I have always felt that Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy helped me start my massage career on the right foot. Just like most people out there, I used to walk on my dad's back as a kid, I massaged the dog with my feet because I was too tired to use my hands, and as a dancer I always use my toes to pick up things around the house. Using my feet came kind of naturally.

Throughout my massage training, I felt my body wanting to dance during each session. So I did. That led to my belly holding up the clients head, my hip pushing into clients while using my hands and arms, my knee propping itself onto the client for a deeper hold... this massage dance eventually left my feet wanting to do some bodywork.

One small step led to another, and I stumbled upon an article in Massage Magazine about Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy that looked fantastic. That same week a massage instructor of mine introduced me to her own barefoot massage adaptation, which she called "Lucky Feet", and I was lucky enough to receive a session from her. So needless to say, with Yvonne's sample of barefoot massage, and the article I found about Ashi, I was instantly amazed and hooked. I found an AOBT workshop a few weeks later and signed up — that Barefoot Basics workshop in 2003 was the same week I graduated from massage school, so I skipped my graduation ceremony and went to a life changing Ashiatsu workshop on an island near Seattle!

Since then, I've massaged with my feet just as long as I've massaged professionally with my hands. Trained by the founder and leading instructors of both Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy, Fijian Massage, and Barefoot Sports Massage, I've helped to build Barefoot Massage awareness in the Seattle and San Antonio areas. I love to educate the public and other massage therapists on the benefits of barefoot massage, and I hope they get as much joy and benefit from it as I do. 

After building a pretty great massage business of 4 years in Seattle, my husbands job relocated us to San Antonio from Seattle in 2006, and I do admit it was VERY hard to get this barefoot massage off the ground here in Texas at first. It took a lot of community education, a lot of getting to know the locals, and a lot of soul searching. To be quite honest, it was so hard that I closed the business for a short while and massaged alongside MD's, an Osteopath & a Chiropractor in a family practice, as well as with a Physical Therapist, just to reconnect with the medical community, learn from them, and feel useful again. I was in school working towards a degree in Occupational Therapy when the universe slapped me in the face, told me to retire my hands and use only my awesome feet.... to MAKE San Antonio try my work... and reopen my little business. This time it worked, and it's been rocking ever since!

I am a continuing education junky, and love to try to apply everything I learn with my feet. I like to say that most anything hands and forearms can do, feet can do better! Ashiatsu allows me to give the Deepest, Most Luxurious Massage on the Planet while dancing my own movement meditation, and utilizing barefoot massage techniques helps me to provide consistently effective sessions without wearing myself out.

I am honored to work with the founder of Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy, Ruthie Hardee, as a part of her team of authorized Instructors. Helping clients find peace and reduced pain, and teaching other massage therapists to do the same is my job... and I love it!

More importantly, I really love working within the Integrative Healing Institute (IHI) in San Antonio. Kim and the gang have really provided me and my massage business with a supportive and stable home that has kept myself, my practice and my classes thriving. If the bodywork that I provide isn't fit for you, please consider all the other services available from our family of healers at IHI: http://www.naturalreflexes.com/

Ashmead College
(AKA Seattle Massage School, now called "Everest")
Honor Graduate, class of May '03
Seattle, Washington
1100 Massage Therapy training hours
www.Everest.edu

Professional AMTA Member since 2002
Past Texas Chapter Newsletter Editor
Past National Massage Therapy Awareness Week Chair
Presenter for AOBT @ National & TX AMTA Conventions
www.AMTAmassage.org

Professional ABMP Member since 2008
www.ABMP.com

Past presenter
2010 TAMT East Meets West Convention
www.MyTAMT.org
2011 FSMTA Catch the Wave Convention
www.FSMTA.org

Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapist
Mastery Level
Certified in Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy
Certified in Ashi-Thai
AOBT Associate Instructor
6 month apprenticeship & ongoing training with the founder
www.DeepFeet.com

Fijian Massage 
www.FijianMassage.com

Barefoot Sports Massage
www.deeperwork.com

Breema Bodywork
www.Breema.com

Thai Massage
www.LearnThaiMassage.com
www.ThaiBodywork.com

Structural Relief Therapy
www.TayaCountryman.com

Natural Reflex Therapy
www.NaturalReflexes.com

Myoskeletal Alignment Techniques
www.ErikDalton.com

Structural Integration Techniques
www.AnatomyTrains.com

Additional training in:
Physical Therapy & Occupational Therapy Assistant
Clinical and Medical Massage
Advanced Injury Treatment
Medical Terminology & documentation
Myofascial Release
Indian Head Massage
Chinese Facial Fusion
Active/Passive/Restricted ROM Techniqes
Shiatsu
Trigger Point Therapy
Reflexology
Rehabilitation Exercises 
Therapeutic Taping Techniques
Theories in Teaching Adult CE Courses
Movement Therapy