Read this first
A headache that is sudden and severe, follows a head injury, comes with fever, a stiff neck, confusion, weakness or changes to your vision, or is simply different from anything you have had before, needs a doctor rather than a reflexologist. That is not a disclaimer at the bottom of the page; it belongs at the top.
Reflexology is for the ordinary, recurring tension headache that has become part of your week — not for diagnosing why your head hurts.
Where the relevant reflex points are
Headache work happens almost entirely at the toe end of the foot. The head and brain reflex covers the pad of the big toe. The sinus reflexes run down toes two to five, worked from tip to base. The eye reflex sits at the base of toes two and three, which is where a lot of screen-heavy clients are surprisingly tender. The neck reflex is the narrow band across the base of all the toes.
The shoulder reflex, along the outer edge of the foot below the little toe, often ends up involved too. Plenty of headaches start somewhere south of the head.
What the session involves
Thumb-walking across the toes is more precise and slower than most people expect. Where neck tension is clearly part of the picture, sustained pressure is held along the base of the toes rather than worked in strokes.
First appointments include a consultation, and for headaches that conversation earns its place — how often, how long, what you have noticed around them, and what you have already tried. It changes where the time goes.
Screens, jaws and shoulders
A large share of the headache clients I see work at a screen all day. The pattern is consistent: tender eye reflexes, a tight neck band, and shoulders that have been quietly up around the ears since about ten in the morning.
Reflexology does not fix your desk setup and it is worth saying so. What it can do is give you an hour where that pattern releases, and often make you newly aware of how much tension you were carrying, which tends to be useful information.
What clients report
The most common description is feeling clearer or lighter, particularly around the eyes and forehead. Clients who came in with a headache sometimes leave without it and sometimes do not; I would not promise either.
Occasionally people feel a little heavy-headed for an hour afterwards before it lifts. Drink water and give it a bit of time.