Literally translated from Japanese, “Shiatsu” means “finger pressure” and it was incorporated into the Japanese culture approximately 1,500 years ago.

Today, Shiatsu Massage is, in fact, just one out of a large assortment of Japanese massage methods known as Nihon Kaifuku Anma.

Shiatsu Massage is the best known among them all and the one most often used in Japan and elsewhere around the world. It is based on the meridian system passed down from ancient Chinese arts of healing as well as old Japanese teachings.

Stated very briefly, meridians are the conduits or energy channels by which gi and blood continually flow through the body. Any interference with this flow of energy translates in an imbalance within the body which leads to an energy that is either depleted (kyoto) or overactive (jitsu) and symptoms of illness and disease occur. Continue reading →

Massages in chairs or simply in sitting positions have always had their place among most ancient and traditional massage techniques around the world, but the contemporary Chair massage as we know it today and as we occasionally refer to as the On-Site or Seated massage is a trend that began as recently as 1982.

Chair massage was the brainchild of David Palmer, the director of the Amma Institute of Traditional Japanese Massage at that time and who is considered to be the “father” of Chair massage.

Mr. Palmer came to realize that, whether due to the high cost or the sensual intimacy of conventional table massages, or maybe the lack of sophistication on the part of the public or perhaps due to the combination of the three in one proportion or another, there were too few people who sought such bodywork services and, therefore, there was not enough work for all the graduates of his institute. Continue reading →