Ashiatsu is a Japanese term meaning “foot pressure.” Its roots trace back thousands of years to traditional healing practices throughout the Far East, where practitioners used the feet as a tool to deliver broad, steady compression and deep therapeutic pressure. Over time, these foundational techniques evolved and spread across cultures, forming the basis of the modern Ashiatsu methods now practiced around the world.

While traditional Ashiatsu provides the groundwork, Austin Ashiatsu has advanced and refined this modality into a specialized therapeutic approach. After completing general Ashiatsu training, we developed our own elevated method focused on deep, precise, and clinically informed bodywork delivered through the feet. We call this enhanced modality Ashiatsu Therapeutic Massage.

Our approach integrates a range of therapeutic techniques—including deep tissue, trigger point therapy, active release, and myofascial release—adapted specifically for foot-based application. Each session is customized to the client’s concerns, goals, and structural needs, ensuring both effectiveness and comfort.

By blending ancient roots with modern clinical understanding, Ashiatsu Therapeutic Massage offers a highly effective treatment designed to reduce tension, restore mobility, and support long-term musculoskeletal health.

Not exactly. The therapeutic Ashiatsu technique we use is best described as a slow, controlled gliding over the muscle tissue—not stepping or walking in a traditional sense. You can expect long, flowing strokes that follow the full length of the muscle fibers.

Because the feet offer broad, even pressure, they are able to cover a larger surface area than hands and engage an entire muscle group at once. This creates a smooth, deeply effective sensation—often compared to “ironing out” the muscles.

Overhead bars are securely mounted above each massage table. These bars allow the therapist to maintain balance, precision, and full control of the pressure, ensuring that each stroke is both safe and therapeutically consistent.

With Ashiatsu Therapeutic Massage, the therapist is able to deliver the smooth, sustained deep pressure required to facilitate meaningful muscular release with their feet. Instead of relying solely on the strength of their hands and arms, the therapist uses securely mounted overhead bars and their own body weight to precisely regulate pressure, depth, and angle. This allows for a far broader and more adaptable pressure range than traditional massage techniques.

This level of control enables the therapist to address the underlying sources of tension more effectively, working with precision across multiple layers of muscle tissue. The result is a highly therapeutic experience tailored to the client’s individual needs and areas of concern.

Because pressure can be adjusted with such accuracy, clients never have to worry about whether they will receive the depth they need. Ashiatsu Therapeutic Massage consistently provides the level of pressure necessary to achieve meaningful, lasting relief.

Absolutely. The techniques used in an ashiatsu therapeutic massage session often exceed the level of detail and effectiveness possible in a typical deep tissue massage. Many of the therapeutic angles accessible through the use of overhead bars and foot-based pressure are difficult—or nearly impossible—to achieve with hands or forearms alone.

For example, the top of the shoulders—where the vast majority of people hold tension—can be challenging to treat thoroughly from a standing position beside the table. With our ashiatsu therapeutic approach, therapists use a combination of feet, hands, and controlled leverage to precisely target and release shoulder tension and pain.

Depending on the level of detail required, a therapist may even use hands and feet simultaneously, creating a push–pull motion that provides a gentle, passive stretch. This helps smaller, deeper muscle groups release with significantly greater ease.

Another key advantage is the use of heel pressure for trigger point and active release therapy. With the aid of gravity and the support of the overhead bars, therapists can apply focused, sustained pressure to specific areas—and maintain that pressure effortlessly for as long as needed to achieve a full release.

This combination of precision, leverage, sustained pressure, and biomechanical efficiency allows ashiatsu therapeutic massage to deliver therapeutic outcomes that are difficult to replicate with traditional massage techniques.

No. While ashiatsu barefoot massage is well-known for its ability to deliver effective deep pressure, it does not have to be intense. For clients seeking a gentler approach, we can adjust the session to a relaxation-style ashiatsu focused on stress reduction and overall tension relief.

Regardless of the style you choose, the pressure is always adjusted to your comfort level. The therapist uses the overhead bars to precisely regulate depth, allowing for light, moderate, or deep pressure based entirely on your needs and feedback. This ensures you receive a safe, comfortable, and therapeutic session tailored specifically to you.

The pressure used during an ashiatsu therapeutic massage session is always adjusted to meet your individual comfort level. Because Ashiatsu Therapeutic Massage is designed to create meaningful change within the deeper layers of muscle and fascia, a certain degree of intensity is sometimes necessary to achieve results. In this sense, the familiar idea of “no pain, no gain” can apply—but it should never feel overwhelming or unsafe.

Our therapists work closely with your feedback to find a level of pressure that is both effective and comfortable for you. Using the overhead bars, the practitioner can finely regulate the depth and angle of pressure, ensuring therapeutic benefit while honoring your sensitivity and tolerance. The goal is always productive pressure—not pain.

We do not recommend ashiatsu therapeutic massage during pregnancy. Because ashiatsu involves broad, sustained pressure and techniques that engage deeper layers of muscle and fascia, it is best reserved for after pregnancy to ensure safety and comfort for both mom and baby.

If you are pregnant and seeking therapeutic support, we are happy to recommend alternative services or modifications that are appropriate during this time.