Hey, you! Yeah, YOU! I see you down there on your mat doing all those awesome Thai and Shiatsu moves. Do your wrists hurt? Are your knees and low back feeling a little battered? Let me turn you on to another mat-based modality, one where you can sit, YES SIT, in a chair while working on your client.

Sounds weird?

Well, a lot of people still think “massage” on a mat is weird, but okay.

Here at Center for Barefoot Massage we embrace the unorthodoxweird and teach you how to do it too! If folks think your mat practice is already peculiar, why not go all in and learn some barefoot massage to really enhance and enrich their bodywork sessions? Lots of barefoot massage therapists already know it’s a great way to deliver a deep, healing massage without the wear and tear on our upper bodies and lower backs and it’s really not weird at all. It makes so much more sense than tearing up our bodies when we have the tools designed for heavier use readily available.

If you’re adding to your existing mat work, it blends right in with the addition of a chair and a face cradle keeping the needed equipment light. You can add in the FasciAshi Strap (read more about it over here) if you already have it, but it’s not required. And because no oils or creams are used in Fijian Barefoot Massage, clients remain clothed during the session. This barefoot massage style is the perfect adjunct to an existing matwork practice.

Is being on the mat getting uncomfortable?

Fijian Barefoot Massage is easier on the therapist’s body, especially if your body is finding discomfort while on the mat with clients. After so much palming and finger work, crouching and crawling around, sometimes your body needs a break. Switching to some seated or standing Fijian Barefoot Massage techniques can offer the relief you’re looking for while still being able to work. Not to mention, what happens when you have an actual injury to your upper body that needs to rest in order to recover? Barefoot Massage gives you the opportunity to let your injuries rest and recover while still seeing clients!

What will my clients think?

Clients LOVE it! While we don’t teach stretching techniques on the mat (we save those for our ROM classes), there’s no reason you can’t blend these mat-based barefoot massage techniques into the stretching you’re currently doing with your clients. The deep, jostling, compressions, and pinpoint trigger point work we teach you to do with your feet combined with your current toolkit will bring a whole new flavor to your client’s experience.

Isn’t this just Ashiatsu?

Nope! Fijian Barefoot Massage is a creation by Lolita Knight. Her experiences with massage while living in Fiji inspired her to create a version of their massage practices using the feet. Check out this article from our Dallas instructor, Hillary Arietta, that covers the differences between Fijian Barefoot Massage and our FasciAshi myofascial ashiatsu barefoot massage.

And while you’re at it this article from our co-founder, Jeni Spring, talks about a bunch of different styles of barefoot massage (only one of which is called ashiatsu). Sara Newberry also addresses key differences between Fijian Barefoot Massage and our Hot Ashi class in this article.

But HOW is it different from Thai and Shiatsu?

Well, the biggest difference is that we address prone, side-lying, and anterior body with our feet exclusively. (Look, Ma! No Hands!) Thai and Shiatsu work with the meridians of the body, which follows an eastern approach to health and wellness. Fijian Barefoot Massage is anatomy-based, addressing individual muscles and muscle groups while being aware of neighboring bony structures and joints and how our work affects them.

Center for Barefoot Massage is committed to helping preserve a method that was in danger of fading from our knowledge base. We have worked with the creator, Lolita Knight, to bring Fijian Barefoot Massage to a wider audience and have received her blessing as we integrate a more anatomically-focused, myofascial aspect to the work.

Fijian Barefoot Massage is a perfect adjunct to existing matwork or for a completely new service offering. Read more about our Fijian/Matwork 1 Barefoot Massage class here. Classes are taught year-round at locations all over the country and we’d love to see you in a class soon!

Today’s post is by our Alabama instructor, Sharon Bryant, LMT

Sharon has an eclectic range of interests and hobbies outside of work. She answers to dog mom, bookworm, computer nerd, herbal medicine enthusiast, terrible ukulele player, aspiring polyglot, and photogenic pirate, among other things.

In her bodywork business, she specializes in deep tissue, barefoot massage therapy, lymphatic drainage with a focus on scar work, and is currently teaching community self-care classes that feature mindfulness, self-massage, breathwork, and vibrational therapy.