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Therapeutic massage in a pool of tranquility

by Wendy Smith

Watsu. The name comes from two words—Shiatsu and water, and means shiatsu in the water. Shiatsu is a form of Japanese pressure-point massage. Its general translation is pressure with fingertips. Through pressure with thumbs, fingers and palms applied to specific areas and points on the body, Shiatsu (and, likewise, Watsu) can correct emotional dysfunction, treat specific illnesses and promote general health. Shiatsu in the water. Sound fun yet?

Being a water-loving Pisces, I was intrigued. So I scheduled my first (and, I hope, not last) Watsu session with Debbie Ashton. Debbie has a master’s in dance, teaches belly dancing, is a Feldenkrais practitioner, and is Watsu-certified. In fact, she is the only Watsu practitioner that I know of in town. She practices Watsu at Well By Nature on Bearden Hill where the owner, Ann Yates, built a pool especially for Watsu. The water is kept at 95 degrees and is treated with bromine and ozone rather than chlorine. This treatment helps people with allergies or who are bothered by a chlorine smell.

I arrived for my Watsu experience and put on my bathing suit. We stood in the warm water while Debbie told me a little about her Watsu training. She is specifically trained in the Jahara technique, which is based on body mechanics and the physical properties of water, but, as a long term Feldenkrais practitioner, she also adds a little of that to her therapy. A Feldenkrais practitioner uses body awareness to increase movement and functioning. So I was interested to see how this translated as an addition to Watsu.

We got in the pool, and Debbie gave me some earplugs. She explained that my ears would be in the water most of the time and that I might be a little more comfortable with earplugs in. Then she put a “noodle” float under my knees and, cradling my head, began to move me in a slow circle around the pool. I began the therapy on my back with earplugs in, hearing nothing, knees floating and wondering what was going to happen next. I closed my eyes and floated, with Debbie moving me through the water. The next thing I knew, I could hear music (Greek guitar and bouzouki) in the background and sounds of the water. There was a beam of strong sunlight coming in through the glass block window, and when we came to it, I could sense the light as it fell on me. Everything melted away, and I had the strangest sensation of being a sea anemone with my pink and orange tentacles gracefully waving in the ocean currents and catching the light from the sun far above the reef.

During Watsu, the practitioner keeps the client moving through the water leading with the head. The noodle under the knees is used to create drag and traction which lengthens the body gently. That drag, along with the right pressure from the practitioner, helps with spinal alignment and in releasing the tight places where many of us hold things in. The warm water slows the nervous system and helps the muscles relax, lengthen and stretch.

I didn’t fully realize, in my anemone-like state, that I was being stretched and worked on. I was just being gently moved in a slow current. I went from being a sea anemone to a mermaid, dancing with the world’s most graceful partner. I think that’s what was so amazing about Debbie’s version of Watsu. She’s a dancer, and she incorporates those skills into this work. I felt like I was engaged in a resplendent, flowing, underwater dance.

Although Debbie’s a small woman, she can work on people much larger than herself. The buoyancy of the water and her training makes that possible. While other modalities are based on touch, Watsu requires more holding, because the work is being done in water and pressure points are being activated. That brings the receiver to a higher level of trust and connection with the practitioner.

Watsu is more about therapy than stress reduction. It builds flexibility and is especially helpful for some post-surgery therapy—hip, knee and back surgery in particular. Pregnant women can benefit from Watsu because of the emphasis on spinal alignment. It also helps with ankle swelling. Another specific ailment that is aided by Watsu is fibromyalgia, an ailment characterized by general muscle pain, fatigue and sleeplessness. Watsu can alleviate the severity of these symptoms.

When we finished our beautiful dance, I felt extremely relaxed, but I also felt quite stretched out, as if I had done some sort of slight physical exercise. I felt like I was sitting up straighter and taller. Debbie told me that overall I was OK, but I had a rib that had been out of place, and she had moved it back for me. I have never felt like a sea anemone before.

October 14, 2004 • Vol. 14, No. 42 © 2004 Metro Pulse