Watsu is a holistic treatment that was created in the early 1980?s by the
creative sensitivity and operational skills of Harold Dull, poet and researcher.
At the beginning Watsu originated from the wish to combine two major loves:
water and Shiatsu.
After travelling in the Far-East where he learned Zen Shiatsu from Master
Masunaga, Harold Dull came back to live in Harbin, a Californian thermal
resort where he began to experiment Shiatsu in warm water pools.
At first, this new technique was performed with the patient lying on
submerged marble shelves, which made it difficult for the practitioner to
provide proper Shiatsu treatment.
Therefore, the technique was modified using the relation between movement
and water resistance. The patient is supported by the practitioner, creating a
sensation of floating.
In this gravity-free environment, the practitioner is able to stretch the body
along the meridians. It is not easy to perform this kind of treatment on our
four-legged friends, but some water-lover animals it is indeed possible.
Watsu enables to relax the whole dorso-lumbar region and to loosen all the
muscular tensions.
