These decade challenges that are making the rounds got me thinking about what I was doing 10 years ago… I was a student, still learning barefoot massage (who am I kidding, I’m still learning barefoot massage).
A common refrain from barefoot therapists and clients alike are questions about how to clean your feet before, during, and after a barefoot massage session.
Some therapists have beautiful bowls they cleanse in and ritualize the process, but it’s really not necessary. It can be as simple as cleansing with a little soap and water before and after the session in a pan or bowl or even sitting on the side of the sink.
Since most of us aren’t fortunate enough to have a foot bath available in our treatment room, table-side we always recommend a final spritz. It not only makes the client feel comfortable that our feet are as clean as possible, but it also ensures that anything you may have picked up since the last soap and water cleanse is washed away.
Where Do You Get Foot Spray?
I don’t know if you can buy a cleansing foot spray commercially. It’s so easy to make at home I’ve never really looked for it. Also, I like being able to control the ingredients that touch my skin and by doing it myself the cost is less than any commercial product is likely to be, especially with the volume a barefoot massage therapist will go through. I use A LOT of foot spray. There’s also the issue of client allergies to consider so making it takes away the guesswork on ingredients and potential reactions.
Make Your Own Foot Spray!
I know folks who use a combination of alcohol and water or those alcohol-based anti-bacterial gels. Those work, but can be very drying for some especially when used long-term.
I prefer to make my own from simple ingredients. First you’ll need a spray bottle, I prefer the trigger style as they’re easier to use even when you’ve been handling oils, creams, or lotions. I find the pump bottles almost impossible to hold onto if I’ve used any product at all. The other ingredients are distilled water, witch hazel, and essential oils.
For the oils, I prefer ones with anti-microbial and anti-fungal properties. And after a recent conversation with my friend and aromatherapist, Hillary Arrieta, from Gaia Bodywork in Dallas, TX, I have started adding lavender essential oil to combat the drying nature of some of the other essential oils.
A Foot Spray Recipe
4 oz. spray bottle (trigger bottles tend to work better than pump bottles) 1 oz. distilled water 1 oz. witch hazel No more than 24 drops combined of essential oils of melaleuca, eucalyptus, rosemary, lavender, and/or peppermint.
Combine all and shake well before each use. Spritz feet liberally table-side and dry with a towel.
This foot spray can also be used as a room spray, linen spray, to clean and refresh clients’ feet, or on those really hot days when your deodorant fails, can be pressed into use as as a body cleansing spray.
A COVID-19 Compliant Foot Spray
8 oz. 99% ethyl alcohol 1 Tbsp. household peroxide 1 tsp. vegetable glycerin 50 drops of essential oils of your choice 2 oz. distilled water
Combine all and shake well before each use. Spritz feet liberally table-side and dry with a towel.
Do not use for room or linen spray.
I hope this has answered most of your pressing questions about barefoot massage and foot cleansing. If not, drop your questions in the comments or give me a call and we can talk about it!
It’s going to be a fantastic class with myself and Jeni Spring (one of the founders of Center for Barefoot Massage) teaching together! You don’t want to miss this, it’s going to be epic!
So a few weeks ago I received this! It’s one small step in a BIG direction for my career and I am so excited. I was actually in the middle of another barefoot training class when the instructor suddenly turned around and said, “Here!” and handed it to me. Yay!
So now I am officially a Certified FasciAshi Barefoot Massage Therapist! It’s mostly just a bunch of words that mean I spent time after class practicing (a lot), I took a test (that wasn’t very easy), had a lot of practice clients fill out evaluations, and after all that, was observed by an instructor to make sure I was doing all the strokes correctly. It took a lot of time and work. I took my first steps to becoming FasciAshi certified in early July last year and you can see the date on the certificate says December. This didn’t just happen overnight, it was a conscious movement toward a goal.
There’s a lot of discussion in the massage therapy community on whether or not certification in any given modality means anything. “Experts” in our field will stand up and say, with confidence, that it means nothing because it’s not regulated and there are no standards. BUT I’m here to tell you that Center for Barefoot Massage put some standards into their certification process and make us do real work before they will give us the title of Certified FasciAshi Barefoot Massage Therapist.
Certification is important for a lot of reasons.
I want to be confident in my skills, so I do extra work outside of class to make sure that I’m good at what I do. I want my clients and prospective clients to be confident in my skills, so I do extra work outside of class to make sure that I can meet all the requirements to earn the certification AND the confidence of my instructors. And I also want my community to view me as an expert in my field, so I do extra work outside of class to become a trusted resource on barefoot massage.
You want to be good at what you do?
Do extra work outside of class to become better. It’s easy (sort of) if you love it!
If you’re interested in becoming better at what you do and becoming FasciAshi certified check out Alabama Barefoot Massage Training Center and come train with us.
This is your “insider’s guide” to all you need to know before you arrive. Decatur is a beautiful place, if you’re traveling consider extending your stay an extra day to take in some of what our lovely area has to offer!
Training Location:
The Alabama Campus of the Center for Barefoot Massage is located at: 1900 Flint Road, Decatur, AL. Click here to see a map!
We are located inside the brick house next door to Webb-Awtrey Insurance Agency. The training location is a shared space inside Harvest Moon Massage Therapy & Reflexology. Please park in the back of the building as the limited parking spaces in front are reserved for clients.
Travel Suggestions:
Huntsville International Airport is located approximately 30 minutes from the training location. It’s closer, but usually a little more expensive. Birmingham-Shuttlesworth Airport is approximately 1.5 hours from the training location. Usually the cheaper option, you can catch a Southwest flight here, but you’ll have to rent transportation.
Lodging Suggestions:
The Loft in Hartselle – 15 minutes from training center AirBnb has many availabilities in the Hartselle, Madison, and Athens areas. Be aware that Decatur has made AirBnBs and other short-term private rentals illegal. There are several large chain hotels located on Beltline Road 5-10 minutes from the training center.
Coffee & Eats:
Java Jaay’s is a couple of blocks down 6th Avenue from the training center and they have a drive through! Please consider supporting our local businesses first, but if you must have Starbucks the closest is going to be inside Target on the corner of Hwy 31 and Hwy 67.
Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge is right down the street. Take a hike out to the observation building and see what kinds of waterfowl are in season. Check out the interpretive center and five different walking trails. It’s also all FREE!
Other nearby outdoor activities include Delano Park & Rose Gardens, Point Mallard, Hurricane Park, Bankhead National Forest, and Alabama Scenic River Trail.
Into history? Go see the Old State Bank Building on historic Bank Street and the Confederate Museum.
We are also directly across the street from Upsurge, Decatur’s indoor trampoline facility. And a short drive across the river will bring you to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center.
There is so much to do and see in our area you may want to extend your training into a mini-vacation that you can write off!
Directions:
From Huntsville International Airport travel west on I-565 to Hwy 31 south/6th Avenue. Turn left onto Corsbie Street. Corsbie Street turns into Flint Road in front of Upsurge. We are directly across from the Upsurge loading dock next door to Webb-Awtrey Insurance Agency.
From Birmingham-Shuttlesworth Airport travel north on I-65 to the Priceville exit (#334, AL-67). Take AL-67 north (turn left) to Hwy 31/6th Avenue. Turn right onto Hwy 31/6th Avenue. Turn right onto Corsbie Street. Corsbie Street turns into Flint Road in front of Upsurge. We are directly across from the Upsurge loading dock next door to Webb-Awtrey Insurance Agency.
So I’ll be going out of town (again) for a few days.
I’ll be taking a class, but I can’t tell you exactly what it is because it’s a top secret project that some of my ashiatsu barefoot massage cohorts have been working on. They’ll be teaching this new and hush, hush ashiatsu method to a few of us so we can test it all out before it rolls out to the general public. Never fear though, unless they swear me to further secrecy I will be bringing it home and trying it out on whoever wants to lay on my table!
I’m excited about this trip not only because of the new skills, but also because I’m returning to my ashiatsu roots. This training is in Cincinnati at Affinity Massage Studios with my original instructor, Mary-Claire Fredette, from all those many years ago.
I’ll be back in the office Monday, September 24th!
Many of you already know I recently went to San Antonio, TX for a big training. I took what is formally called FasciAshi Fundamentals which is a big fancy phrase for more Ashiatsu barefoot massage training. What that means to you, I have new techniques to help you get out of pain!
It was a lot of very hard work, but I am so energized and proud to be bringing these new skills to my clients.
Enjoy the photo show!
Randy Cummins was teaching a Barefoot Shiatsu class when I arrived. I got to observe and be the demo body for neck and shoulder work. He put his foot on my forehead during one of the moves and it was AMAZING!
This guy hangs out in the training center!
This class is definitely on the to-do list!
Jeni Spring giving us the wisdom!
This little grotto was across the street from my AirBnB place. Fascinating rock structure.
Ashiatsu Rules!
What I love most about training is meeting new friends. This is Katie Reschny from Florida!
Yes, she’s massaging a skeleton!
It wasn’t all work, we got some playtime in too!
Yep, this new move, I think you’re gonna love it if you have sciatic issues.
♥
Harvest Moon Massage Therapy is Decatur’s Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage Specialist!
Every so often someone asks if Ashiatsu is safe. They have looked at some pictures or read a description and gotten the idea that experiencing Ashi may be akin to being trampled by a small elephant.
I’m here to assure you that is not so.
Many of my clients have taken to telling their friends and family and actually introducing me as the massage therapist who walks on people. I got tired of correcting folks, it’s a distinction really, so now I just smile and nod yes, that’s me, the lady who walks on people and calls it a funny name.
And while I technically do not walk on people, I do a pretty good impression.
Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy or DeepFeet Bar Therapy was created to deliver deep pressure to the client safely.
So I can say it’s safe all day long, but what do I do to make it safe?
Don’t walk on people
I really do NOT walk on you. I use my foot or feet to glide over and compress the muscles. It’s different from walking because even with two feet my weight is rarely ever fully on the client and I never shift weight from one foot to the other while working.
Use the right tool for the right job
Sometimes it’s not safe to receive Ashi. If you’re pregnant, if you have uncontrolled high blood pressure or uncontrolled diabetes or problems with circulation or recent surgeries, you should not have Ashi. That’s why I ask so many seemingly invasive questions when we first meet.
Also, Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy massage and Ashi-Thai moves are designed to be performed in a certain way. If I’m using the wrong foot to do a particular move, at best, I’m going to get stuck and have to make clumsy adjustments. At worst, I might hurt my client. So there’s a right foot and a wrong foot to use for each move.
No free-stylin’
I use only one foot at a time when working with clients who weight less than 40 lbs. more than I do. No, I’m not going to ask you how much you weigh unless you really need two feet, and you’re really close to the me+40 limit.
Regardless of whether it’s with one foot or two feet, I only perform moves I learned to do the safe way in training.
No goofing around on the table, EVER
This is probably the most dangerous thing an Ashi therapist can do. Goofing around and / or not paying attention to what they are doing is going to result in falling off the table and / or on the client. Neither of which is good for everyone involved.
We are trained specifically on how to move and navigate while on the table with a client. It may look simple and fluid, but it’s not all that intuitive and our instructors spend a lot of time trying to ingrain safe on-the-table habits.
Always be gentle and considerate
I try to never touch or cross the spine while working. Since the pressure is deep by the nature of Ashi, getting too close to the spine could cause a lot of pain or even injury. Also, stepping on or pinching the client’s skin is bad form. As is getting your toes tangled up in their hair. Not good… Oh, and I wash my feet obsessively between clients.
So that’s what I do to keep Ashi safe. I hope these answer your questions about Ashi Safety. If not, please leave a comment and I’ll write about it.
***I should point out that what he’s doing isn’t really perfect in that he’s unsupported. His form is pretty good and his balance is great, but as an adult I would never attempt this because frankly, someone could get killed.
I won’t tell you not to let your kid walk on your back. I think it’s a right of passage myself, but do be aware of the receiver’s physical limitations and the weight of the child. My nephew and I had a good weight difference when this picture was taken, probably about 90 lbs. difference.
But he’s growing and I’m growing older and I can almost guarantee we won’t do this again because our weights will be too close for it to be safe. Not to mention even in this photo, at these weights, one wobble the wrong way could have sent him crashing down into me and there’s at least one of us injured if not both.
But… it was fun anyway and a great memory that we will both have for posterity. I’m glad we got it in electrons 🙂
♥
Harvest Moon Massage is Decatur, Alabama’s Exclusive Provider of Ashi-Thai Massage!
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So I’ll be going out of town (again) for a few days.
