Upgrade your deep tissue massage: What you need to know about the Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage.Barefoot massage, sometimes called Ashiatsu, is arguably the deepest, deep-tissue massage available at your local Dallas massage studio, The Heeling Hut Barefoot Massage. With an exotic name and slightly intimidating equipment, Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage is when the licensed massage therapist uses their feet instead of their hands to give you a massage. The result is the most profound, consistent pressure you can ask for. It's a misconception that Deep tissue is just a DEEPER Swedish massage. Swedish massage, when done correctly, is a system that includes four kinds of techniques and joint mobilizations. Many therapists skip strokes and use long-flowing movements making it less effective. Deep tissue is a collection of actions that get to the deeper layers of tissue. Most clients who love Deep massages tell me that barefoot ashiatsu massage is the BEST deep tissue massage they've ever had = locally or on vacation. When massage therapist uses overhead bar support, they can use their weight instead of forcing pressure using pokey elbows and knuckles into their muscles. Getting the best massage in the Dallas area is easy with a well-trained massage therapist.
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Get the best Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage with these tips.By Hillary Arrieta, LMT
The Heeling Hut Barefoot Massage and Wellness. Plano, Texas. When you invest in massage therapy as a way of self-care, it's natural to wonder how you can benefit most from your appointments. I'm here to share with you the habits that will get you the results you want in no time. When I start working with a client, we typically discuss their goals for their session. Clients are often trying to get rid of nagging pain, or they want to create a habit of getting massages more frequently. In the case of the first intention, I always suggest that they come in more regularly so I can help them overcome the musculoskeletal pain they might be experiencing at that time. It could be coming from stress or an injury. Either way, seeing them at least every other week three or four times is an excellent way to start. In the case of the second intention, We schedule standing appointments. They may choose a quarterly block or book appointments for the entire year. They get their preferred time every week or month and don't have to worry about scheduling. They already have all their sessions booked. Advanced booking makes it easy for them to make it a regular habit. Also, it's vital to always talk to your massage therapist about your health history and history of injuries. We can formulate the most customized session for you when we know everything. Working with a licensed therapist who knows you personally is a game changer for sports injuries, enhanced athletic performance or if you're dealing with life-related tension building up. I'm here to help you with your self-care or wellness goals. Was this blog helpful? Leave a comment! I'd love to hear from you. Hi! I’m Hillary Arrieta and I help people improve their lives by offering holistic solutions to ease stress, eliminate pain, and inspire self care practices. I own The Heeling Hut in Plano, TX. Where I teach workshops, write, and specialize in unique and effective massage and meditation techniques such as Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage and iRest® Yoga Nidra. At The Heeling Hut you'll find the best massage in the Dallas area for pain and stress management. Texas MT 040051 The Heeling Hut Barefoot Massage now in Plano, TexasBy Hillary Arrieta, Owner and LMT
Did you know Gaia Bodywork is now The Heeling Hut Barefoot Massage and Wellness? I recently changed the name of my massage practice to reflect the changes happening over the last few years. I've slowly grown my massage practice into a Barefoot Massage-only studio. After all the changes going on, what's one more? With this mindset, I retired Gaia Bodywork and revamped it as The Heeling Hut. You'll find more Ashiatsu and Barefoot Massage offerings as my transformation continues. The Heeling Hut will continue with GB's legacy of being Dallas, Fort Worth's premier Ashiatsu studio - now fully adopting the technology into each and everything I offer. It makes sense because I've been teaching Ashiatsu as an approved teacher with the Center for Barefoot Massage for the past four years. I'm so proud to be a part of this strong group of women taking Westernized Ashiatsu to the next level with their style, FasciAshi. Utilizing Jeni Springs's proprietary "Ashi Strap" technique, it's a thing of beauty. I hope my new name inspires my students and that my clients embrace all the changes. It's been a season. :) In Joy! Hi! I’m Hillary Arrieta and I help people improve their lives by offering holistic solutions to ease stress, eliminate pain, and inspire self care practices. I own The Heeling Hut in Plano, TX. Where I teach workshops, write, and specialize in unique and effective massage and meditation techniques such as Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage and iRest® Yoga Nidra. At The Heeling Hut you'll find the best massage in the Dallas area for pain and stress management. Texas MT 040051 Teacher, Massage Therapist and Author, Hillary Arrieta By Hillary Arrieta, New Author and LMT It's time to celebrate! I've been working on a project, and it's finally time to see all my hard work completed. I'm happy to announce that I'm the newest Author in a series of massage-related books called "Press Here!" Let me tell you my story. In 2019 I got an opportunity to write a pitch for this upcoming book on a topic I love, highlighting Indian head massage. I dreamed up an outline for this book with all the elements of the perfect spa-infused IHM - complete with recipes, and the publisher accepted! I spent the next six months working with the publisher, editors, and artists to create what you see here. The title changed once; we spent countless hours on this project; my friends helped by sitting in as my models for the drawings. It was the best time, and I'm happy with the outcome. I especially love the art and the colors on the cover. I have always been very pro "pink and purple," This lady looks like Wonder Woman. It's perfect. The publishers moved the release date from March 2020 (we all know what happened then.) to March 2021- delayed an entire year! To see it be born has been a trip! Other experts in the massage field authored books in this series, and I feel very honored to be a part of this. You can find it on the shelf at Barnes and Noble or online at Amazon and other smaller bookstores. It's offered all through the UK too! I hope you'll celebrate this event with me soon. In Joy! ![]() Hi! I’m Hillary Arrieta and I help people improve their lives by offering holistic solutions to ease stress, eliminate pain, and inspire self care practices. I own The Heeling Hut in Plano, TX. Where I teach workshops, write, and specialize in unique and effective massage and meditation techniques such as Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage and iRest® Yoga Nidra. At The Heeling Hut you'll find the best massage in the Dallas area for pain and stress management. Texas MT 040051 Many people love to get massages but are unsure of the actual benefits and how to get the most from their sessions. After working as a massage therapist for over a decade in Dallas, Texas, I've spoken to many clients and prospective clients about the important, need to know information regarding massage therapy. Its long term use for significant health and wellness benefits. I've narrowed it down to address the most common questions I get from people wanting to know more about this amazing therapy. 1. Massage therapy, like most natural therapies, requires consistency and time to reap benefits. It would be fantastic to go in for a massage and come out feeling brand new, but that isn't always the case. Our bodies create muscular imbalances over time, so naturally, it will take some time to undo them. Some styles of bodywork can release chronic muscular holding patterns and benefit your overall posture. Still, it will take several weeks, months, or even years, depending on what is going on. Some therapists also make suggestions for home care or refer to additional health care providers so that your treatments will be more productive and last longer. I always encourage my clients to make massage a regular self-care habit to prevent pain and stress. Massage Therapy works best as preventative care. 2. Massage therapy helps muscle tissue rest, repair, and recover after strenuous activity. Not only does massage therapy feel good, it's also an excellent option for a speedy recovery for people with muscular pain or athletes wanting to enhance their performance. Thinking that the only benefit to getting regular massage is feeling pampered severely underestimates this extremely effective natural therapy. Regular massage adds to our quality of life by reducing everyday aches and pains that nag at us and consequently makes our stress levels rise. 3. There are many styles of massage therapy, and every therapist is different. It's true; we all study different types of massage and have different skills that are unique to each individual. While we all study the same necessary massage foundations, some of us specialize in different areas. Many therapists choose to study clinical styles of bodywork, while others are passionate about relaxation and stress reduction. Some therapists want only to use modern Western techniques, while others enjoy ancient, Eastern styles of bodywork. It's best to ask around for a referral to someone that can be a good match for your specific needs. Luckily, massage therapists are very friendly and love to discuss their work, so finding a good referral is pretty simple. For example, you wouldn't want to see a therapist who practices massage for relaxation if you need detailed work on specific muscles for pain relief from an injury. You'd want to see a clinical or medical massage therapist. Whenever I hear someone complain about a massage they didn't like, it's because the intention of the session wasn't clear to both parties from the beginning or they were seeing a therapist who's style wasn't a good fit for them. 4. We are the facilitators, but you are the healer. Massage therapists create space for our clients to rest and move their nervous system from its stress response into it's parasympathetic or "rest and digest" response. When we can take a complete rest, miraculous things can happen. Our bodies can heal from many stress-related dysfunctions, we can see the world more clearly, and we can make better decisions for our well being. Massage therapists can only hold that space for our clients, but we can not take credit for healing them. The real healing of our mind/body relationship happens in its own time and when we as individuals are ready. Question: What do you what your massage therapist to know? Leave a comment. ![]() Hi! I’m Hillary Arrieta and I help people improve their lives by offering holistic solutions to ease stress, eliminate pain, and inspire self care practices. I own The Heeling Hut in Plano, TX. Where I teach workshops, write, and specialize in unique and effective massage and meditation techniques such as Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage and iRest® Yoga Nidra. At The Heeling Hut you'll find the best massage in the Dallas area for pain and stress management. Texas MT 040051 Massage therapy has become somewhat of a mainstream natural health practice in the past few years with the help of large chains that offer memberships for a monthly massage. Even before the rise in popularity, therapeutic massage found it's way into my life.
After years of dealing with intense anxiety, and feeling unraveled emotionally, I began a healing journey, becoming a massage therapist. It wasn't just to help others through the difficulties in life but also to help myself and grow me up into a balanced person. It is an honor to do this type of work, and I feel like it was my destiny to become a holistic health provider. The perfect fit. A way to integrate my scattered self and become whole. Massage therapy opened me up to a better understanding of how my mind and body work together and how, when using massage as preventative health care, instead of as a pampering treat, I could live a happier, relatively conflict-free life. Life became more relaxed. My emotions and thoughts were less overwhelming. Communication with others was more precise. I use my massage practice to inspire people to take care of the body-mind. The main focus of my work is stress relief, which is something that, for whatever reason, our culture doesn't value much, although everyone seems to want it. I love to create a healing environment for people. It gives my clients a place away from the rest of the busy world, working with people who are burnt out and needing to rejuvenate their lives, dealing with anxiety, depression, PTSD, and stress-related illness. These are some of my regular clients. My sessions are quiet and have a focus on healing for that reason. I work with people who need to step away from life and recover from being overwhelmed, lift depression, soothe anxiety, and all the adverse effects of our multitasking, pressured-filled, modern-day lifestyles. Dallas Texas is a big city and we have many stressers here. I love to bring a little magic back to the lives of people who need to feel inspired. Massage therapy has given me many gifts over the years. One of the most significant contributions has been an appreciation for self-care. I never thought about caring for myself before I found massage therapy. I use to do harmful things to my body and mind. I had no clue that I was in control of my mental health and that taking care of my physical AND emotional/spiritual self was important. I loved getting "pampered" at the nail or hair salon, but genuine self-care goes more in-depth than physical attractiveness. Sometimes when I'm feeling off, I can explore how I'm feeling through meditation practices and often discover that what I'm experiencing is an emotion, thought, or an unhelpful belief lingering. Self-inquiry has brought me a lot of peace. I learn that I can resolve whatever is coming up for me and determine the pain that is showing up in my physical body. A massage during a time when we need to release emotional or mental pain can be helpful because putting ourselves in a healing environment and allowing our body to rest and can stimulate our brains to process complicated information. One of the reasons Massage therapy works in this way is It takes us from our hectic, stress-filled lives into a place where our nervous system can switch over to the parasympathetic "rest and digest" response. Rest is when healthy changes can occur in our minds and bodies. Mental clarity and focus are the benefits of regular massage. It's safe to say that we can't be at our best when we are always in survival mode, frazzled, and living a lifestyle that doesn't allow rest. We are told that it's lazy or that being unproductive is terrible when, in reality, it's a vital part of healing and staying healthy. Becoming a massage therapist also introduced me to the world of alternative health. One of the ideas of alt. health care is looking at not just the physical but also the mental, spiritual, and emotional parts. I read so many life-changing books searching for more and more on true wellness and what it means to be balanced. I changed how I felt about myself, and the harmful negative self-talk turned into sweetness. I work on accepting other people and myself, just as they are. It's is a conscious and daily practice. I've developed a more in-depth spiritual knowing through meditation that gives me peace. Reflecting over the past ten years as a licensed massage therapist gives me a sense of happiness and pride. I'm proud of myself and inspired by everyone I have met and studied under. It's a feeling of being home and centered in my life purpose. With gratitude! About the Author: Hi! I’m Hillary Arrieta and I help people improve their lives by offering holistic solutions to ease stress, eliminate pain, and inspire self care practices. I own The Heeling Hut in Plano, TX. Where I teach workshops, write, and specialize in unique and effective massage and meditation techniques such as Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage and iRest® Yoga Nidra. At The Heeling Hut you'll find the best massage in the Dallas area for pain and stress management. Texas MT 040051 ![]() Massage therapy is a treatment whose sole purpose is to make us feel better and to add to our health. It relaxes us and boosts our bodies immune response, but sometimes it's not the best treatment for us. Massage therapy can actually intensify your symptoms or cause other issues to arise that are uncomfortable or unwanted at times. Here are a few examples of when massage therapy is not such a great idea.
Remember to discuss any health concerns with your massage therapist and to let them know if your health history has changed since your last visit. Tell me: How does massage help you stay healthy? Leave me a comment- I love hearing from you! ![]() Hi! I’m Hillary Arrieta and I help people improve their lives by offering holistic solutions to ease stress, eliminate pain, and inspire self care practices. I own The Heeling Hut in Plano, TX. Where I teach workshops, write, and specialize in unique and effective massage and meditation techniques such as Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage and iRest® Yoga Nidra. At The Heeling Hut you'll find the best massage in the Dallas area for pain and stress management. Texas MT 040051 ![]() Click Bait Alert! It's actually really hard to make your massage therapist mad at you. We are generally peaceful people. With that said, I recently asked this question to therapists on Facebook: "What's one thing you wished clients knew (etiquette wise) before they become your clients or what's an example of times where you felt communication could be better?" I got feedback from people all over the country. With that feed back, I was inspired to come up with few pointers on what to avoid doing before, during, and after your massage visit. Let's see what you think. 1. Being habitually late. For many therapists, this is the #1 discussed aggravation. For me, I have certain booking policies that are clear about this issue. For therapists that try to accommodate late clients, it makes their whole day a mess and pushes back other clients sessions. Usually the other people that have to wait are not happy campers. It's just a bad situation for everyone. 2. Not showing up for a booked appointment. For most people who work by appointment, they depend on clients to show up for their sessions when they book them. It takes up valuable time where they could be working with other clients or attending family or personal events. This communication is so important and it's just good manners to let someone know in advance if you're not going to make a meeting that is set up specifically for you. 3. Neglecting your hygiene before your massage appointment. You should arrive at your session clean and in the mind frame of relaxing. It's a courtesy to your therapist and it's more beneficial for you. A clean environment is a healthy environment for all considered. 4. Making inappropriate remarks of the sexual nature to your therapist. No further explanation needed. Many therapists report this type of behavior to local police departments as a safety concern and in protest to human trafficking. 5. Trying to haggle on pricing. For most therapists, pricing is set at what they need to make to feed their families. I've never met a wealthy massage therapist and while I'm sure they exists, most of us are just normal people trying to make a living wage by helping others with our skills. We work hard and we train hard to give you that great massage time and time again. Support your favorite therapists and understand that they have kids, mortgages, and bills to pay as well. I think most of us do what we can to make it as affordable as possible. The price for a one hour session is usually between $60-$100 depending on where you go. Try out other spas or therapists if you're new to massage. Once you get more experience with different styles, You 'll know if you're getting a fair price for the type of work you receive. 6. Attempting to retrain a therapist on their skills. Letting therapists know about pressure, temperature, and pain tolerance is great! That feedback is extremely helpful during a session. Trying to tell a therapist how to massage you is usually not going to work out very well. Every therapist has a different style naturally, even if they have the same training. Clients who are massage therapists themselves tend to be the worst at this- it's best to try out a few therapists and find the one that works in the way that feels best to you instead of trying to make a therapist work in a completely different way than what is normal for them. They may not have the specific training you are looking for. 7. Helping too much during the session or neglecting to tell your therapist about your comfort. Your only job as the client is to soften your body and recieve the massage . Unless your therapist asks for help or for you to move a certain way, there's no real need for you to move your body during the massage, unless you're uncomfortable of course. I can't tell you how many times I've been kicked in the stomach on accident when I'm trying to drape a leg or smacked while moving an arm. It's also extremely hard to massage a neck when its owner is moving it all around. For everyone's safety, please be still ;) Also, please tell your massage therapist when something isn't right. Communication is important. Massage therapists go through a lot of training but one thing we are NOT trained in is mind reading. It would be so cool if we were! If the pressure is uncomfortable or you're too cold during a session and you can't relax, please tell us. Cindy, a massage therapist from Michigan says "I wish more clients would realize that it's { the session} all about THEM and I couldn't care less if they want more pressure, less pressure, more heat, etc. I just wish they would tell me so I can give them the best session." Most massage therapists feel just like Cindy. We just want to make you happy with your massage therapy treatments. Don't worry about hurting our feelings. We don't mind when you tell us how to make you more comfortable. Question: What do you look for in a massage therapist? Give me your reply in the comments below! ![]() Hi! I’m Hillary Arrieta and I help people improve their lives by offering holistic solutions to ease stress, eliminate pain, and inspire self care practices. I own The Heeling Hut in Plano, TX. Where I teach workshops, write, and specialize in unique and effective massage and meditation techniques such as Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage and iRest® Yoga Nidra. At The Heeling Hut you'll find the best massage in the Dallas area for pain and stress management. Texas MT 040051 Update: Gaia Bodywork is now the Heeling Hut. ![]() For many years, I thought deep tissue massage was simply pushing harder. That seemed to appease most of my deep tissue clients and the managers or spa owners who ran the spas where I was employed. They’d say "Yeah, just PUSH HARDER and give more pressure” when I’d wonder why a client wasn’t happy with the deep tissue massage I’d just given them. As I grew in my career and got more education, I learned that deep tissue massage is NOT deep PRESSURE massage. I can work deeply in to your muscles and soft tissues without using deep pressure just by slowing down my work and heating up the area first, either with my hands, feet, or hot pack. The problem with continuing this idea of "just push harder” is that it's counter productive. The harder you push, the harder the muscles push back. Muscle guarding, as it's called is a signal from the muscle that it has had enough. It won't let you continue to force pressure without injury to the tissue. If you’ve ever heard of someone complain that they were so sore from their massage, this is probably the cause. Honestly, nobody wants to feel MORE pain from the massage than what they originally came in with. Many therapist retire early from overdoing it on the pressure. Injuring and breaking down their own bodies in the process of trying to help and assist healing for their clients. This simply doesn't have to be the case. Of course, I don't have anything against deep pressure. Here in Dallas, Texas Ashiatsu is king. It's deep BY DESIGN and can't be given as light touch. I use it by standing on my sturdy table and using the force of gravity + weight just makes that deep pressure happen effortlessly. What I don't like is the misguided notion that deep pressure = pain and those silly sayings like " pain is weakness leaving the body." Or "no pain, no gain." Pain is a signal from your body telling you to stop, slow down, and take notice. Those ideas that pain is weakness have no place in massage therapy or fitness for that matter. Many of my clients have chronic pain from a sports or fitness related injury and this tells me that we need to cultivate body awareness. In my practice, communication between client and therapist is crucial. I can usually tell from muscle guarding or body language when I've reached the client's pain tolerance.....but not always. Sometimes muscles don't react or it's too subtle to notice. Also, some medications clients maybe taking can block this conversation between myself and the tissues. That is why my clients use a subjective pain scale to alert me to any discomfort ( 1-10- 1 being no pain and 10 being excruciating pain.) If the pressure or pain goes past a 6 on their scale, they let me know and my work changes to accommodate them. It keeps everyone happy and comfortable throughout the session. Deep Pressure: is exerting more pressure or force. It should have skill behind it but many times it doesn't, especially if the therapist doesn't have good training. If it's done right, it's AHHHmazing! If it's done wrong it's painful and dangerous to soft tissue. It can have some emotional side effects as well inciting panic and fear in a client. Done correctly, deep pressure can actually relax the nervous system. Deep Tissue massage: According to leading deep tissue massage instructor, Art Riggs, Is simply using techniques to access deeper muscular structures. Any technique will do but most often the therapist uses myofacial release, trigger point therapy, friction, compression, traction, heat and more. Along with expert palpation skills to locate the specific muscle that needs the work. Sometimes you (on the client's end) will FEEL the depth of the pressure and other times you won't. It all depends on the technique being used. Some deep work is done very gently. Therapists...It's important to get training and learn a pressure intensive style thought the proper channels. I love pressure and compression, giving it and receiving it. I choose to study with THE BEST ashiatsu trainers and instructors. My favorites are the people over at Center for Barefoot Massage and Lolita knight’s Fijian Massage. QUESTION: Do you enjoy deep pressure? Have you ever left a massage feeling more pain than you came in with? ![]() Hi! I’m Hillary Arrieta and I help people improve their lives by offering holistic solutions to ease stress, eliminate pain, and inspire self care practices. I own The Heeling Hut in Plano, TX. Where I teach workshops, write, and specialize in unique and effective massage and meditation techniques such as Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage and iRest® Yoga Nidra. At The Heeling Hut you'll find the best massage in the Dallas area for pain and stress management. Texas MT 040051 ![]() I recently posted a question on my facebook page that asked "What's the one thing that's stopping you from scheduling a massage right now?" Can you guess what EVERYONE said???? That's right, Money. Funds. Cheddar... This time of year in North Texas can be busy and massage funds get allocated to other activities. I started thinking about my self and I know that there have been times where I've thought "I really need some bodywork but I'm so broke right now." In the last few years I've been working on my "relationship" with money and have been to all kinds of financial seminars. In the last one that I went to, the presenter asked this question: "How much does it cost to be you every month?" HMMMM, I thought about that and it's a very good question. It made me sit down and see where I spend my money and then rearrange my habits so that I can actually do things that I really want and that benefit my health and quality of life-like Massage Therapy. Here's a few things that I swapped out so that I could get the things I really want. 1. The Starbucks addiction.... I found out that I spend an ungodly amount of money on lattes. They may give me happiness in the moment but they're loaded with sugar and other bad stuff which ultimately takes away from my health and bank account- That $4.60 everyday can go to something waaaay better. Of course I can't give up coffee entirely, duh! so I switched to Americanos (way cheaper) or making my own at home! 2. Eating out...a lot I love cooking but hate grocery shopping so I have fallen in to the habit of picking up food for most every meal. That gets so incredibly expensive not to mention.... Have you seen Gordon Ramsey's show Kitchen nightmares? You should watch it- you'll save so much money and avoid horrible health hazards by cooking at home. Just saying- 3. Become a DIY-er I've learned that there are many things that can be done with out hiring someone else to do them. Pedicures, Manicures, this website- heck I even groom my dog myself. With the invention of pinterest, I've been able to fix things, cook things, and save lots of money- check it out! Okay, there's my suggestions. QUESTIONS: What do you do to save money so that you can have the things you really want? and If money wasn't a factor, what's stopping you from scheduling a massage session right now? ![]() Hi! I’m Hillary Arrieta and I help people improve their lives by offering holistic solutions to ease stress, eliminate pain, and inspire self care practices. I own The Heeling Hut in Plano, TX. Where I teach workshops, write, and specialize in unique and effective massage and meditation techniques such as Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage and iRest® Yoga Nidra. At The Heeling Hut you'll find the best massage in the Dallas area for pain and stress management. Texas MT 040051 |
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Dallas Massage Blog is a written journal about Massage Therapy, Wellness, and Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage in the Dallas, Texas area. |