Ashiatsu is a unique style of massage therapy in which the therapists ‘walks’ on the client’s back, using gravity and their bare feet instead as well as their hands to apply pressure. At The Wellness Center, the practitioner uses overhead bars attached to the ceiling to balance and control the level of pressure and weight on the client’s body. Although the word “Ashiatsu” literally translated means foot “ashi”, pressure “atsu” in Japanese, Ashiatsu therapists also use their hands and upper body when appropriate. Ashiatsu is often referred to as ‘barefoot Shiatsu’ as Shiatsu means finger “shi”, pressure “atsu” in Japanese, although Ashiatsu is not as structured as Shiatsu, perhaps due to its informal origins. This hand or foot pressure is applied to specific trigger points or in long compression strokes, depending on the client’s needs.
