Ashiatsu- the history of barefoot massage

Ashiatsu is Japanese for “foot pressure”. For centuries, throughout the East, it was used to create energy balance in the body and alleviate everything from headaches to heartaches Many versions of Ashiatsu have developed over the years, and opposed to its original Chinese roots, gliding effleurage is what makes it most famous in the United States - deep, gliding, compression.

In China, skin to skin contact was seen as a disruption to the body’s energy flow. Therefore, the modality was done through clothing. Yet, dating back as far as 1000 B.C., other countries, such as India, DID use oils and barefoot to skin contact and gliding effleurage. Today, this modality is similar to what we refer to as Ashiatsu in the U.S. It is derived from Chavutti Thirumal, or Keralite massage, developed in the South of India, Kerala. Chavutti Thirumal also translates to “Foot Pressure”.

Chavutti Thirumal was developed in the 12th century A.D. as part of a martial art technique, Kalarippayattu. The art was taken back to China by Ta Mo, a Buddhist monk, where it became known as Shaolin Kung fu. The art then spread to Japan, Korea, & Taiwan, and so did the massage techniques. Traditionally, this barefoot treatment was given to reduce pain & treat ailments over a 7-15 day period. Martial artists required the 15 day approach to healing, with only one day of no massage, and a pressure increase, a peak, then decrease of pressure throughout the 15 days. In India, “Barefoot massage” is well known as an original Portuguese technique, and rarely reffered to as “Chavutti Thirummal”. Women were the main providers, opposed to Chavutti, where only men participated in it for hundreds of years.

In the U.S., barefoot massage had been introduced by these eastern cultures, and was being provided by therapist’s using a chair, rope, beams, walls, ceilings, & single or double overhead bar for balance. Ashiatsu is a blend of these barefoot modalities, focusing on traditional Chavutti Thirummal & Ashiatsu skills, converted to be performed with 2 overhead bars. Other styles that influenced this technique are Fijian Massage and Barefoot Shiatsu.

The focus of Ashiatsu in the states has changed from using it for very deep work only, to replacing the hands as much as possible and using more balance & body mechanics to achieve safe, efficient results for therapists and their clients. The foot padding and structure of the foot is able to achieve faster, better, and more effective results in the tissues. It has quickly become a go-to technique for both therapists and clients due to the Westernization of draping, safety, and physical benefits.