Ashiatsu

The words “ashi” and “atsu” translate directly to mean “foot pressure”, however, practitioners may also utilize their Hands, elbows, forearms, and knuckles as needed. Sometimes referred to as barefoot massage or gravity assisted massage, the modality of Ashiatsu is performed with the practitioner standing on the table next to the client, using bars affixed to the ceiling for balance. This modality has a long and interesting history, and the iteration practiced at Aloft is relatively new and here in the United States.

When using the feet, the massage therapist has far more capability to apply deeper, broader pressure while still being controlled and gentle in the approach due to the padded nature of the foot. The broad, compressive nature of Ashiatsu allows the body to relax into the pressure with greater ease and thus, less time is spent acclimatizing the body to the pressure. This helps us to expedite the ‘warm up’ phase of the massage and access deeper pressure more quickly than if using a pointed tool like a knuckle or elbow.

Deep Tissue Massage

A broad term used to describe any type of Massage Therapy that involves applying firm pressure and slow strokes to reach deeper layers of muscle and fascia (the connective tissue surrounding muscles). It's used for chronic aches and pain and contracted areas such as a stiff neck and upper back, low back pain, leg muscle tightness, and sore shoulders.

Swedish Massage

This is the classic massage style that many clients are expecting from a typical session in the United States. The therapist uses oil or lotion liberally and works with gliding, kneading, compression, percussion and stretching to help relax muscles and improve circulation. This style tends to be on the gentle side and is well suited for anyone who is looking to relax.