Massage

Happy AOBT Anniversary To Me!

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Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy anniversaryI just realized that today is my 3rd anniversary of being a fully certified Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy therapist.

I remember driving all the way to Cincinnati, OH by myself. Gulp! I was acting like a big girl, but felt a little like when I was in driver’s ed and the teacher told me it was time to drive my passenger side tires off the roadway. You want me to do what?!?!

I learned how to not freak out and jerk the wheel that day so long ago just like I made it safely (and on time) to Ohio. That trip was great, except for the getting lost part between Mary-Claire’s gorgeous training facility and the HoJo I was staying in. That only happened the first day and after that I was set.

It was a great training, physically very demanding, but so worth the effort. I will admit after the first day of DeepFeet2 class I was beginning to wonder whether my triceps would survive. I had lots of strength issues remaining even though I’d been practicing one-foot moves on clients for six months. The triceps survived, but I finished that class wondering if I would ever look as graceful as Mary-Claire while working.

I left Cincinnati stronger and more confident on so many fronts. I made a bunch of friends, discovered that I never wanted to travel alone again without a GPS, fended off a HoJo stalker (scary, but no harm done), and learned AOBT with two feet.

Ashi has defined my massage career. It has brought me so much joy and allowed me to bring comfort to so many of my clients. Here’s to many more years of bringing the Ashi love.

Thank you, Mary-Claire Fredette. I dream of being the Ashi goddess you are.

***Harvest Moon Massage is Decatur, Alabama’s Exclusive Provider of Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy, Ashi-Thai and Bamboo-Fusion Massage

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Portable Ashiatsu Massage

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Lately I’ve been getting a lot of questions about the portability of my Ashi massages. And I’m happy to say that, yes, I can come to your location. In early 2011 I was fortunate enough to be able to purchase a set of Hardee-Ashiatsu Portable Bars.

I have the ability to travel with my portables for different events. To date I have had been able to use them at several outdoor 5Ks and occasionally I throw them up on my front porch just to play with them. I am always searching for more opportunities to travel with my bars. I enjoy introducing the public to Ashiatsu. The adult reactions range from sheer boredom to fascination. The kids are so much fun and will gather just to watch and wait for the opportunity to jump on the table. And yes, I work on kids, but mostly it’s just a simple stretch and they get a tickle if they want it. The adults are a little harder to get on the table, but once they do they are so glad they did.

Portables aren’t really appropriate for just one or two massages unless you’re willing to pay an outrageous set up fee. What they are appropriate for is events or conventions or office functions or anything really where people gather who would like a massage therapist on hand.

The following video features my lovely Ashi-Thai instructor, Jeni Spring, assembling a set of portable bars. I find it highly entertaining as she is really much taller in person than on the video. Her sense of style cracks me up and you can really see her personality coming through starting around minute 3:30 and continuing on until the end. Enjoy!

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Finally Bamboo-fusion Certified!

Bamboo-Fusion /

So if you follow along over on my Facebook page you already know that I spent last weekend in Nashville learning a new technique. It’s called Bamboo-fusion and it was created by the lovely Nathalie Cecilia.

All my friends are asking if I’ve gotten into caning. Bamboo-fusion can’t be any further from the punishing aspects of the Asian practice, unless of course you want me to whip those shoulders into line with a warmed bamboo tool. The warm tools come in various sizes and shapes and are used to melt the tension and trigger points away as well as releasing myofascial restrictions. Does that sound like a punishment?

I can tell you from experience it’s not! It is, in fact, a wonderfully relaxing and healing massage that is also therapeutic. My first experience with Bamboo-fusion was last spring when I had a massage from the lovely Melissa Millson in Gulf Shores, AL. At that time she managed to relieve my aching forearms and elbows with her warm bamboo in only one 1-hour treatment. Sweet relief!

Since my training and experiencing this modality while learning my shoulders and neck feel better than they have in quite a while. This even after I drove 2.5 hours home.

Below I am embedding a video of Nathalie Cecilia demonstrating Bamboo-fusion for chair massage. I certified in the table massage so it’s a little different. Nonetheless, I wanted to share with you not only a demonstration of the technique, but also her lovely French accent. Enjoy!

Oh, and don’t forget to call today to schedule your Bamboo-fusion massage with Harvest Moon Massage Therapy & Reflexology. We are Decatur, Alabama’s only Bamboo-fusion provider!

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January Special – Let’s Get Our Ashi-Thai On!

Ashi-Thai /

So yesterday as I was working with a regular client we were talking about Ashi-Thai and how she wanted to try it. After she got dressed, I put her back on the table and did a few stretches on her hips. That’s when I discovered that it’s been so long since I had anyone in for Ashi-Thai that I had forgotten which foot to use for which move.

So I’ve decided that January is going to be Ashi-Thai month. Book and receive an hour of Ashi-Thai during the month of January and get $10 off the regular fee. That’s $50 for an hour of Ashi-Thai goodness.

Call soon and get on the schedule!

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World Massage Festival 2011 – Redux

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I want to start out by saying, “Wow!” World Massage Festival was fantastic. There were vendors hocking everything from CEUs to massage gadgets to music to essential oils. I don’t know what I was expecting, but whatever it was, I got it plus some!

I spent the weekend helping with the DeepFeet booth. I got to do a lot of Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy massage on other therapists wanting to try it out. I got to watch Julie Marciniak, an AOBT instructor in North Carolina, and Ruthie Hardee, the founder of AOBT, both do AOBT massage on other therapists. It was very interesting and I learned a lot.

Apparently they were pleased with my help because Ruthie invited me to help with the booth at the American Massage Therapy Association National Convention in October over on the west coast in Portland, Oregon. I don’t know yet if I’ll be able to go what with the cost of a flight, hotel and ground transportation, but what an honor. I am so honored to even be asked.

I’m sending a big thank you out to Julie for teaching me a new move she created and I’m sure if you’re one of my clients you’ll want to send out a big thank you to her as well. I’ve already tested it out and it got two big thumbs up.

And speaking of clients, I know it’s been tough the last couple of weeks to get in if you’ve called at the last minute, but things should start opening up so call now to get on the schedule.

Something else I wanted to mention since a lot of folks have asked about it, Bamboo Fusion. The Bamboo Fusion class I wanted to take in June was cancelled and I’ve been looking for another one to schedule into. I made some contacts this weekend with a few therapists in Georgia who are going to try to host a class so I will let you know when and if that happens. If you’re a therapist looking to take a Bamboo Fusion class, let me know and I’ll get you information as I get it. And you can always hit the Massage CEU Central group on Facebook for developing CEU information, but be sure to let me know you’re interested. If we can get 8 commitments for North Alabama I can get someone to come to us.

So, what’s next? Well, I think I’m going to write a series of Burning Questions posts as I got a lot of the same questions over and over again at WMF this year. So stay tuned for answers to questions like, how I keep my feet so soft, how bad was DeepFeet 2 really, and can I feel with my feet like I do with my hands. And if you have any other questions about massage, barefoot or otherwise, leave it in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer it.

Thanks for stopping by!

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I Got Nerded!

Ashiatsu /

My post on World Massage Festival is coming, I promise. The holdup is that I’ve been asked to write a post for the Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy blog on World Massage Festival so I don’t want the posts to stomp on each other.

For now though, take a look at this interview by Massage Nerd. That’s me with Ruthie Hardee. I did a lot of smiling and nodding, but if you’re patient you’ll get to hear me talk a little around the 4:30 minute mark.

Enjoy!

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World Massage Festival or Bust!

Ashiatsu /

I leave this morning for Cullowhee, NC and the World Massage Festival. I’ll be demonstrating in the DeepFeet booth with Ruthie and numerous other Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy therapists and instructors. If you’re going to be there be sure to stop by and say hi!

You can follow my travel progress on Facebook at Harvest Moon Massage Therapy & Reflexology.

I’ll be home Sunday and ready to see clients next week. Have a great weekend, everyone!

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Bamboo Fusion Here I Come!

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Well, it’s official. I filled out the form, sent it in and if all goes well I’ll be in Kennesaw, Georgia next month to learn Bamboo Fusion massage.

I am so excited. Of course, the last two classes I’ve signed up for have canceled. So… get on over to the Bamboo Fusion website and sign up for the June class. I’m willing to share accommodations and I don’t bite.

I can’t wait. Right now warm bamboo sounds really luxurious. Sigh…

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