Acupressure mats have found their way to Finnish homes.

Gone are the days when spike mats only brought to mind scenes of long-bearded fakirs lying on beds of nails. The household version of this ancient Indian remedy is becoming a common utility also for Nordics seeking ways to relieve their pains and stresses. The mat, consisting of no fewer than 6,510 plastic spikes placed in yantra-shaped discs, promises to release energy and hormones by stimulating the body’s acupressure points and as a result provide relaxation, ease muscle and joint pains and tensions, improve your circulation and help you fall asleep. Reportedly, it has even helped some people get rid of their back pains and injuries.

Although the long history of acupuncture is well-known, one becomes suspicious of these plastic spikes having the same effects. But according to therapist Tutteli Hammermann from the Finnish Traditional Chinese Medicine Society of Acupuncture and Herbs, the acupressure mat truly is an effective form of self-help – a milder version of acupuncture.

“By adapting to the body’s acupressure points, the spikes stimulate the urinary bladder meridian channel running along the spinal cord in two branches. This meridian holds the energy points for all the internal organs, and by affecting them, the mat balances and relaxes the body and makes you feel better,” Hammermann explains. “The treatment starts from the surface but by also reaching the deep tissues it affects the blood and body-fluid circulation as well as your energy levels,” she adds.

Wide supply

The acupressure mats hit the Nordic market about a year ago on a bigger scale and the sales peaked during last Christmas. “We don’t know the exact numbers, but at least tens of thousands of mats have been sold in Finland,” says Juha Salo from importer Nettex International. He adds that there are many types of mats available, differing not only in price, but in quality and the materials used as well. “In some mats the spikes are also placed differently,” Salo notes. The mats typically cost under 50 euros.

The treatment can be completed with an acupressure pillow, currently a rarer product, that relieves tension and stress from the neck, jaw area and the back of the skull. It can be used separately from the mat but you get the best effect when combining the two. The treatments should be started with sessions lasting around 10-15 minute before gradually extending to 30-40 minutes. And, as always, regularity is a virtue.

People’s voice

Salo notes that there have been sceptics, as is usually the case with any new alternative therapy products promising great results. But according to him, the overall reception has been overwhelmingly positive: “The people who have actually taken the time to try them have been really pleased and quite amazed with their effectiveness. Only a small margin have disliked them,” he says.

One happy user is 31-year-old Saara, who has had the mat for a month and has lain on it every night for at least half an hour. “So far it has been splendid. It relaxes me before I go to bed, gets the blood flowing in my tense shoulders and somehow it also calms the occupied mind… You have to be still when lying on the mat, and I often fall asleep on it,” she describes.

However, 27-year-old Tuu-
lia doesn’t get the hype: “For me, it didn’t really do anything. Maybe the spikes should be longer, or then my muscle tensions are just out of its reach.”

Having tested the products for a week, I’ve definitely become a fan. The acupressure pillow is especially powerful and you can feel the spikes affecting the tensions in the back of your skull, leaving you with a sense of elevation and comfort, even if slightly pinching in the beginning. Lying on the mat takes you on a relaxing trip, helping you to quiet down – and often doze off as well. Not a replacement for massages, but definitely a good add-on to your everyday well-being.

VELI-MATTI PELTOLA - HT
Lehtikuva - Markku Ulander