What is a Thai Ashiatsu Massage?

The term "Thai Ashiatsu massage" refers to a fusion or blend of two distinct massage modalities: Ashiatsu and Thai Massage.

  • Ashiatsu (Foot Pressure):

    • Core Technique: The therapist uses their bare feet to deliver deep, broad, and consistent pressure to the client's body. The word "Ashiatsu" itself is Japanese, meaning "foot pressure."

    • How it Works: The therapist stands on the massage table and uses overhead bars or straps for balance and control, allowing them to adjust their body weight to provide deep, gliding strokes and compressions.

    • Benefits: It's known for being one of the deepest forms of deep tissue massage, but the pressure is distributed more broadly by the foot, which is often described as feeling less "pointy" or painful than a therapist's elbow or thumb. It is great for chronic back/hip pain, muscle tightness, and elongating the spine.

  • Thai Massage (Nuad Boran):

    • Core Technique: Traditionally performed on a floor mat with the client fully clothed. It involves a combination of acupressure, rhythmic compression, and assisted stretching (often described as "lazy man's yoga").

    • How it Works: The therapist uses their hands, elbows, knees, and feet to move the client into various yoga-like positions and apply pressure along energy lines.

    • Benefits: Focuses on increasing flexibility, improving circulation, joint mobility, and overall energy flow.

The Fusion: Thai Ashiatsu (or Ashi-Thai):

The Thai Ashiatsu (sometimes called Ashi-Thai) technique takes the deep, broad pressure of Ashiatsu and incorporates some of the stretching, joint mobilization, and range of motion techniques characteristic of Thai massage.

  • What to Expect: A session is usually performed on a massage table with the client unclothed but draped, and oil or lotion is used. The therapist utilizes the overhead bars to apply deep, flowing, foot-based pressure to the muscles (like Ashiatsu) and also maneuvers the client's limbs into gentle, assisted stretches (like Thai massage).

  • The Goal: It aims to provide the deepest muscle relief and spinal decompression possible through the feet, while also incorporating passive stretches to enhance flexibility and range of motion.

Essentially, it's a dynamic, deep, and therapeutic massage that combines the best elements of both Eastern modalities.

What is Arnica?

An "Arnica massage" is a type of therapeutic massage where the therapist uses an Arnica-infused product instead of a standard lotion or oil.

It is a specialized approach designed to enhance the massage's benefits for muscle recovery, pain management, and localized soreness.

How Arnica is Used in Massage?

The arnica is typically present in the massage medium as an infused oil, gel, cream, or balm which blends arnica extract with a carrier oil (like jojoba, grapeseed, or sunflower). This allows the natural compounds in the arnica to be absorbed topically during the hands-on work.

The application is usually focused on:

  • Targeted Areas: The therapist will concentrate the arnica product on specific muscle groups or joints experiencing stiffness, chronic pain, or soreness from exercise.

  • Post-Session Relief: It is often used after intensive techniques like Deep Tissue or Trigger Point Therapy to help soothe the treated area and reduce the likelihood of post-massage tenderness or minor bruising.

  • Sports Recovery: It's a favorite in sports massage to help manage Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) and speed up the recovery of strained muscles.