As an Amazon Associate and affiliate with other programs, I may earn revenue from qualifying purchases through affiliate links. This does not affect the price you pay. Privacy Policy / Disclosures. This site is for educational purposes only.

What Is Ashiatsu Massage Therapy and Its Benefits?

In ashiatsu massage therapy, officially called Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy®, practitioners hold onto bars mounted on the ceiling and use their feet to give you a deep massage. This method has a reputation for going deeper than most deep tissue massage while also being gentle and less likely to cause discomfort.

In Japanese, ashi means foot and atsu means pressure. This barefoot massage helps people experiencing chronic pain, athletes who want to enhance performance, or anyone wanting profound muscle relief.

What Is Ashiatsu Massage?

Ashiatsu is an ancient type of Eastern bodywork that uses the feet to apply pressure along energy lines, both to help heal chronic soft tissue damage and completely relax the client.

In the 1990s, massage therapist Ruthie Hardee developed what we now know as Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy® by combining Eastern barefoot massage with Western medical concepts. Hardee's three main Eastern influences were Thai massage, barefoot shiatsu from Japan, and Keralite massage from southern India.

In Keralite massage, also called Chavutti Thirummal, practitioners hold onto a long rope for balance and use their feet to massage the client's body with healing oils. The technique is described in the book One Rope, Two Feet and Healing Oils by Harald Brust and Prabhat Menon.

Although Hardee's inspiration came from Eastern massage, she developed her system based more on Western osteopathic and myofascial principles, and less on traditional Eastern energy principles. A primary goal is to release fibrotic and adhered scar tissue. She also emphasizes massaging the muscles on the back of the body.

Practitioners use their feet to do smooth, flowing massage strokes (similar to Swedish massage) on lubricated skin and to apply pressure to strategic points along the spine. This approach creates a push-pull pumping effect on the soft tissue around the space between the vertebral discs. The deep compression creates a mobilization that gives the nucleus pulposus (the gel-like substance in discs) a chance to return to its proper place.

See a short demo in this video:

Benefits of Ashiatsu

Ashiatsu is especially beneficial for relieving tension in large muscle groups. Many of the massage's strokes help elongate the spine and improve posture and may help relieve spinal problems. A common use of ashiatsu is to help relieve dense muscle tissue problems and chronic pain, including back and hip issues.

Other benefits include deep relaxation, general relief of pain and stress, improved range of motion, better sleep, and improved mood and overall sense of well-being.

Ashi-Thai Massage

A related technique is ashi-thai massage, which also uses the feet for massage. However, rather than long strokes similar to Swedish massage, ashi-thai consists of modified versions of Thai massage stretches that work along traditional Thai energy lines.

Some massage therapists combine ashiatsu barefoot massage and ashi-thai techniques in one massage session.

Ashiatsu Contraindications

Although this barefoot massage style has helped many people with back pain, a number of contraindications make the deep compression inadvisable for some people. Do not receive the massage if you have any of the following conditions:

  • Acute heart condition or high blood pressure
  • Any acute inflammatory condition
  • Breast implants within the past nine months
  • Certain cases of stenosis (narrowing of spaces around the spine) and spondylolisthesis (slippage of a vertebrae out of place)
  • Pregnancy
  • Prescription blood thinners
  • Recent eye surgery
  • Severe nerve root impingement

Always tell your massage therapist about any medical conditions.

Sources

Jenni Miller-James, Healing with the Feet: An Introduction to the World of Barefoot Massage, 2022.

Juliet Bourne, Get On My Back, Massage & Bodywork, August/September 2000.

Randy Dotinga, "Oriental Bar Therapy," Massage Therapy Journal, Summer 2001.

Toby Osborne, Ashiatsu: The Healing Power of Heels, Body Sense, Spring/Summer 2005.


Click Here to Buy Massage Supplies at Massage Naturals

You might like these

Photo Credits: C.Wellington CC