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aFoot: the future of massage therapy · Feb 28, 2026

March 2026 Newsletter

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Center for Barefoot Massage · aFoot: the future of massage therapy

Hello and happy ~almost~ Spring season! Are you as sick of social media as we are? Yeah, same. I’ve been having a lot of 1-on-1 meetings with each instructor on our team over the past two weeks, and all of us are feeling the dread of content creation, interaction, production value…. all that. It can be a lot. Good thing we have these deep reads available here on Substack to help you not only sustain your attention span for longer than a doom scroll, but to also help support a long, sustained career as a Barefoot Massage Therapist with all the helpful nuggets of knowledge that we share here.

Thank you all for your interactions with our posts on Facebook and Instagram, but also for following us here at Substack where we can nerd out!

If you are stuck on needing to create content but are experiencing writers block, we have a 30‑day social media content plan designed for CBM graduates to promote their barefoot massage services to clients. It includes post prompts and tips for visuals and calls‑to‑action — everything you need to start marketing with confidence in minutes. It’s only available for our current and past students, so log into your profile on our website and buy this guide here for $50. To tell you the truth I’ve been using this for my own local business and as general CBM content as needed, and I stretched it to last MUCH longer than 30 days. It’s easily enough for a full quarter, especially if you don’t need to post daily to your local community!

  • FEETured Class

  • Upcoming March-May class dates & links

  • Latest articles & Deep Dives

  • Protips and easy resources

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Starting with all classes this year, we are coming out of the gate like a majestic fire horse with a change to every class on our roster! We’ve expanded the course content to reflect where the science (and our feet) have been taking us, which includes looking at the fascia through a tensegrity lens: seeing the interconnectivity and holistic, global impact that the pressure from every stroke has on the body.

To help you with this, our updated classes will include:

  • Pain science integration — helping you understand how pressure, sensation, and perception all work together to support nervous system regulation and lasting change for your clients. Think of it as recovery from pain more so than pain management, and we’ll help you get them there!

  • Evidence-informed resources that connect fascia research, interoception, and biomechanics with what you feel underfoot in real time. All this is in addition to how we’ve always shared the technique and theory that gives the “why” behind each stroke you give with your foot.

  • Modern anatomy through the lens of tensegrity, replacing outdated “stacked bones” models with a dynamic understanding of how the body suspends and supports itself.

  • Myth-busting discussions that challenge old massage-school stories and replace them with accurate, science-supported perspectives.

  • Refined manual and teaching materials designed to deepen your understanding of how gravity, sustained pressure, and mindful pacing create therapeutic change—for both you and your clients.

This evolution keeps FasciAshi classes aligned with our mission: to help massage therapists trust their feet as intelligent tools, grounded in anatomy, fascia research, and modern pain science.

This year we started the new tradition that everyone has to pass through Fundamentals in order to move forward. This helps us all get in step as we collectively work to raise the standards of what the public can expect from a Barefoot Massage. So if you’ve previously “transferred in” to us from another ashiatsu massage lineage and have never taken our FasciAshi Fundamentals class... or it’s been a while... 2026 is the perfect time to come back and experience how far this work has come.

👉 See when and where we are offering Fundamentals here.

No FOMO: Travel once, train twice! Special back-to-back immersion experiences are listed below in ~Italics~

Here’s the plan as of right now - this could change. You can always see the most up to date schedule here

If a class is SOLE’d Out, you’ll see a red “Out of Stock” banner OR it may disappear from the list entirely. Keep in mind that classes may be canceled if minimum registration isn’t met 15–30 days before start—please sign up early so we get an accurate count and keep the class in action.

Check out our Frequently Asked Questions (“Footnotes”) and find a Barefoot Massage near you (or get yourself listed) on our Sole Provider Directory.

These paid posts are drenched in details on each topic. Click the image to see the full archive.

  • In Disassociation On Purpose, Jeni reflects on the emotional fatigue of staying constantly plugged into news, social media, and the demands of running a continuing education company. She explores the idea of intentionally stepping back — not as avoidance, but as a nervous system strategy for clarity and sustainability. By choosing when to engage and when to disconnect, she protects her focus, leadership capacity, and the quality of presence she brings to her work and community.

  • In “Class Name Update: Fijian Barefoot Massage is now "Barefoot Matwork" we announce an update to a class name, clarifying that what was previously called “Fijian Barefoot Massage” will now be presented under a new name that better reflects the curriculum and lineage. This change honors respect for cultural origins while aligning the class title with what students will actually learn. The update highlights the organization’s commitment to accuracy, cultural sensitivity, and transparent communication with its community.

  • In “Barefoot Massage Belongs in Your Life for Longevity” we reframe barefoot massage from a luxury “treat” into a tool for long-term body literacy and mobility, showing how sustained, broad contact with the feet helps fascia reorganize and movement patterns improve. It explains that fascia and the nervous system respond to slow, mindful pressure, which can calm protective patterns and enhance interoception — your inner sense of how your body feels and moves — leading to greater resilience and functional ease. Ultimately, it positions barefoot massage as a way to support adaptability, stability, and lasting physical capability rather than short-term relief.

  • And don’t skip “Skill, Safety & Adaptability in Barefoot Massage!” This article reframes common assumptions about body type and barefoot massage, showing that success isn’t about size or strength but about skill, stability, and adaptability. It emphasizes that with proper mechanics and awareness, therapists of many body types can deliver safe, effective barefoot work by using gravity rather than force. The real key to longevity and safety in barefoot massage is learning to let gravity do the heavy lifting and adapting pressure thoughtfully to each client and therapist’s unique body.

  • You can always find our current list of instructors and training campuses (and travel tips for each one) on our website, CenterForBarefootMassage.com.

  • Watch & Learn: They’re oldies but goodies: watch our #TuesDayTOESday videos on YouTube for quick tips and tricks.

  • Don’t forget to follow us: we are on Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram

  • Supplies & Equipment: Need that cool foot warmer your instructor had? Check out our recommended supplies on Amazon.

  • Check out the FasciAshi store! Available only after you’ve completed a class with us, you can purchase the FasciAshi Strap, T-shirts and more!

  • List Your Business: Get found by clients searching for barefoot massage therapists! Add your business to our FREE “Sole-Provider” directory. Are you in a slow season slump? You can pay a lil extra to “Boost” your listing for 6 or 12 months, which will get you listed at the top of any search result you would show up in, + it allows you to post images of your work!

  • Explain Your Skills: Need help explaining your new techniques to clients? Read our helpful guide for inspiration on how to better communicate the benefits of barefoot massage.

Our next paid article should drop around April 7th!

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