Article Printed in The Denver Daily News  October 26, 2006

© Lumiere Consulting 2006

Finally an Addiction that is Good for You     

 

Sometimes the worse part about a getting massage is actually the massage.  You know when the therapist finds that muscle knot in your back with their thumb and your first instinct is to move away.  Achieving the benefits of a deep tissue massage can sometimes be painful.  What if I told you could get all of the good without any of the hurt?

 

Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy™ (AOBT) sounds like a place to get sushi with your shrink but there is no sake served here according Brian Fun, Certified Massage Therapist.  Fun is the owner of Balanced Being Massage Therapy and one of about fifty certified AOBT therapists in Colorado who get paid to walk all over their clients. His clients include several local professional athletes and some big name celebrities that stop in for a massage when they’re in Denver.

 

Ashiatsu is an ancient form of massage that involves using the feet, gravity and body weight to achieve a deep pressure massage.  Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy™ is an adaptation of this Asian form that utilizes wooden bars that are suspended from the ceiling to support and balance the massage therapist.  “I want people to understand that I am not up here swinging from the bars like a circus act.” Fun tells me as his foot makes fluid movements across the back of his patient.

 

I am witnessing the treatment firsthand as the patient, a local Denver business man, is experiencing his first AOBT massage. Russ Jones has suffered from chronic low back and shoulder pain for years and has come here seeking relief.  “Usually my clients come to me because their muscles are extremely tight from postural related issues or as the result of their occupation or hobbies.” explains Fun who sees his massage as overall maintenance for the mind, body and soul, not your typical spa treatment.  Fun is certified and experienced in AOBT and has been practicing various massage styles for over 6 years.

 

Fun feels that his massage therapy is a health benefit and that it is more about improving quality of life. “Everyone should get a massage once a month.  If you’re not worth one hour a month for just yourself that is unfortunate”.  He calmly tells me this as I watch his feet glide up and down the patient’s back, smoothing out the knots and stretching the muscles along the spine.  The base of his foot suffices to push out the knot without the hard point of a finger or elbow poking into the patient’s body.

 

His serene citrus green colored massage room in Cherry Creek has an instant calming effect that lets the patient leave all of their physical stress in his hands – or his feet in this case.  There are no clocks in this room and Fun has no set routine for administering his massages.  “I let the patent’s body determine the amount of time and the depth of the massage.” When I ask Jones, how it feels, I get a muffled “Great” in reply.  Jones then turns his head and says “My last massage was painful compared to this”. Fun tells Jones that “a massage should never be torturous or unpleasant”.  AOBT is deep and luxurious and that does seems to be the consensus among his massage addicts.

 

 “Yes, there are AOBT addicts” claims Ruthie Piper Hardee, the creator of the Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy™.  When I asked why, she said she just knows that first time clients all say “that was the best massage I have ever had”.  “It’s a deep massage that does not have all that boney, knobby, prodding that happens when a therapist uses their wrists and elbows on your back” said Hardee.  Using the feet gives deep pressure with a broad smooth sweep of the therapist’s foot.

 

Hardee, is a local Coloradan and former massage therapist for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  Being only 120 pounds and suffering from scoliosis, she was having serious difficulty performing the deep tissue work needed for professional athletes.  She had seen Ashiatsu massage performed while traveling in Asia and thought she could incorporate it into her orthopedic training. 

 

Hardee developed the overhead multi-bar layout and combined the Ashiatsu with sports medicine and massage therapy to create a new modality of massage delivery. Not only is it good for the patient but it seems to be a great benefit for any Certified Massage Therapist.  This technique is much easier on the therapist’s body allowing them to accomplish more massages in a day and extending the life of their careers by several years.

 

I know what you’re thinking - won’t that hurt my back? And do I really want a therapist walking on me with his bare feet?  “With all of my clients, I find out what their health issues are.  From this information I can usually determine if AOBT is going to be for them or not, because for some people it is too deep.” said Fun. “I can use heavy pressure when it is needed for athletes or larger individuals or the gentlest of touch for my elderly clients”.  Fun works out regularly and has incredible upper body strength to support his weight from the overhead bars.

 

To quell concerns regarding the therapist’s bare feet on a client, Fun practices the strictest foot hygiene.  He gets a pedicure every four days and has a nightly foot care routine.  Before each client, he washes his feet with scented oil and sprays them with alcohol.  He uses a custom lotion mixture to get the luxurious feel his patients crave.  When his feet glide across your back it feels smooth and strong, which is just what you want when getting a massage.  “I can’t even tell it is his feet, it feels like strong hands or forearms,” commented his patient on the table.

  

Well as they say, the proof is in the pudding or the AOBT in this case.  “Hands down the best massage I have ever had.” said Jone, who is ultra relaxed from his 90 minute session with Fun.  “You’ll be seeing me again.”  According to Fun that is the typical response from first timers.  “My clients talk about this with their friends and suddenly their friends are calling me for an appointment almost immediately,” says Fun who has built his clientele solely through word of mouth. 

 

I called the Jones a week after the massage to see how he was feeling, “I feel great and have no pain anywhere in my body; I even chopped wood and felt fine the next day.  I have to say that is amazing.  I can’t wait for my next appointment with Brian,” he said with a smile in his voice.

 

AOBT is not for everyone, if you are pregnant or have had a broken or dislocated back, you should stick to a less intense massage. But if you are suffering from chronic lower back pain, tight shoulders muscles, or just want the best massage you have ever had, then you owe it to yourself to visit Brian Fun for no other reason than you deserve it.