What is Ashiatsu Massage?

When I explain Ashiatsu to potential clients, I tell them: "It's just massage using a different tool - my feet."

Ashiatsu, also known as barefoot massage, is a powerful modality where the therapist uses their feet instead of their hands to apply pressure. At Bull City Soles in Durham, NC, we use parallel ceiling bars for support and balance, allowing us to offer broad, consistent, and deeply therapeutic pressure.

If you're a client curious about what barefoot massage feels like, or wondering if it’s right for you, check out this post from our Bull City Soles blog:

👉 Is Barefoot Massage Weird? What You Need to Know Before Trying It at Bull City Soles

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.

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 blog: 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:

• Intermediate Supine/Side body

• Range of Motion (ROM) Training

• Advanced

• Clinical Tracks for specific areas like neck

* Learn how our FasciAshi style differs from other barefoot massage systems in this blog: Different Styles of Barefoot Massage Explained

Don’t Burn Out—Level Up

Ashiatsu gave me my career back.

It gave my clients the deep, therapeutic pressure they needed. And it might just do the same for you.

Follow @NCashiatsu on Instagram and Facebook for barefoot massage tips, CEU class updates, and inspiration from massage therapists just like you.

Or join us in class - your body will thank you.