What does a colonic actually feel like?
- Jul 7
- 4 min read
By Nicola Devine, MPharm, Registered Pharmacist (PSI), Certified Colon Hydrotherapist
It's the question almost everyone wants to ask before their first appointment, and very few actually do. So let me just answer it, the way I'd want it answered myself: what does a colonic actually feel like?
I came to colon hydrotherapy as a client myself, years before I trained in it, so I know exactly what it's like to sit in the waiting room not quite sure what you've signed up for. Here's the plain version, from someone who has been on both sides of it.
Before we start: the part that settles most nerves
Most of the anxiety people carry into a first session isn't really about the treatment itself. It's about the unknown, not knowing what happens, what's expected of you, or whether it'll be uncomfortable or embarrassing.
So we talk first. Before anything begins, we sit down and go through your health history, why you've come in, and exactly what's going to happen. You can ask me anything, and people ask me everything, believe me. Nothing you're wondering about is something I haven't been asked before. By the time we actually begin, the not-knowing is gone, and that alone takes most of the edge off.
You're in a private room. It's just the two of us. The door is closed, your dignity is carefully protected throughout, and you're covered the entire time. This is not the exposed, clinical experience people sometimes imagine.
What the treatment itself feels like
Here's the plain, physical answer.
At Wellness Within I use a gravity-fed system, which means warm, filtered water flows into the colon gently, at the gentle pressure that gravity provides, not pushed in by a machine. The water is body-temperature warm. The first thing most people notice is that it's far less dramatic than they'd built it up to be in their heads.
As the water flows in, you feel a gradual sense of fullness, a bit like needing the bathroom, which makes sense, because that's essentially the sensation your body is responding to. It comes in waves rather than all at once. Then that fullness releases, and the cycle repeats gently throughout the session. Most people find the rhythm of it genuinely relaxing once they settle in, several of my clients drift into the most relaxed state they've been in all week.
You might feel some movement or mild cramping as the colon does its work, think of the feeling in your tummy when it's gurgling, or the mild urge you get when you simply need the bathroom, rather than anything sharp. It passes quickly, and because I'm controlling the flow by hand the whole time, I adjust to what your body is telling me moment to moment. If something feels like too much, we slow down. You're never left to manage anything on your own, and you're always in control.
The session lasts about 45 minutes to an hour. Afterwards, most people feel lighter, and often a bit more energised, though everyone's different, and I'll always tell you what to expect for your particular situation.
What it doesn't feel like
Because the fears are usually worse than the reality, let me name a few things directly:
It isn't painful. Gentle pressure and mild tummy movement, yes. Pain, no. If you're ever uncomfortable, you tell me and we adjust.
It isn't embarrassing in the way people fear. The system is closed and discreet, there's no odour, and your dignity is protected from start to finish. I promise you this is far more ordinary than the version in your head.
It isn't something you have to "get right." You don't need to do anything except lie there and let your body do what it does. I handle everything else.
Why I can tell you all this from experience
I trained as a pharmacist before I became a colon hydrotherapist, a Masters in Pharmacy, years behind a dispensing counter, and I came to colonics because I'd struggled with my own gut for years. So when I tell you what a session feels like, it's not a sales pitch. It's the account of someone who has had many colonics herself, and who now does this work every week for people who arrive exactly as nervous as I once was.
That's also why I use the gentler, gravity-fed method and why I stay in the room with you throughout. It's the treatment I'd want as a client, so it's the one I offer.
Still have a question I didn't answer?
If there's something specific you're wondering about, the simplest thing is just to ask. If you'd like to understand the method in more depth, or read a bit more about me and why I do this.
And when you feel ready, you can book a session here. There's no rush, but there's also, I promise, far less to worry about than you might think.
Sessions are 60 minutes, by appointment at the Wellness Within clinic in Sandyford, Dublin 18. Mornings, four days a week (plus occasional Sundays), see the booking page for current availability. €120 standard, €150 with coffee enema.