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Massage by 09/08/2017 0Comments

Big vs Small Ashiatsu Therapist – Who’s Deeper?

Ashiatsu is my favorite style of deeper massage to receive, hands-down. Or feet-down, however you want to say it. As a solo practitioner, I don’t have easy access to good quality barefoot therapists close to me. Our instructors who have a team of ashi therapists have set themselves up well for both business purposes and for being able to conveniently receive ashiatsu. (Yes, they are smart ladies in many ways.)

Sadly, there are times when I don’t have half a day to block myself off for my 2-hour barefoot massage sessions. The ashiatsu massage therapists currently I see are about 50 minutes away.

When I can’t receive my barefoot bar massage therapy, my second choice is to get my hands-on deep tissue massage from a man. My other choice is from a tall, well insulated woman. (Stay with me here–there’s a point to the big vs smaller hands-on therapist!)

I like getting hands on massage from men and big, solid, farm-type women for two specific reasons:

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Massage, Pro tips by 09/01/2017 0Comments

How to work deeper if you haven’t learned ashiatsu barefoot massage

This question of “how do I go deeper in a massage so I don’t hurt myself” recently came up in a massage group in which I belong. Of course, my obvious answer to learn barefoot massage and directed her to our website.

Sometimes it’s just not possible to take an ashiatsu class anytime soon. Maybe the kids are back in school, your rottweiler just had a hip replacement, or perhaps taking time off work and traveling simply isn’t an option at that moment.

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Massage, Pro tips, Tuesday Toesday, Why FasciAshi? by 08/29/2017 0Comments

Tuesday TOEsday: Where to start your massage

Where do your start your massage? At the feet? Perhaps at the client’s initial complaint area? At their upper back or in their neck? With their breath?

There’s not a wrong answer here, it all has to do with the theory you choose to approach the massage with.

on-the-right-footstart-your-massage-

Having procedures and protocols can produce results – but every client and every condition is different. Learning a routine massage and always sticking to it is like being on autopilot: it might always produce the same results, but you may be bored, uninspired… and your clients progress may plateau.

Read a few of the ideas below, and see if changing up the sequencing of your next massage helps you and your client get the results you are looking for!

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Massage by 08/11/2017 0Comments

What do massage therapists really think about my body?

“I’d never get a massage,” a friend once confessed to me. “You’d see how fat I really am.” And “I’m SO SORRY! I didn’t shave my legs!” another confesses when you’re about to start the massage. Do massage therapists care about extra cush or stubble? What do we really think about your body?

Most massage therapists are honored that their clients trust them to touch them with healing intent. It doesn’t matter what color you are, if you’re bloated from that big burrito you ate during lunch (yes, gas happens. It’s ok.), if you broke your razor or if you’re chunky.

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Massage, Pro tips by 08/04/2017 0Comments

Who’s your ideal massage client?

Many of us niche down pretty well after we’ve been doing massage for a long time. All of our instructors specialize in Ashiatsu barefoot massage. Some add in a little this or that in addition (like Pillossage or cupping), but we are, in essence, barefoot therapists. Who’s your ideal client for your massage?

When we first start out, our answer is usually, “EVERYONE!”

Massage therapists have a tendency to massage the way they’d like to be worked on. Love cranial? That’s probably your jam. NMT? You’ve likely taken a lot of classes.

What clients do you want to have?

You can’t determine who your ideal client is if you don’t have a firm handle on what your business is and what it does best. -Stephen Sheinbaum, Founder, Bizfi

My ideal client when I started massage is not the same as it is now.

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Guest post, Massage by 07/17/2017 0Comments

Think you have to live with pain? Not if my foot has anything to say about it! (Part 2)

In 2006, at a massage convention, I ran into the author of the article that saved my back from pain, Richard Rossiter. I told him that I had been studying his work through his online website, DVDs, and books since discovering the powerful effect Rossiter had on my back. Since my wife, Mickey, was the only person who had worked on me thus far, I asked if I could sample the foot of the master. 

Eager to grant my request, he invited me to hit the floor and proceeded to apply weight with much more authority. It was definitely more difficult to move through the stretches, but the effect was much more profound.

My back felt even better!

A year later, I was a Certified Rossiter Coach, and through continued advanced work on my legs, I experienced the ultimate back pain relief that continues to the writing of this article.

The crazy thing is, nobody ever touched my back.

All Rossiter work (for my situation) was done on the inside of my thighs (adductors). The work was done in less than thirty minutes, and my reward was a back that felt like it did when I was in the prime of my dance career.

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Guest post, Massage by 07/14/2017 0Comments

Think you have to live with pain? Not if my foot has anything to say about it! (Part 1)

When people meet me and find out that I’m a manual therapist with a reputation for getting people out of pain very quickly, they want to know what it is I do and how do I do it. To keep it simple, I tell them that my work is nothing more than power stretching and that they should visit my website (DontFearTheFoot.com) to get the full picture on how it works.

This is Chuck. He does not fear the foot.

Here’s where the fun starts. They immediately want to know what does fearing a foot has to do with massage, stretching or getting out of pain?

I spent 20 years of my life professionally stretching, for  I was a professional Broadway dancer for twenty years. And during my professional career, I probably stretched more in a day than most people stretch in a year (or a lifetime for that matter).

My flexibility served me well throughout my dance years and now, with the addition of mobility and stability training, it continues to be my preferred weapon in maintaining a “relatively” pain-free body. now help others in their quest to getting out of pain.

I now help others in their quest to getting out of pain.

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Ashiatsu barefoot massage, Massage, Pro tips by 07/05/2017 0Comments

Deeper barefoot massage using one foot

If you use your feet like your hands to massage, with intention, then your ashiatsu massage will not only be more therapeutic, but you’ll find your session time fly by faster. Getting specific in your barefoot massage and paying attention to details will make your ashiatsu session stand out from others’.

When I worked at a chiropractor’s office years ago, there were 2 other ashiatsu barefoot therapists there.  Doc told me once that my barefoot massage was way deeper than the others’ – and it had nothing to do with our strength or size.

How could that be?

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Ashiatsu barefoot massage, Massage, Pro tips by 07/02/2017 0Comments

Create your own massage pathway

According to the AMTA industry fact sheet, it is estimated that there are 325,000 to 375,000 massage therapists and massage school students in the United States.*

So, how do we set ourselves apart and stand out from the sea of LMT’s in the field? It’s becoming more and more crucial to do so, as there are not only more massage therapists but also massage chains and franchises popping up everywhere.

If you’re an independent LMT like myself, it’s impossible to compete with a $39 massage from a franchise. Instead of contending with rock bottom rates, try and differentiate in distinct ways.

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