Ashiatsu – The Deepest Massage Experience

Wait, what? Ashiatsu a massage technique that involves the application of the massage therapist’s feet, rather than the hands or arms, to a patient’s body. In Japanese, ashi means foot, and atsu means pressure; so it literally translates to foot pressure. Think about how much more pressure a skilled practitioner can deliver with feet than with thumbs. It just goes deeper. During an Ashiatsu massage, therapists use their bare feet to deliver deep compression, long gliding strokes, and/or assisted stretching. Reading that, you might feel apprehensive about receiving an Ashiatsu treatment, and you may wonder if having your back walked on will be intense, painful, or even scary. Don’t worry! Ashiatsu therapists have full control over how your body is treated, and the massage is tailored to your needs just as a deep tissue or relaxation massage would be. Gravity enables Ashiatsu therapists to deliver up to 3x deeper pressure than with traditional hands-on treatments. Utilizing the broad surface of your foot as your massage tool provides consistent pressure and contours nicely to the body.

Here’s Perpetuity Skin + Spa’s own Bailey delivering the ashiatsu massage treatment on the back area, a place notorious for deep pain. Movements along the para spinals and the lumbar region can relieve muscle spasms and open the intervertebral foramen (where spinal nerves pass through). It will give the nerves more space as well as increase circulation by bringing more freshly oxygenated blood to the area being treated. Many ashiatsu strokes help to elongate the spine. These movements dramatically stretch shortened muscles, which help in relieving pain and discomfort. These long fluid strokes also help flush the body’s lymphatic system, which releases metabolic waste at a very high rate. We recommend drinking plenty of water before and after a treatment to help with the detoxification process.

After only a few treatments, ashiatsu barefoot massage has also been known to improve posture and range of motion. It will significantly reduce or eliminate chronic muscle pain, and improve bodily functions, which will create a higher sense of balance and well being within the body. Typically, one treatment a week for upwards of six weeks will produce these kinds of results.

An Ashiatsu massage provides the same benefits as a deep tissue massage. Ashiatsu, however, can deliver the deepest pressure a massage can offer, even though it by no means has to. If you’re one of those people who prefers VERY deep pressure and you’ve yet to find a therapist who can go just that deep, try Ashiatsu at Perpetuity Skin + Spa in Boise!