatening gray clouds didn't stop visitors at Marymoor Park from kicking off their shoes Wednesday.

Bare and sock-clad feet tread on smooth and pointy stones as people tested Marymoor's reflexology path.

The path, completed in October, was dedicated Wednesday. At the ceremony, King County Executive Ron Sims announced plans for two more paths at other parks.

The Marymoor path, to the left of the main entrance near the tennis courts, is actually an octagon measuring 20 feet by 20 feet.

Stones are strategically placed along the octagon's edges, creating a path of sorts for people to walk along without shoes.

The stones range from smooth and flat to raised and pointed, each intended to stimulate pressure points in the feet.

Reflexology centers on the belief that the feet, hands and ears possess reflex points that correspond to other parts of the body. Stimulating these points encourages beneficial effects and overall health in the corresponding body parts, practitioners say. It's popular in Asia and has gained some attention in the U.S.

The path at Marymoor and its sister path in White Center, which cost $25,000 each, are considered to be the first publicly owned reflexology paths in the nation, said Jessie Israel, of the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks.

In 2004, Bastyr University in Kenmore constructed with private funds a path that is open for public use.

"In so many other parts of the world, this is mainstream," Israel said of reflexology. "King County is such a diverse community that it seems natural that this would be the launching point for reflexology."

Paul Raish is vice president of Paths of Health, which designs and builds reflexology paths. He and company founders built the Bastyr path, and the company also created those in Marymoor and White Center.

"Although some stones look benign, they have special benefits," said Raish, who will graduate with a doctorate in naturopathic medicine from Bastyr University in June.

Sims brainstormed the idea of creating public reflexology paths after reading a 2005 Oregon Research Institute study that found that walking on a cobblestone mat can significantly reduce blood pressure and improve balance and physical performance among people age 60 or older.

"I was intrigued by these ancient paths," Sims said in his speech.

Sims also announced plans to build two more paths. One will be at the 132nd Square Park in Kirkland, and the second will be in a South King County park yet to be determined.

Both will be built with the help of money from Áegis Living, a company specializing in senior assisted-living care.

Through a public-private partnership with King County Parks and Recreation, Áegis Living donated a total of $10,000 that aided in the construction of the Marymoor and White Center paths. Some of that money will also go toward construction of the next two paths.

Kirkland residents already are gearing up to welcome a new path at 132nd Square Park.

"We are so excited," Victoria Brown, 38, of Kirkland, said. "I recently had a baby, and my feet bother me. This is the best relief I've had."

Tiffany Wan: 206-464-8305 or twan@seattletimes.com