LONG BRANCH
Businesswoman offers barefoot massage
Published in the Asbury Park Press 06/30/05
BY VINCE MILLER
STAFF WRITER

(STAFF PHOTOS: JACKIE POLLACK/PHOTO EDITOR)
Vivian Taormina of TaoMassage performs Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy on Chris Osburn of West Long Branch.

TaoMassage has opened an office in Long Branch, offering a barefoot massage called ashiatsu oriental bar therapy.

TaoMassage owner Vivian Taormina calls it “the deepest, most luxurious massage on the planet.”

Taormina demonstrated the massage June 23, the first night of an open house that ran through Sunday. She practices from her office on the second floor of the Pearl Street Gym, 10 Pearl St., in the uptown business district.

“(The technique) is an adaptation of an ancient form of barefoot massage using deep-compression, gliding strokes over the body with the therapist’s feet,” she said.

“Bars are used overhead for balance and cream is used to glide over the body with smooth, flowing, deep foot pressure. These techniques provide deep relaxation and stimulate the lymphatic system of the body,” she said.

She said the therapy is especially appropriate for chronic lower-back pain, sciatica, scoliosis, tight or painful hamstrings or calves, and chronic upper-back pain and fibrosis.

A willing subject was Chris Osburn, a West Long Branch businessman whose wife, Emilia, is a friend of Taormina. It was the third time Osburn had undergone the technique and second at the feet of Taormina.

Osburn said he sits at his computer a lot and that results in tightness of the upper back.

“This type of massage seems to be more fluid and thorough,” he said. “It’s the most relaxed I’ve ever been from a massage.”

It’s so relaxing, in fact, that Taormina recommends her foot massage subjects try no lifting or similar movements for at least two hours after the 90-minute session.

“The treatment makes the body so supple that engaging in any type of moderate or heavy activity can result in injury,” she said.

Taormina first washes her feet in a solution of alcohol and water, then applies a cream to the subject’s back. She then glides her foot gently over the back.

Members of the gym and others are welcome to experience ashiatsu or any of the other massages Taormina practices ?¢‚Ǩ‚Äù Swedish, therapeutic, sports or pregnancy massages or cranio-sacral therapy, all of which are administered with the hands.

Swedish massage, Taormina said, is probably the most well-known and widely used style of massage therapy. It affects the nerves, muscles, glands and circulation, and is characterized by long, gliding strokes over the body.

Therapeutic massage is commonly known as “deep tissue” massage and helps loosen muscle tissue or “unstick” muscle fibers while releasing deep patterns of tension.

Sports massage helps prevent athletic injury, keeping the body flexible. It also heals the body should injury occur.

Massage during and after pregnancy can be very beneficial, Taormina says. Massage is given in a side-lying or semireclining position with several props and pillows ensuring the comfort of the mother.

Cranio-sacral therapy uses a light touch to sense and correct cerebral and spinal imbalances or blockages.

All except ashiatsu are available for on- and off-site events as well as in-home visits.

A Long Branch resident, Taormina is certified by the National Board of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork and insured by the American Massage Therapy Association. She said she graduated from the Somerset School of Massage Therapy and holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from Monmouth University.

Ashiatsu is available for 65 minutes (back of body only) or 95 minutes for the whole body at $95 and $135, respectively. The types of hand massage are available for varying time periods and with discounts for multiple sessions.

Therapeutic services are available by appointment only from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. For further information, call Taormina at (732) 309-8136.

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