An Unexpected Delight

I had never heard of Watsu, so it certainly wasn’t on my radar when I attended a four day health retreat in far-north Queensland, Australia.

Most of the health retreat was focused on Ayurverdic practices, including delicious and colourful meals, meditation, massage, and cleanses.

So it was an unexpected delight when the retreat leader advised I had an appointment for Watsu therapy with a local therapist.

What is Watsu Water Therapy?

If you have ever wondered what is Watsu Water Therapy, I’ll let you in on a secret. It is many things that the definitions describe, and more!

According to the Watsu Aquatic Bodywork Website

WATSU® is the principle form of Aquatic Therapy for rehabilitation. It promotes deep relaxation, quieting the sympathetic and enhancing the parasympathetic nervous systems. It has profound beneficial effects for trauma, both physical and psycho-emotional, with therapeutic application for neuromuscular injuries, stress, chronic pain, discomfort during pregnancy, and special needs.

Watsu Aquatic Bodywork Therapy

The word itself, according to Healthline, is said to come from the English word for “water” coupled with the Japanese word “Shiatsu” meaning “Finger Pressure” which refers to a type of Japanese style massage using acupressure points to promote relaxation.

History of Watsu

If Watsu is a combination of shiatsu massage and water therapy, how did it originate?

An American by the name of Harold Dull, who had studied Zen Shiatsu under the Japanese Master Shizuto Masunaga, decided to add the benefits of warm water therapy to his massage treatments.

What this looked like back in 1980, was introducing the massage table into the water for the massage treatment. It soon became clear that the buoyancy of the water negated the need for a table.

According to the International School of Watsu:

At that moment- Watsu-as we know it-was born.

Watsu has continued to evolve from Harold Dull’s first experiments to now. According to International School of Watsu, not only has Watsu continued to develop, but they have given another name to the form of Watsu they use, known as AQUASOMA.

Since 2003 Giovanni Baccarani, with the collaboration of the Team of International School of Watsu (ISWATSU), has rethought and redesigned the Watsu technique always taking into account the latest developments in anatomy, physiology and neurology, creating, in years of improvement, a new modality of aquatic bodywork which is not based on sequences, but is based on listening to the receiver and on the application of the most advanced aquatic work techniques known to date.

What Happens in a Watsu Water Therapy Session?

People may attend a Watsu therapist for a variety of reasons, and likewise, therapists may have different approaches within the same modality.

Rather than give you a generic response, let me take you behind the curtain on my own Watsu Water Therapy Session.

As mentioned earlier, I was on a health retreat when I was first introduced to the world of Watsu. So by the time I arrived at my Watsu appointment I was already in a more relaxed and receptive state than I may otherwise have been.

When I arrived at the therapist’s practice, I walked through tropical gardens to reach the entrance. There was an exquisite sun bird with her curved nectar-loving beak dipping into vibrant birds of paradise flowers when I arrived. 

That close connection to nature felt like it was so organically welcoming me into a different way of being.

I was welcomed by the Watsu Therapist and shown the bathroom/change area. With my swimsuit on and wrapped in my towel, I made my way to the spacious outdoor area housing the Watsu pool. To my surprise, the water was warm and the therapist explained that body temperature water adds to the therapeutic value. 

I was offered both buoyancy floats and a nose clip to stop water going up my nose if I went under the water. I said  no to both. I wasn’t planning on my face moving through the water.

If I can give some back story here, water has not always felt safe for me. I chose to learn to swim as a 17 year old because I was tired of feeling scared in the water. That was a powerful shift for me, but I still wasn’t super confident in the water. So that moment of giving myself into the hands of the Watsu Therapist was not without some trepidation.

I slipped into the warm water and gave myself into the hands of the Watsu Water Therapist.

The trust required to lay on my back in the Watsu Therapist’s arms was immediately honoured by this wonderful professional therapist. His intuitive style understood exactly where I was at and didn’t rush or force anything.

At that moment, my body understood what was possible and my own intuition came into play. My body started moving in the water (supported by, not resisted by, the Watsu therapist). I soon realised that I was going to be moving through and in the water far more than I had anticipated and that a nose clip would be a great idea.

I simply raised my hand to let the therapist now I wanted to stop for a moment. He assisted me to do so, checked in that everything was ok and when I said it was, we renegotiated what I wanted the session to look like, having previously told him I didn’t want my face to go under the water.

With the nose piece in place, I again, gave myself into both the water, and the arms of the therapist.

What followed was sublime.

Timeless.

Beautiful.

Expressive.

Energising.

Healing.

Truly beautiful.

As the therapy session neared its end, the Watsu Therapist gently assisted my body back to a standing position.

We talked through what had happened in the Watsu session and the conversion was so insightful, so intuitive, so validating.

Would every Watsu therapist work in the same way? 

I can’t answer that. Every Watsu Therapist would be required to operate within the professional skill and ethics of their accrediting body. Some therapists may be more or less intuitive than others, but likewise, some clients may be more or less intuitive than others. Some therapists may be more focused on the physical body in Watsu therapy, others may be more attuned to what is going on internally or in the emotional, psychological, or spiritual body.

Originating in the Asian philosophy of maintenance and restoration of health, WATSU can be considered as a floating massage, a tool for rehabilitation, a guided meditation to foster mindfulness and resilience, and a mediator of personal and spiritual growth

Applications, indications, and effects of passive hydrotherapy WATSU (WaterShiatsu)—A systematic review and meta-analysis

Who Is Watsu Therapy For?

Watsu therapy can benefit anyone who would generally seek out massage or hydrotherapy. In Watsu you get the beauty of being supported by the natural buoyancy of water, as well as the skilled and experienced hands of the Watsu Therapist. For anyone experiencing physical pain, or with limited mobility or range of motion, this added buoyancy can be a real gift.

If you are stressed (and let’s face it, who isn’t?), Watsu Therapy can be a beautiful, nourishing, time-out/me-time to release stress and recharge with fresh purpose.

Watsu Water Therapy was an unexpected but long-remembered gift, and one that I would heartily recommend you try if you are looking for more balance, tranquility, and joy in 2024.

Enjoy!

Let me know in the comments below if you have tried Watsu or another form or aquatic bodywork!