When practising Shiatsu, painful and/or sensitive parts of the body are treated by hand touching and with finger pressure. Thus, a natural recovery process is set in motion that both relaxes and stimulates body and mind. Literally, Shiatsu means finger pressure, but during the treatment hand, thumb, knee, knuckles and elbow are also used.

A Shiatsu therapist has knowledge of the human body and of manual skills. He or she has perfected an intuitive sense and has a perfect breath control. Both skills function as a guideline during the treatment. Shiatsu is based on the knowledge of the modern anatomy and physiology such as of the nervous system, digestion and hormonal regulation.

The founder of Shiatsu is Tokujiro Namikoshi Sensei (Japan, 1905-2000).One of the characteristicsof this style of massage that he has developed, is the fact that diagnosis and therapy are combined. Every implementation of Shiatsu pressure is a form of diagnosis that enables the therapist to treat the patient according to the patient’s physical condition. The hands and fingers of a trained therapist are very sensitive; they can trace defects in the skin, muscles and body heat when touching, and in this way the therapist can determine irregularities and immediately decide which treatment should be given. Shiatsu is free of any aids or medicaments, there are no side effects and there is no age limit.