Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage – Ashiatsu is the most luxurious and beneficial form of

massage on the planet. From the root words "ashi" meaning foot and "atsu" meaning

pressure, this barefoot massage technique uses smooth, fluid strokes that glide over the

body. One of the many advantages of using the legs and feet is that the arms and hands

are not meant to be weight bearing but the legs, ankles, and feet are. Ashiatsu really saves

and extends a therapists career. The pressure can be as light as a Swedish massage or the

deepest massage a therapist can give.

 

Utilizing overhead parallel bars for support, balance and leverage, the therapist uses

bodyweight and gravity to apply pressure directed through their barefeet. The work is done

with the therapist's heel and outer edge of the foot, instep and toes. The combination of gravitational force and the therapist's pressure and flow creates changes in the body's soft tissue, affording deep relaxation and muscle tension relief without the painful poking often associated with regular deep tissue massage using the hands, knuckles, forearms and elbows.

 

This technique is especially effective for the lower back, spinal erectors, shoulders, glutes, hamstrings and calves, as well as the quads, this technique is shown to actually increase the intervertebral disc space resulting in fluidity of movement and pain relief.