... Swedish Massage, or classic massage, is the most requested modality in the USA, and is basic relaxing massage using primarily effleurage and petrissage strokes and compressions with oil on skin. Some myofascial techniques, stretching and tapotement may be included. Deep tissue is a general term for massage which may include techniques used in Swedish applied more forcefully, plus other techniques, such as trigger point or cross fiber, which may be more therapeutic.
...the client is typically unclothed or partially clothed under a sheet on a table, and oil or cream is applied on the skin Any areas, such as face, scalp, feet, can be avoided per client request, and pressure is adjusted as desired. Hands, fingers, thumbs, knuckles, forearms, elbows and sometimes tools or vibration are used.
... Michael Gibian, John Harris, and Katie Mickey at the Body Therapy Institute, and with Mary Lee Martin and Dianna Windwood at the University of California,
According to Healthline.com, if you’re looking for short-term pain relief and temporary relaxation, you could benefit from a Swedish massage.
Long-term effects on pain and anxiety may possibly be achieved with regular sessions.
Benefits include:
Clients undress to their comfort level and lie under a sheet on a massage table with face cradle. Sessions may last 30 minutes concentrating on a specific problem area, or an hour or more for a general full-body treatment using hands, forearms, elbows. When desired, stretching, PNF, vibration and other modalities can be incorporated.
...to manipulate tissue, perform passive stretch and assess range of motion. Thus the principles of Trigger Point Therapy, Myofascial Release, and various Sports Massage and Deep Tissue and even cross-fiber friction (deep transverse friction) techniques may be applied, producing more therapeutic progress and healing per session for the more sophisticated and demanding clients, such as professional dancers, athletes and musicians. Just like "riding a bicycle", once you experience this modality, it will be hard to go back to just "walking".
"clothes on, no oil, pain gone"
No oil is used and clients remain loosely clothed- no jeans, please.
This modality has roots in
Deep Tissue, Myofascial Release, Trigger Point Therapy, transverse friction, compression, tension, shear, PNF, stretching and other techniques.
For those clients whose demands are far beyond the limits of 'skin polishing' and 'moisturizing', and desire true Deep Work,
there is...
Barefoot Deep Tissue DVD by John Harris
Our YouTube channel has been demonetized by Google, so we are moving to another provider soon.
1. Fred Kenyon & John Harris,
Fix Pain: Bodywork Protocols for Myofascial Pain Syndromes
© 2002, Press4Health Press
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2.
If a bodyworker claims that barefoot massage on a mat is "uncomfortable, rigorous and rough",
then they are not a good barefoot massage therapist.
If a bodyworker claims to use centrifugal or centripetal forces, ask him or her what will be spinning during your session (besides rhetoric). However Watsu and acro-yoga can employ these forces.
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3. John Harris.
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4. Lauriann Greene, Robert A. Greene.
Save Your Hands! Injury Prevention for Massage Therapists
Gilded Age Press; 1st edition (April 11, 2000), ISBN-10: 0967954908, ISBN-13: 978-0967954905
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5. 2008 AMTA Industry Survey.
2009 Massage Therapy Industry Fact Sheet.
Viewed 2009-03-09 from http://www.amtamassage.org/news/MTIndustryFactSheet.html
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1.
Photo photo of barefoot therapy on upper trapezius
© Fix Pain, used with permission
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2.
Sample Page from Fix Pain book by John Harris and Fred Kenyon showing back muscles
© Fix Pain, used with permission
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3.
Photo by Rebecca of Paul at
pro bono barefoot deep tissue massage at iMadonnari
public event in 2007
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4.
Screenshot of YouTube video by Trisoma
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