My teaching massage schedule is slowing down, so I thought I'd get back on track with doing a blog here and there about my Cincinnati massage studio.

In my opinion, Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy, otherwise known as "AOBT" or "ashi", is one of the best ways to deliver an amazing deep tissue massage. I've been doing ashi in Cincinnati since 2002, longer than most other therapists in the area. AOBT comprises about 80% of my practice, with warm Bamboo-fusion massage coming in 2nd.

I no longer do deep tissue massage with my hands because of the strain on my wrists and elbows. In fact, I have tendonitis (tennis elbow) as a direct result of doing hands on massage. If you are a massage therapist, you can certainly understand that!

From a client standpoint, ashiatsu is superior than traditional deep tissue massage by hand for a variety of reasons:

•  With barefoot massage, the therapist can easily work deeply because gravity is on his/her side. It's much easier to sink down with weight to give pressure than it is to "muscle" it.
• The ball and heel of the foot is more comfortable than pointy elbows, thumbs and fingers, making deep tissue massage much more bearable.
• Ashiatsu strokes are done at a slow pace, enabling the client to really relax into the strokes.
• Anterior (on the front of the body) work on the quads is much more comfortable than when the therapist uses her hands/forearm because the arch of the foot comfortable nestles the muscles.

These are the top benefits just off the top of my head. I've been on a mad teaching streak for 5 weeks now, ending tomorrow with the completion of Advanced Ashiatsu, so forgive me if I ramble!

You can schedule a massage through Bookfresh on my website www.affinitymassages.com. There's a tab at the top of the site as well as a button to the right of each page.