Ashiatsu Massage Training – Keep It Simple!
January 2nd, 2010 | Published in Sexual Health
When I see people doing Ashiatsu massage on internet videos, I often see them trying to all kinds of funky techniques that are not supposed to be done with the feet. I laugh because I know they all learned how to do barefoot from the same Ashiatsu massage training school! lol.
Maybe it’s just because I am a man and have been using “tools” all my life. I know when it is appropriate to use a hammer and when it is better to use a screwdriver! By the same token I don’t try to do circular strokes on the scapulas with my feet! lol! The forearms are perfect for this job. Now don’t get me wrong about the value of the feet. They are way freaking good for the back, hamstrings, calves, the back of the arms and sometimes the quads….<u>if the person is big and tight enough to warrant using the feet</u>. Once in a while I even get somebody that has just huge arms that need the power of Ashiatsu barefoot massage.
Let me tell you, I am going to laugh so hard when I see massage therapists using their toes to work on people’s ears! Ha! Ha! Ha!
Maybe it’s because I learned how to use the feet all on my own and because I have a lot of common sense. The feet will never be able to do the technical massage strokes that the hands can do. <b>Part of being a great massage therapist is knowing when and where to use the different tools.</b> No, it doesn’t surprise me that people are being taught to do all kinds of techniques with the feet that have no business being done with the feet. (When you are trying to fill a 25 hour class with information, you scrounge for stuff to fill it with! You’ve got to give people their monies worth right?) Wrong! Ashiatsu massage therapists need to keep it simple and not be stupid! I can just hear what their clients say after the massage… “She tried to use her feet on my whole body, even my stomach. I liked the feet on my back and on my legs but I wish she had at least used her hands on my arms. I won’t go back to her again.”
You can also use the feet to stretch facia if you put bolsters in the right places under the body. Yes, you can do structural integration with the feet and you will crack a lot of backs too. (No, the Rolfers and the chiropractors do not have patents on everything! lololo!)
Questions and Answers:
No, Ashiatsu massage is not as good with the therapist sitting on a chair. You cannot get near the pressure and you don’t have near the control as when you have solid bars built into the ceiling. It is fun to experiment though so have at it.
Yes, you can use crutches or a walker to do Ashiatsu on the floor but that is not as good as having solid bars and doing Ashiatsu on a table but it is a great way to be able to do Ashiatsu mobile though… on the beach, at the park, ect. Using crutches takes practice but it can be done. I got pretty good at it for a while.
Yes, bars can be made from 1 1/4 inch closet rod material found at the hardware store. Get uncle Joe to mount them to your ceiling and then paint them with a natural and safe coating. I used a cashew tree resin varnish that I bought at the healthy building materials store.
Yes, you may need an electric table if your ceiling is a standard 8′ in height and you are tall like me . I have an Earthlite Ellora. I highly recommend it and Massage king is the best place to it. (Adding an electric lift table to your practice is a huge benefit for your body mechanics and massage abilities. Every good mechanic has the ability to lift their work up and down to be able to get the right angle and leverage on it.)
So, in conclusion, I would like to say, if you’re going to add Ashiatsu barefoot massage to your repertoire of massage abilities, don’t over-do it! Use the feet to do simple, big strokes on large muscle groups and practice, practice practice as that makes perfect!
Hi there! I’m Brett Rodgers, owner of Vitality Massage in beautiful Asheville, NC. I love my work as a massage therapist but I also do holistic healing of all kinds including holistic teaching consultations and coaching. Please see my site for information about all the modalities of holistic healing offered. Please also see my various millet hull and buchwheat hull body support products. I.E. Millet hull pillows, buckwheat hull back supports, and millet hull orthotics. Article Source:
Thanks so much for your time!