Amatsu
Let's get you back on track
So, what happens exactly?
Simple enough – you book in, turn up in a gym or yoga outfit, kick off your shoes, lie down on the treatment table and listen to relaxing music for about an hour. During that time, I’ll be working on your feet, knees, hips, lower back, shoulders, wrists, neck and head. Amatsu is a manual touch-based accupressure massage type therapy. Touch pressure is actually very light in comparison to other massage modalities, so it’s very useful if you’re at all pressure sensitive. It might not be the best for ND folks who don’t enjoy light touch, but get in touch (ha, sorry) and we’ll discuss. Amatsu is very gentle. No shoving, no loud popping or cracking noises. You might get the odd niggle or twinge while I’m repositioning muscles but it doesn’t hurt. Pins and needles are very common. While I’m working, we’ll be chatting away, probably telling daft jokes and discussing your treatment plan. I like doing a bit of CBT with my clients to help them unwind a bit. If you’re dealing with any psychological stuff, let me know. I do a lot of mental health work, so you can consider the table a safe space for speaking freely. Sure there’s probably a lot of signs on the road to depression, and one of them probably tells you where to stop for coffee on the way.
Have a think about what your body isn’t quite able for at the moment and what you’d like to be able to do. Working together, we’ll devise a few simple movements to help keep you balanced. I’ll be wanting to take a look at your shoes as well to check how you’re walking, so be sure to remind me on the way out if I forget.
Some people experience mild post-treatment fatigue, vivid dreaming, and adjustment periods are to be expected as your body acclimatizes to its new default. Any questions, feel free to ask.
How much?
I really wish I didn’t have to charge anyone money for this, but unfortunately there are bills associated with keeping the place open. Budget says I have to charge everyone €70 for the hour. This fee takes into account a variety of expenses like training costs, light, heat, tea, biscuits (aka cookies, nice ones), website hosting costs, insurance (so much insurance, I don’t even want to talk about it), birthday and Christmas presents for loved ones, and of course stupid gas bills. If you feel €70 is a bit steep, talk to me and we’ll figure out a price that works for you. Traditional Irish cnáimheóirí or bone setters would never charge you much more than £1 in old money for their help. I’m also happy to barter. If you can teach me how to sing, that’d be marvelous. If you can’t pay me with cash, don’t worry. I’m always happy to exchange a favour. Up in Northeast US states, they’d call it dickering. Yes, that’s a word. Means bartering essentially
Can I bring a friend?
Sure thing! I understand of course, if you’re at all shy then it’s a sensible idea to bring someone along who can drop you off, pick you up and maybe even stay with you during the session. I mean I’ve been told the most dangerous thing about me is my awful jokes. Like the one about my OCD and my memory loss. That one is so bad it’s never going on the jokes pageFor under 18s, this is currently a legal requirement. I only work on young folk when they’re supervised. Sensible people do sensible things. Do be warned though that if you are bringing a friend, they make be asked to boil the kettle in the kitchen area so we can all have a cup of tea together while we discuss post-treatment and aftercare. Hydration is really important in Amatsu. If you’re not hydrated, it’ll be like trying to mend compacted soup for both of us. That’s the sort of thing that just never moves well. If your friend is not a human, that’s not problem either. Treating dogs is pretty quick. I’m also pleased to say the clinic space is level access, just the one door to get through (2 if you need the bathroom) and I’m great with pets. Cats and dogs seem to love me. I have food and water bowls if you need to bring your dog along so no problems there. I tend to do peoples’ pets pro bono because they don’t take much more than 5 minutes and it’s good to get you and your dog walking well together. If you are intending on bring a pet along, let me know when you’re booking your appointment. I’m on the ground floor of a small apartment block so there’s a good corner garden with a 4 foot brick wall around it where they can explore, with a covered area in case it rains while we’re working. Small dogs of the various non-shed breeds are entirely welcome. I keep a packet of dentastix under the sink in case they need something to chew on (preferably not the treatment table)
Things I’d hope are obvious
• Turn up sober
Treating you when you’re on ingested substances or intoxicants doesn’t work. If you’re intoxicated, your treatment outcome will be curtailed, and I won’t do as good a job. Please avoid all recreational drugs for at least 72 hours before you arrive. If you’re on prescription medication, that’s no problem. Just let me know and I’ll do some lymphatic work with you as we go along.
• Clean socks are appreciated
But don’t worry if it’s a hot day or you have sweaty feet or anything like that. I have masks and gloves in case so you’ve nothing to worry about. Also I don’t judge. You’re grand, I’ve already seen someone worse.
• Be civilized
I’ve worked hard to create a calm safe space here where people can relax and heal. Now I know you wouldn’t, but please don’t come in here trying to ruin anyone’s buzz. Do unto others, simply put.
Tea and Cake Policy
I’m a fan of both. I’ll never say no to a litre of low fat milk. Current types of tea available are aldi gold blend, decaf and I have some very fancy ayurvedic tea if you’ve had a bad prang and need some serious repair.
Cake is always welcome. I’m always very happy to see a nice chocolate swiss roll or whatever is on offer in the local supermarket. Baklava is my kryptonite.
