What is Bamboo Massage? What is Bamboo Massage? It is the practice of adding warm bamboo and rattan tools to knead the muscles into a melted bliss. It can be used during a table or chair massage. It is likened to warm forearm massage. It’s deep and warm. Whether in your office or on a mobile house-call, give your hands a vacation and set your clients adrift to experience a mini-island respite. Now you know what Bamboo massage is, let’s talk about where to get the Bamboo tools or stick set. Where Do the Tools Come From? There are two different materials used for the bamboo massage sets. Bamboo is grass. It is hollow and pretty much grows everywhere. Rattan is solid and is a member of the palm family, which only grows in Southeast Asia. The solid rattan pieces keep their natural shape, which makes them superior to bamboo. The Barefoot Masters® sets are mostly made up of rattan. Bamboo tool sets made of 100% bamboo. These bamboo sticks are hollow. Because the bamboo contracts and expands, heating these tool sets will likely lead to splitting. Cleaning the hollow centers is difficult. Unless they are hollow, then they are made of bamboo pulp, and glue poured into a closet dowel mold. They come out perfect with a bamboo pattern. Over time heat and moisture will break down the glue. Bamboo-Fusion® was the original company that used these materials. Our Bamboossage® tools sets should last you a decade. The tools are heated with a heating pad. We like the Theratherm Moisture Heating Pad with the 60-minute timer. We fold it in half and slide the tools sets in the order that we use them. It is also a product made in the USA. The bamboo massage tool sets come in varying lengths and thicknesses to match the variety of contours of the body. Our tool set comes with eight pieces. It does not include the tapotement tools as they are only used in chair massage. Using an antibacterial wipe like WetOnes® makes cleaning them a breeze. At the end of the day, they can be easily cleaned with soap and water. Perfect for the office or mobile house calls. Where Did Bamboo Massage Really Come From? You think you know the real story. Every time I teach a class, I explain, what is bamboo massage and where it came from?But how do I tell the truth without telling them the whole truth? But here is the true story.
A student, who had taken a Barefoot Masters® Ashiatsu class told me about this bamboo massage treatment she had learned from a spa in Brazil that she briefly worked. No one knows where the spa in Brazil got the idea. As far as we know, they originated it. Warm rattan pieces along with a couple of bamboo tools were used as part of a massage treatment. It sounded like a great concept, and I could see the potential. I’m a developer and a problem solver, and I offered to develop this as a partner, 50/50. An agreement was reached, and a plan was set in motion. In other words, unless thought is exerted and a plan implemented, ideas are just fairy farts no matter where they originate. It was to be presented at the 2006 Florida Massage Therapy Convention, and the deadline was fast approaching. There was no way to finish the table routine in time. The pressure was on. With only two weeks to the convention, my partner was a blank screen. No surprise there. In a Hail Mary moment, I decided to throw together a Bamboo2Go® chair massage routine and video. That was an original idea. With the help of my friends Rick Forester my Videographer and his wife and my assistant Linda Forester, we all worked feverishly through many nights to finish editing the video. We did it. Linda also came up with the term Bamboo-Fusion, I quickly decided to use Bamboo2Go® for the chair routine, since I had My2Feet.com and the Stones2Go® trademark. With the unwavering support of my husband, I went off to convention exhausted and excited. Although hectic, the convention went well. Massage Magazine approached me to write an article about Bamboo massage. It was published in 2007. As soon as the convention was over and the invoices came due, guess who bailed? You guessed it, my partner left me with the unpaid bills and then filed for the trademarks that Linda my assistant and I had beat our brains to come up with in time. Steve Jobs received the credit for Apple. But it was Steve Wozniak who created the operating system and pretty much the Apple computer. When he was no longer useful, Steve Jobs robbed him financially and then threw him to the curb. Partnerships can be ugly and a hard lesson learned. After considerable expense, I won back the Bamboo2Go® trademark. The stress and expense to fight for Bamboo-Fusion weren’t worth it. I decided to replace it with Bamboossage®. When you fill out a federal application with the United States government, the submission requires that you attest that you are the first to have used it. It was debuted under Barefoot Masters® booth. When someone files for a trademark first even though it is rightfully yours, the burden of proof along with the expense falls on the injured party. It didn’t seem fair, but that is the way it is. When Linda found out, she was steamed. There is a fine for lying on a federal application. She was upset to find out that it is not enforced. The law turned out to be a disappointment. On a positive note, in less than ten years, The Barefoot Masters® developed an idea and a program that reached around the globe. The Steiner Group that own many of the concessions on cruise ships, used Bamboossage® educational materials to introduce it to the global community. So when some one asks, “What is Bamboo Massage and where did it come from?” You now know. All this was made possible due to the support of my family and friends. I would like to give a special thank my assistant and friend Linda Forester who was “Original” and came up with the Bamboo-Fusion® trademark. Linda passed away in August of 2017. She started as a client. After listening to me talk about my dream to start a continuing education company that taught unique modalities, she pushed and supported me to become who I am today. She was a true friend. The Barefoot Masters® and Bamboo Massage would not exist had it not been for the selfless dedication of Linda Forester. Find Bamboo Massage classes near you. The Warm Bamboossage Table Massage is available online, too. Thank you for reading, What is Bamboo Massage and Where Did It Come From? This case is on public record. For the facts on the Bamboo2Go® trademark go to. USPTO.gov What is Bamboo Massage? Revised
