Hello and happy summer! Whether you just joined us in a spring or second-quarter 2025 training—welcome to the world of Barefoot Massage—or you’re already ankle‑deep in FasciAshi, keep up the great footwork!
What’s in this message?
New paid subscription articles
Our Fave Books
Latest articles & Deep Dives
FEETured class
Upcoming class dates & links showing back-to-back immersion + Intensive options
How to Access Our Hidden Articles on Substack
We share two kinds of posts on barefootmassage.substack.com:
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Our Fave Book List
A longtime student (and former employee Sasquatch) recently asked me for a recommended reading list. As promised—bonus for all of you—I’m sharing it here instead of hiding it in the paid area. (You’re welcome!)
My full, ever‑growing list of 140+ massage, bodywork, and movement‑related books lives here.
Anything specifically Barefoot Massage/Bodywork related is below
Harris, John & Kenyon, Fred. "Fix Pain” Press4Health Press, 2002
Menon, Prabhat. "One Rope, Two Feet and Healing Oils" Chavutti Thirummal, The Ancient Art of Keralite Massage. Duang Kamol, 1999.
Rossiter, Richard H. "Step out of Pain" The Rossiter Way Bookmasters, 2006.
Rossiter, Richard H. “Overcoming Repetitive Motion Injuries the Rossiter Way” New Harbinger, 1999
Calvert, Robert Noah. "The History of Massage." An Illustrated Survey from around the World. Healing Arts Press, 2002
Yamamoto, Shizuko. "Barefoot Shiatsu" Whole Body Approach to Health Japan Publications, 1978
Chapman, Judy. "Ultimate Spa" Asia’s Best Spas and Spa Treatments Tuttle Publishing 2006
Jenni Miller-James. Healing with the Feet: An Introduction to the World of Barefoot Massage. Independently published 2022
Latest articles & Deep Dives: a Soleful, mindful feed!
These posts are seriously UH‑may‑zing—and now they’re exclusively available for our paid subscribers. Click the image above to see the full archive.
FEETured class:
FEETuring: FasciAshi Intermediate Supine + Sidebody
You’ve gotten solid at working the back—now flip your barefoot massage on its side. This class opens up supine and sidebody positions so you can access fascia, calm the nervous system, and meet client needs from new angles.
You’ll learn to:
Work the quads, psoas, pecs, ribs, and adductors with precision
Apply the “give it weight and wait” approach for lasting change
Use grip (not glide) to enhance interoception and control
Incorporate straps, bolsters, and multidirectional footwork
Blend fascia and pain science into every stroke
The science:
Research shows slow, sustained pressure improves fascial mobility and down-regulates tension. Combining angled footwork with strap-supported control, you’ll create long-term change—while saving your own body in the process.
Class Schedule for the rest of 2025!
No FOMO: Travel once, train twice! Special back-to-back immersion experiences are listed in ~Italics~
Here’s the plan as of right now - this could change. You can always see the most up to date schedule here
August:
Central Cali Immersion: Take the 1st two levels of training in a row!
Fundamentals: San Luis Obispo, California 8/1-3
Intermediate: San Luis Obispo, California 8/4-5
Fundamentals: Hayden, Idaho 8/8-10
Fundamentals: Durham, North Carolina 8/14-16
Fundamentals: Tustin, California 8/22-24
Intermediate: Albany, New York 8/23-24
Intermediate: Hayden, Idaho 8/29-30 «1st time in the state!»
September:
Fundamentals: Cincinnati, Ohio 9/11-13
Fijian Matwork: Decatur, Alabama 9/12-13
Intermediate: Durham, North Carolina 9/19-20
Fundamentals: Hayden, Idaho 9/19-21
ROM/Stretch Therapy: Colorado Springs, Colorado 9/19-20
St Louis Immersion: Got Fundamentals? Level up AND take a specialty class!
Hot Ashi: St Louis, Missouri 9/21
Intermediate: St Louis, Missouri 9/22-23
San Antonio Immersion: 3 days in class getting nerdy with Jeni
ROM/Stretch Therapy: San Antonio, Texas 9/24-25
Clinical Neck: San Antonio, Texas 9/26
October
Fijian Matwork: St Louis, Missouri 10/6-7
Intermediate: Cincinnati, Ohio 10/6-7
Southern California Immersion: 3 classes, 2 instructors, 7 days!
»Fundamentals: Tustin, California 10/10-12
»Intermediate: Tustin, California 10/13-14
»ROM/Stretch Therapy: Tustin, California 10/15-16
Intensive training with Jeni Spring: 2 classes blended seamlessly together, not just back-to-back, instead it’s all-in-one!
Intermediate + ROM/Stretch Therapy Intensive: San Antonio, Texas 10/10-13
ROM/Stretch Therapy: Albany, New York 10/11-12
Intermediate: Colorado Springs, Colorado 10/17-18
Alabama Immersion: Get a refresher on the beginner work before stepping up
Fundamentals Touch-Up: Decatur, Alabama 10/23
Intermediate: Decatur, Alabama 10/24-25
Fundamentals: Dallas, Texas 10/24-26
North Carolina Immersion: Stay an extra day for more practice on more clients!
ROM/Stretch Therapy: Durham, North Carolina 10/27-28
ROM Stretch Therapy Student Clinic: Durham, North Carolina 10/29
November
Fundamentals: Decatur, Alabama 11/6-8
Fundamentals: Cincinnati, Ohio 11/6-8
Fundamentals: Hayden, Idaho 11/7-9
ROM/Stretch Therapy: Tustin, California 11/8-9
Fijian Matwork: Dallas, Texas 11/8-9
Fundamentals: St Louis, Missouri 11/13-15
Advanced: San Antonio, Texas 11/15-16
Fundamentals: San Luis Obispo, California 11/19-21
December
Fundamentals: Colorado Springs, Colorado 12/4-6
Central Cali Immersion: An extra day of Fundamentals practice before leveling up!
Fundamentals: San Luis Obispo, California 12/5-7
Fundamentals Touch-Up: San Luis Obispo, California 12/8
Intermediate: San Luis Obispo, California 12/9-10
Fundamentals: Albany, New York 12/5-7
St Louis Immersion: Get deep with heat and with more strategy
Fundamentals Touch-Up: Cincinnati, Ohio 12/8
Fundamentals: Tustin, California 12/12-14
Fundamentals: Dallas, Texas 12/12-14
That’s all for now!
If a class is SOLE’d Out, you’ll see a red “Out of Stock” banner. Classes may be canceled if minimum registration isn’t met 15–30 days before start—so sign up early and let the instructor know you’re interested.
Check out our Frequently Asked Questions (“Footnotes”) and find a Barefoot Massage near you (or get yourself listed) on our Sole Provider Directory.
What should I deep‑dive on next?
Reply to this email or comment below and let me know!
Thanks for reading aFoot: the future of massage therapy! Subscribe for free to receive new posts—or go paid to unlock our best stuff.
Book rec -- I'm actively reading Louis Gifford's "Aches and Pains," a really digestible breakdown of pain neuroscience, the biopsychosocial model of pain, and the effect that a confident, kind, thoughtful practiconer can have on pain outcomes. I'm excited to work my way through the trilogy.
... despite his "jokes" being juuuust on this side of acceptable. i.e. "take my wife - no, really! take her, hyuck hyuck"