We recently connected with Ashley Shears and have shared our conversation below.

Ashley, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?

Having a background and degree in health, I knew I wanted to help others live their healthiest lives. Traditional medical settings weren’t the best fit for me and I eventually stumbled into massage therapy. I fell in love instantly and knew that this avenue was meant for me. After completing school and working long days at a local spa, I eventually acquired two shoulder injuries from traditional deep tissue techniques. The injuries were so bad that I couldn’t brush my teeth without crying. To say I was devastated would be an understatement!

A colleague at the spa mentioned I should learn barefoot massage and that was the beginning of my current journey. I researched and received a barefoot massage session to see what it was all about and quickly knew I needed to learn the modality! I signed up for class and was amazed at how effortless my teacher made it look. Even more so, I was blown away at how effective the work was. Watching my instructor sink her bodyweight into my classmate’s hamstrings looked absolutely heavenly and I was hooked!

After class I transitioned all my clients to barefoot massage, retired my hands, and never looked back. Now, not only am I thriving as a barefoot massage therapist, I also teach other certified/licensed massage therapists how to save their bodies and extend their careers through barefoot massage!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Hi! My name is Ashley Shears and I’m a certified and licensed massage therapist who specializes in barefoot massage techniques, primarily Myofascial Ashiatsu barefoot massage.

I got into the massage therapy field after graduating college. I started as a nursing major because I wanted to help people live healthier lives, but soon realized traditional medical settings weren’t for me and ended up with a BS in Health & Safety. I’ve found massage therapy to not only be relaxing for clients, but really transformative in their health as well, especially since switching from traditional deep tissue techniques to barefoot massage. We can thank my shoulder injuries for that transition!

My original massage training was very detail-oriented and focused mostly on healing/preventing injuries and managing chronic pain symptoms. I initially learned traditional, westernized Ashiatsu which has a fluid and spa-like aesthetic, but quickly realized that I couldn’t target my clients’ tissue issues quite as effectively.

For those who are new to Ashiatsu, it’s a massage modality that utilizes the therapist’s feet as a tool instead of their hands to deliver deep tissue techniques. For the client, the experience is very similar to what you’d expect from a hands-on therapist. You lay on a table, under sheets while the therapist works. It’s the same for barefoot massage except the therapist is also on the table, using over head bars for balance, and working with their feet.

So, after learning the traditional Ashiatsu-style, I started to feel frustrated. The spa-like strokes, though they felt amazing to clients, weren’t delivering the results I was used to with the hands-on work. Knowing that I never wanted to use my hands again, I started tweaking what I had learned to get the results I wanted. Then I found the Center for Barefoot Massage!

They specialize in teaching Myofascial Ashiatsu barefoot massage. For those unfamiliar, “myo” means muscle and “fascial” refers to connective tissue. This style is much more specific and detail-oriented. It’s still very relaxing for clients, but has a much slower and intentional pace. And, the results are amazing! Clients see results after their first session and report feeling lighter and less sore than when they arrived.

In addition to Myofascial Ashiatsu, I also teach one-on-one Yoga Tune Up® sessions with clients. This is a complimentary modality that has foundations in yoga but focuses on posture, alignment, range of motion, and identifying over/underused muscles. Through specific exercises we can activate those muscles with stretching and strengthening to find balance within the body. And, soon I’ll be offering healing Reiki energy work to my service list. I became a Reiki Master nearly 10 years ago and have had it on pause, but have recently tapped back into it and I’m excited to offer it to my clients.

I’m most proud of the journey I’ve traveled to get to this point. The cherry on top is that now I’m not only a thriving barefoot massage therapist, but I’m also an instructor with the Center for Barefoot Massage! I host classes at my office to teach other certified and licensed massage therapists how to save their bodies from burnout and extend their careers. It’s such a fulfilling path that I’m on and I’m so grateful to be helping others through the avenue of this work!

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

Other than training/knowledge, it’s super important to care about the well-being of your clients. This means having solid ethical boundaries and staying within your scope of practice. I’ve witnessed many times over the years therapists who have been unethical or practiced outside of their skillset and it’s truly dangerous. Clients trust us, as professionals, to maintain these standards so they can receive the quality care they’re seeking. The combination of a good ethical practice, staying within my scope of practice, and having an open heart has proven to be outstanding in the care my clients receive.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Aside from having solid ethics, staying within my scope of practice, and caring about the quality of service my clients receive, having a great support system with like-minded professionals has been monumental in building my and my business’s reputation.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://solecalbarefootmassage.com
• Instagram: @solecalbarefootmassage
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/solecalbarefootmassage/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-shears-cmt-lmt-bctmb-a479b4141/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/solecal-barefoot-massage-and-wellness-tustin
• Other: http://socalbarefootmassagetraining.com