sarga
bodywork
deeply soothing massage
& effective myofascial therapy
In Sarga Bodywork, your therapist uses their feet to apply pressure, stabilizing themself with a fabric strap fastened to a massage table. Your therapist pulls up and against the fabric strap and uses gravity & their bodyweight to apply downward pressure.
“Barefoot massage is an ancient practice, most notably in parts of Asia and the Pacific… Barefoot massage techniques are less "pointed" and have the ability to deliver deeper, more consistent pressure”
-Sarga Bodywork
what to expect
at your barefoot massage
Overall, your barefoot massage will be very similar to a “hands-on” massage:
You will undress to your comfort, relax on a cozy table, and receive therapeutic bodywork customized for your body.
Like all massages with Jae, communication throughout the session is tailored to your needs. Your safety and ongoing informed consent are priorities.
Some things may feel different about barefoot massage, such as:
Foot sanitization
At the beginning of your session, Jae will wash and sanitize their feet in the treatment room. This is done before any contact is made with their feet and your body. After feet are washed and sanitized, Jae will walk around the room in sanitized sandals to keep her feet clean.
Your therapist is on the table with you
For many of the techniques, Jae is standing on the table with the client. During some techniques, she is either standing or seated next to the table.
Note: JF Bodywork tables are rated to hold 1000lbs, making them safe for a variety of bodies.
Speed and pressure
Sarga style of barefoot massage is intentionally very slow. Some of the cells that make up our myofascia - the continuous web of muscles and connective tissue of our body - respond slowly to touch and require slow techniques in order to relieve tension patterns. The oil used for Sarga has some beeswax mixed in to give a little bit of grip and enable the slowness of this work.
The pressure of barefoot massage is greater than many techniques using hands, but remains comfortable due to the broad surface of the foot. Jae will still check-in to make sure you are comfortable throughout.
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Contraindications for Sarga Bodywork - conditions that are not recommended to receive this style of massage - are related to the intensity of pressure. These contraindications are the same for any firm-pressure modalities, and either mean we do not use firm pressure on certain areas or we use lower pressure modalities for your massage.
Contraindications can include:
pregnancy or trying to conceive
high or low blood pressure
acute injury
advanced stages of osteoporosis or other degenerative bone conditions
certain medications
recent surgeries
advanced diabetes
All clients will fill out intake forms and have a conversation before their massage to determine the safest and most effective techniques for their massage
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Barefoot massage is an ancient practice, most notably in parts of Asia and the Pacific, and this practice encompasses manual therapy techniques that are applied to recipients' bodies with the practitioner's bare feet. These techniques often mimic massage techniques applied with therapists' hands, however a notable difference is that barefoot massage techniques are less "pointed" and have the ability to deliver deeper, more consistent pressure due to the broader contact surface area of therapists' feet and the gravitational force that can be accessed for the delivery of the techniques.
We celebrate the broad, densely innervated surfaces of our feet as perhaps the most effective and intelligent tools for this purpose!
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The prefix “myo” refers to muscle tissue. Fascia is the connective tissue that forms a whole-body, continuous, 3-D matrix of structural support and wraps around every single cell, connecting cells to organs, organs to organ systems, and interpenetrates every muscle in the entire body.
We define myofacial technique here as manual therapy characterized by slow, sustained, oblique, and high-tack contact with the aim of stimulating a stretch response in the fascia associated with muscle (myo) tissue (see shear-force).
Myofascial massage can help to treat muscle pain, inflammation and restriction, by relaxing contracted muscles, stimulating length and hydration in the tissue, and improving circulation.
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The word sarga has meaning both in Spanish and in Sanskrit. In Spanish, sarga refers to a tapestry woven from many different threads. This is a fitting concept for us, since Sarga Bodywork synthesizes techniques and teachings from many different traditions. It is appropriate that this metaphor of a tapestry is connected to the fabric that we hold in our hands for balance and support. In Sanskrit, the word Sarga can refer to a creation or origin energy, made manifest into form. This idea sustains our mission to provide techniques and materials that help inspire bodyworkers to resource their innate creativity in ways that are mindful, safe, and fabulously efficient.
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1. Slow
By “slow” we mean that as we apply a manual therapy technique, we are moving at a speed that allows us to “stay behind the wave” of the recipient’s tissue as much as possible. This requires that the “slack” in the tissue remains ahead of our manual therapy tools, and a gentle, yet assertive stretch is applied to the tissue behind our manual therapy tools. If our manual therapy tools get ahead of this “wave” of tissue, we no longer consider it to be a myofascial application, which Sarga Bodywork emphasizes in practice. “Slowness” will vary from body to body and is more of a felt sense than a quantifiable speed, but is achieved by a combination of adequate pressure, oblique vector direction, and a specific quality/quantity of lubrication.
2. Sustained
By “sustained” we refer to a consistency in the manual elements that underlie the myofascial techniques that Sarga Bodywork practices. Speed, pressure, oblique vector direction, and friction maintain an equanimity and rhythm that are not choppy or imposing to the affected tissues, but rather seamlessly adjust to their qualities from the start to the finish of an applied technique.
3. Oblique
By “oblique” we refer to the angle of application, whereas this angle is neither parallel nor perpendicular to the tissue that is being affected. This oblique application of manual therapy techniques has a “shearing” effect on the underlying layers of connective tissue, thereby facilitating mobility between these layers.
4. Hight-tack contact
By “high-tack contact” we refer to manual therapy applications that are not slick or slippery from massage oils and lotions, but rather maintain a certain “tack” and “drag” on the affected tissues. While this kind of friction might imply discomfort, Sarga Bodywork techniques seek to stay on the soothing, parasympathetic side of manual therapies, and by no means should recipients experience any discomfort during a Sarga Bodywork treatment.
