BackWalking Massage
Back walking is also called Ashiatsu - "Foot" (ashi) and "pressure" (atsu). Your therapist holds on to specially-attached ceiling bars to maintain her balance while walking on your back. This type of bodywork is a luxurious, deep-tissue massage. If you are interested, please tell your therapist. There is no extra charge to include this technique in your session.
Ashiatsu's history spans several continents and more than 3,000 years. Many different styles of barefoot massage have originated from India, Japan, Thailand, China, and the Philippines. It began as "energy work", balancing the body's "chi".
Brought into the mainstream U.S. spa and massage industry as ashiatsu Oriental bar therapy in 1999 by Ruthie Hardee, this Western application was derived from a myriad of classic sources. "The first time I saw ashiatsu, I had wandered off from my parents in the lobby of the Hotel Menora in Manila, in the Philippines. I was only 13 years old," Hardee says. "I went around the corner, and I saw a woman holding onto bars, walking on a man's back." After that, Hardee saw many different styles of barefoot massage in Africa, India, and the Philippines, traveling with her parents who were medical missionaries. Hardee's Western spin on barefoot massage is known to improve posture, relieve pain and stress, treat spinal problems, and provide an incredibly deep massage, all while still being gentle. Hardee's barefoot massage also pays homage to the Swedes -- using long, flowing strokes and lubricants. "Traditional hand Swedish is the same thing, but we do it with the feet," Hardee explains. "We call it gravity-assisted effleurage. And, because the work is so deep and flowing, we're able to send a signal to the brain within the first 10 minutes that says 'I have to surrender, I can't even fight this!'"
If you need the deep work, ask for "Back Walking". Obviously, it is easier for a therapist to provide a deeper tissue massage while standing on your back than trying to leverage that much pressure through her hands.
