Gain Without Pain Therapeutic Bodywork and Massage

Evan Davis MA, LMT,  NCTMB - Iowa City, Iowa - 52246  -  1-888-860-4362

Massage therapy for Pain Relief and Stress Reduction

Specializing in Focused Touch Shiatsu

Welcome!  Focused Touch Shiatsu  is a style of Asian bodywork practiced by a growing, though still limited, number of  bodywork and massage practitioners here in Iowa City and throughout the United States.  Shiatsu, as you'll read a bit further on, is a style of Japanese medical massage.  It is a highly technical modality proven effective in the management and relief of stress and pain.  If you are reading this, the chances are that you suffer--or know someone who does--from musculosekeletal (muscle + skeleton) or neuromuscular (muscle + nerves) pain.  This means that there may be a "conflict" between your muscular system and your nervous and skeletal systems, which may be relieved by allowing the muscles to return to a natural state of tension and "balance."   Very often, this sort of pain remains undiagnosed by Western medical doctors.  If you are in pain and your regular doctor can't seem to tell you why, Focused Touch Shiatsu may be able to help.  Massage has helped bring relief to many people suffering from sciatica, carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, and fibromyalgia, to name just a few conditions.  If you are seeking pain relief for a medical condition, be sure to ask your doctor for his advice about receiving massage therapy.  

Because it is not always evident from advertising who is and who is not a Focused Touch Shiatsu practitioner, we would be delighted to provide a referral to one of our colleagues in Iowa City in the event that Gain Without Pain cannot schedule you at your convenience or meet your specific needs.   

In Western terms, Shiatsu is a form of Japanese medical bodywork.  Shiatsu relieves many physical pain conditions, provides relief from acute and chronic stress, and imbues the recipient with a feeling of calm and well being. Shiatsu literally means "finger pressure."  Shi = finger, and atsu = pressure.  Shiatsu is similar to acupressure and derives from ancient Chinese massage and bodywork therapy, which has a history well over 2000 years old.  Although shiatsu has its origins in Chinese massage and borrows from Traditional Chinese Medical theory--itself having its origins in Taoist medical practice, shiatsu is a Japanese innovation. Shiatsu was first termed so in 1915 in a publication by Tamai Tempaku and officially acknowledged by the Japanese Ministry of Health as a valid medical practice in 1964.  In 1953, Tokujiru Namikoshi first exported shiatsu to the United States at the Palmer School of Chiropractic in Davenport Iowa.  Focused Touch Shiatsu, the style created and taught by contemporary master James Luth, is highly eclectic, meaning that it embodies both traditional shiatsu approaches and modern Western neuromuscular massage techniques.