What Is Ashiatsu Massage? A Therapist’s Guide to Barefoot Massage Training

May 18, 2020
3 min read

Updated: 1 day ago

What is Ashiatsu Massage? Info featured by top ashiatsu training center, NC AShiatsu Barefoot Massage Training

When I explain Ashiatsu to massage therapists, I tell them: “It’s just massage using a different tool—my feet.”

Ashiatsu (aka barefoot massage) is a powerful modality where the therapist uses their feet instead of their hands to apply pressure—with control and safety using overhead support/parallel bars. This setup allows for broad, consistent, deeply therapeutic pressure while helping protect the therapist’s hands and body mechanics.

Ashiatsu Training Basics (What Therapists Should Know)

Before you take a class (or invest in equipment), here are the fundamentals every therapist needs to understand:

Support system matters: Barefoot massage is performed with overhead bars for balance and control, not “walking on someone.”
Broad, not pokey pressure: Your feet create a wide contact surface, which can feel deeply therapeutic without the sharpness of elbows or thumbs.
Control and communication are part of the technique: You’ll learn how to modulate pressure, pace, and transitions while checking in clearly.
Body mechanics + longevity: Many therapists love barefoot massage because it can deliver deep work while giving hands and forearms a break.
Who it’s best for: Ashiatsu barefoot massage is especially useful if you love doing deep work, work with larger bodies/athletes often, or want a modality that supports a long career.

Ashiatsu Changed My Life

When I talk to other massage therapists about Ashiatsu, I start with this simple, sobering question:

"How long can your body keep doing this work?"

That's the question that haunted me after a third car accident left me with numb hands, tingling arms, and chronic neck pain. I'd been a massage therapist for 10 years, pushing through pain and fatigue, despite being 86 lbs and routinely working on 300 lb clients who swore I gave the best deep tissue massage they'd ever had.

I knew I couldn't keep using my hands the way I had been. That's when I saw an ad for Ashiatsu in a massage magazine. I signed up for training, and I haven't looked back.

Share With Clients

If you’re talking to clients who are curious (or nervous) about barefoot massage, send them this simple overview. → The Ultimate Guide to Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage: What You Need to Know (For Clients)

Why Ashiatsu Works for Deep Tissue Work - Without Wrecking Your Body

If you've ever dragged yourself through a day of five or six back-to-back deep tissue sessions, you know the physical toll it takes. Even with solid body mechanics and years of anatomy training, deep work, especially myofascial work, can be brutal on the hands, wrists, and shoulders.

With barefoot massage, I use gravity, leverage, and full-body movement. I can easily perform long fascial holds and provide the deep pressure clients crave, without pain or strain. Even in my 50s, I regularly offer 4-5 Rolfing sessions per day, using a combination of my hands and feet.

Barefoot Massage Is About More Than Just Pressure

The feet have over 200,000 nerve endings, which means that with time and practice, you can learn to feel knots and fascial restrictions with your feet just as well as you do with your hands. We dive deeper into how massage therapists develop this skill in The Science Behind Feeling Things With Your Feet.

I can assure you—detailed myofascial work, trigger point therapy, and even elements of structural work (like I use in some of my Rolfing® sessions) can be performed using barefoot massage techniques. My feet simply became the tool instead of my hands.

Ready to Learn? Our Barefoot Massage Classes Can Change Your Career Too

Whether you're a burnt-out LMT looking for longevity or a therapist prepared to explore new tools, we've got you covered. Start with our Fundamentals Barefoot Massage training, then progress to: