Low Cost, Community-Style Bodywork Sessions
Advanced students and professional practitioners of Barefoot Bodywork and other floor-based, clothes-on modalities offer low cost sessions in a community setting, meaning that there may be multiple sessions taking place simultaneously in the same room.
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When you “Book a Session” below you may request a session other than our regular Monday, Tuesday or Thursday morning times shown on the calendar. Other session times are dependent on studio and practitioner availability.
Book a Session
Use this form after you've familiarized yourself with our Bodywork page.
Please Note:
24 hour cancellation notice is required or ½ the normal fee applies
Buy a gift certificate for someone else:
Pricing
Members' Price:
Non-Members' Price:
$55 for 85 minutes
$70 for 110 minutes
How to Book a Session
- Use this calendar to see the available sessions, booked sessions show the initials of the scheduled recipient.
- Scroll down to read about the practitioners and their style of bodywork.
- Click on the “Book A Session” button and fill out the form.
- Your session is booked once you receive an email confirmation.
What to Expect When You Come for Your Session
- Have an essentially empty stomach when you come.
- Bring an empty pillow case or spare t-shirt to put under your face during your session for sanitary purposes.
- Wear loose, comfortable clothing (think: pajamas or long sleeved/long legged exercise clothes). You may wear socks if you like; the practitioner is the one with the bare feet
Membership
Membership Benefits:
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Unlimited Classes
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Discounts on Low Cost Bodywork Sessions:
$10 off 1 hour sessions, $20 off 2 hour sessions
Cost:
$30 for 30 Day Membership Trial, available first visit to the studio only
$75 Ongoing, with automatic monthly payments made from checking account, 3-month minimum commitment; after the first 3 months there is no fee to cancel
$80 Ongoing, with Automatic monthly payments made from credit or debit card, 3-month minimum commitment; after the first 3 months there is no fee to cancel
$85 for 30 Day
$840 Annual Membership, one hold is allowed; holds are in increments of one month, up to 3 months.
Note: All Class Purchases and Memberships are non-refundable and non-transferrable
Low Cost, Community-Style Bodywork Practitioners
Erica Pinigis
Bodywork has always been a part of Erica’s physical practice. She first found affinity with massage when she was introduced as a child to traditional Japanese massage forms in an after school class. Since then, as a dancer and choreographer, Erica has integrated bodywork into her dance practice to create more sustainability in her and her dancers’ lifestyles. Erica has been studying barefoot bodywork with Leah Gillman for several years, and has spent many hours placating sore dance friends and colleagues with her barefoot bodywork practice.
Erica holds a BFA in dance from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities as well as an MFA in dance performance and choreography from Mills College in Oakland. She is currently dancing with the Natasha Carlitz Dance Ensemble and producing her own choreography in the Bay Area as well as working toward her STOTT Pilates certification. She offers group and private Pilates sessions as an apprentice instructor at Blue Sparrow Pilates in San Francisco. EricaPinigis.com
Erica Pinigis
Joel Jacobs
Joel began studying Barefoot Bodywork with Leah Gillman in Fall 2011 as a way of squeezing as much value as possible out of his 30 Days of Unlimited Classes. A longtime bodywork consumer, he was immediately intrigued by the demystification of that magical art, and eager to learn how he himself could use his feet to help others feel better. He has been working ever since to develop his skills and now serves as the substitute and assistant teacher for the Barefoot Bodywork class.
Joel lives in Berkeley with his family. By day, Joel is an environmental lawyer. The rest of the time, when he doesn’t have his feet on people, Joel enjoys yoga, acting, contact improvisational dance, not winning the New Yorker cartoon caption contest, and composing and performing silly songs (even though he can’t sing). For proof, click here.
Joel does not accept tips; if you enjoy the session, the best way to show it is to come back for another one!
Joel Jacobs
Jon Fellman
Jon began his career in health care nearly 30 years ago as a trainer at a health club after rehabilitating himself following a very serious car accident at the age of 16. Eventually this lead him to Chinese martial arts, herbal medicine and acupuncture… first to be treated; and then to undertake his own study. He has been treating patients with bodywork since 1993, and completed his four-year Master of Science degree in traditional Chinese medicine in 2001 at the Academy of Chinese Culture and Health Science in Oakland, CA.
He continues to work with and study the meridian based acupuncture of Dr. Richard Tan and also utilizes the Master Tung style acupuncture regularly in his clinical practice, readily incorporating applied meridian theory, trigger point acupuncture, bodywork, joint mobilizations/manipulations, cupping, guasha, and Japanese moxibustion techniques into his treatments. His bodywork is most influenced by Thai Massage, Tui Na, and Shiatsu. He has spent considerable time in China and Thailand studying with Taoist master Wang Liping, and several Thai Massage masters including Pichest Boonethume and Amnat Kuchamnan. Jon specializes in acupuncture orthopedics, and has worked with many musicians, artists, dancers, acrobats, yogis and athletes but also has a diverse patient base and regularly treats a wide array of conditions. He is very dedicated to offering affordable treatment options, and his clinic in San Francisco offers community as well as private treatments.
Sessions at Barefoot Movement will be based in Thai Massage (Nuad Bo Rarn) which can include point and meridian work (using the fingers, thumbs, hands, forearms, elbows, feet, knees, and even sitting pressure), joint mobilizations/manipulations, pin and stretch techniques, percussion, and LOTS of stretching! Jon is also available for acupuncture treatments in San Francisco and Oakland. For more information please go to http://fellmaneedler.com/.
For sessions with Jon, there is a 90-minute minimum.
Jon Fellman
Lisa Lum Yamashita
Lisa grew up in Hawaii where going barefoot as a child was the norm and necessary for beach-walking and tree-climbing. She was always fascinated with helping people through the power of touch and gravitated toward the health care professions. She currently works as a physical therapist specializing in neurological disorders at John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek.
What initially began as a search for new techniques led to study at the Acupressure Institute in Berkeley and eventually the embrace of a Traditional Chinese Medicine world view. After her first Ashiatsu class with Edward Spencer in 2006, Lisa was hooked on foot work. She later completed a ten month apprenticeship with Edward and now assists Leah Gillman with the Barefoot Bodywork workshops at Barefoot Movement. She also sees private clients at the Reunion Center for Counseling, Healing and Growth in Pleasant Hill. TreesBeaneathMountain.com
Lisa Lum Yamashita
Off-Site Sessions
Leah Gillman
Sessions with Leah
are held in Berkeley on Friday afternoons.
Rates:
$100 for a 75 minute session (90 minutes is reserved for you on the schedule)
$90 for a 75 minute session received within a month of your previous appointment
24 hour cancellation notice is required or ½ the normal fee applies
To Schedule:
1) Use the calendar to find an available session.
2) Fill out the form with the date and time of your chosen available session.
Barefoot Bodywork
evolved from Ashiatsu and Barefoot Shiatsu, is both efficient to practice and gratifying to receive. The technique is primarily two basic footwork techniques: rocking and leaning and endless combinations and variations of these techniques. Barefoot Bodywork begins with learning the basic form while gaining the balance and coordination required. As the physical skill level of the practitioner develops, the ability to feel and ‘listen’ through the feet comes to life. Barefoot Bodywork sessions are for those interested in exploring and considering limitations in order to come into greater consciousness with their physical, spiritual and emotional selves.
Why schedule a Barefoot Bodywork Session?
Barefoot Bodywork sessions are scheduled for the same reasons as other forms of massage. However, it is distinct in that it informs the recipient about the ways they have defined themselves while creating an opportunity for them to consider something different. It is for all people who want to come into a greater consciousness of their physical, spiritual and emotional selves. It is appropriate for any age or body type–large and petite, young and old and everyone in between…
Leah studies with Edward Spencer
who studied with the creator of Barefoot Shiatsu, Shizuko Yamamoto. Leah began studying with Edward in 2000 at the Acupressure Institute. She has completed a nine month apprenticeship program with him and is certified to teach Ashiatsu at the beginning level. She continues to meet with Edward on a regular basis. Currently, Leah continues her education in the traditional Chinese health arts at the Acupressure Institute, where she also assists Edward with his classes.
A word about Leah from Edward Spencer
I originally met Leah Gillman briefly in 2000 through a relative. She struck me even then as a formidable human being committed to learning and truth. She became both a client and student of mine through the Acupressure Institute of Berkeley, California later in 2000 and graduated from an apprenticeship with me in late June of 2005 at which time she was certified to teach my work, Ashiatsu, at its beginning level. She has been an assistant instructor with me at the Acupressure Institute since that time and has more recently substitute taught level one courses for me there.
Of all my students over the past 30 years, Leah has been the most ambitious and the most persistent in the learning, practice, and transmission of the work in its purest form. Her background as a dancer & choreographer, her athleticism and yoga practice, as well as her artist’s soul have allowed her to grasp the essence of the work and to execute it as art with compassion. She represents the direct line back to the founder of Ashiatsu (aka., Barefoot Shiatsu, aka. Macrobiotic Shiatsu), Shizuko Yamamoto.
I am honored and proud to speak on her behalf and of her achievement in this revered healing practice. May beings benefit from the touch of her feet and hands.
With Great Love & Respect,
Edward A. Spencer
Senior Ashiatsu Practitioner & Teacher
Leah Gillman
Edward Spencer
Ashiatsu Treatments with Edward Spencer
Located in In Richmond Annex
Rates:
60 Minute Sessions
Regular …. $125
Students … $95
Regular Sessions, 80 Minute Session
Regular … $145
Students … $120
Extended Sessions
95 Minutes … $160
110 Minutes … $180
24 hour cancellation or rescheduling notice is required or the normal fee applies
To Schedule:
Call Edward: (510) 525-6723
What is Ashiatsu?
Ashiatsu is a bodywork form that applies therapeutic pressure (through clothing) to promote health and well being. Although “Ashiatsu” literally means foot (ashi) pressure (atsu) in Japanese, ashiatsu techniques also make use of knees, elbows, palms, and fingers where necessary and appropriate.
By working with the body, Ashiatsu can heighten total (physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual) awareness. Treatments typically include stretching, stimulation or sedation of acupressure points/meridians, and structural alignment techniques. The work is effective therapeutically and clients will often feel the work deeply in their muscles, internal organs, and bones.
What are the roots of Ashiatsu?
Ashiatsu is in the lineage and tradition of Shizuko Yamamoto’s Barefoot/Macrobiotic Shiatsu, but with more emphasis on the individual as an energy system than on dietary guidelines. Traditional Chinese organ/meridian theory and psychic energy body teachings from the ancient Egyptian mystery school tradition are the two major approaches used in perceiving, understanding, and treating disease and wellness in this work.
What are the benefits of Ashiatsu?
* Reduced stress and greater sense of well being
* Relaxed muscles and improved circulation
* Improved immune system
* Heightened awareness of emotional and psychological processes
Ashiatsu Philosophy
Ashiatsu presumes that the natural tendency of all organisms is towards health and optimal functioning for the purpose of evolution. Therefore, the mind/body/spirit need only be reminded of its original essence and intention in order to be re-connected to the intrinsic foundation of wellness out of which one manifests their being’s purpose. Where there is discord between the mind, body, and spirit, Ashiatsu seeks to bring integration and harmony. In Ashiatsu, the practitioner employs the whole body (including the feet) to promote “wholism” in another person. As Shizuko Yamamoto is fond of saying about the work, “Wholism creates wholism.”
Edward Spencer has been practicing bodywork since 1974, studying with Shizuko Yamamoto, Loren Berry and many others. Over the last 29 years, he has integrated his studies of barefoot shiatsu, structural mechanics, and energy work in order to teach the art known as Ashiatsu.
Edward majored in psychology and has graduate credits in clinical psychology. He has been a practitioner of Ashiatsu for 29 years and an instructor in the Bay Area for 25 years. Past major influences on his work include Master Y.C. Chiang for Tai Chi, Loren Berry for structural work, and the Lomi School for body-oriented psychology. Recent influences include 10 years in personal therapy, 15 years of psychic work with Phyllis Pay, and 10 years facilitating men’s groups through the Center for Intuitive Energy Processing.
Studying Ashiatsu
Edward offers classes in basic through advanced Ashiatsu several times a year at the Barefoot Movement Headquarters and through the Acupressure Institute in Berkeley, California. For serious students interested in delving more deeply into the art, he also offers a ten-month apprenticeship program. Upon completion, apprentices receive certification to teach Ashiatsu. For more information, please contact Edward Spencer. (510)525-6723
A Word about Edward from Michelle Nemer
Edward combines excellence in technique with the most impressive, uncanny intuition in diagnosis and life guidance. This combination has served me in my healing and self-development as much as anything I have done for myself over two decades of natural health study and practice. He is an extraordinary healer.
-Michelle Nemer – Macrobiotic Teacher, Health Counselor, Author
El Cerrito, CA