noun
shiatsu
shee-AT-soo/ʃiˈætsuː/
Japanese bodywork using finger pressure on specific points of the body.
The shiatsu practitioner applies steady pressure to the clothed client’s back.
Etymology
Japanese shiatsu is said to mean literally “finger-pressure,” naming the therapy by its central action: applying pressure with the fingers.
In context
the meridian. I'm just sending my body weight, again, forward into hers to create a stretch. This she'll feel on the front of the leg. That's an example of a shiatsu stretch.
More examples
- She booked a session with a trained shiatsu practitioner.
- The course introduced the basic approach of shiatsu.
- He described the pressure techniques used in shiatsu bodywork.
Forms
shiatsu
Similar words
- massage
- Massage is the broader manual-bodywork category; shiatsu particularly uses sustained pressure in a Japanese tradition.
- acupressure
- Acupressure also applies pressure at selected points; shiatsu is a specific system with its own methods.