Applications Of KAATSU Beauty

Applications Of KAATSU Beauty

For who? Baby Boomers, retirees, women
For what? Strength, stamina, functional movement, mobility, flexibility, recovery

If you Google the word KAATSU in English, many online sources focus on KAATSU applications as a muscle-building, physique-toning modality popular among younger men. Photos, videos and testimonials explain and show how KAATSU can help build biceps and quads for these males.

But the amount of KAATSU information on KAATSU Beauty applications in English is quite limited in its scope. Google only scratches the surface on ways that KAATSU is currently used by women in 47 countries around the world.

A vast number of people of all ages use KAATSU for physical therapy, rehabilitation and recovery from vigorous workouts. Muscle toning and general wellness among working adults and retired seniors are, in reality, much more widely used applications than target bulging biceps of young men. In fact, most KAATSU users are people over the age of 50.

There is a growing specialty use of KAATSU: for all kinds of skin care and beauty applications. These female-focused applications have been tested and perfected over the last 20 years by a number of KAATSU specialists in Japan.

One of the leading KAATSU beauty experts is Yasuko Kato of Studio Body Design in Tokyo. Her clientele reaches from her hometown of Tokyo to clients from Los Angeles to London.

She offers a wide variety of applications to her clients from a maternity KAATSU course for pregnant women and new mothers and KAATSU sessions for women over the age of 50. She and her staff also offer specialty KAATSU Skin Care sessions for brides preparing for and on their wedding day as well as KAATSU Pilates sessions and KAATSU Stretching courses.

But the skin care benefits are also appreciated by individuals who may have had accidents, injuries or surgeries.

While Studio Body Design offers many specialty courses, the standard KAATSU session is a multi-stage experience.

“It is a remarkably profound experience and a totally different type of KAATSU application compared to a training session in a gym or to build speed, strength and stamina,”

describes David Tawil, a KAATSU Master Specialist who offers the same experience throughout the United States from the East Coast to the West Coast.

“The standard session is 50 minutes and the entire goal is to refresh and rejuvenate the skin and really bring out one’s energy, not a session that fatigues and challenges you physically.”

The client starts off by changing into comfortable gym wear – short pants and a short-sleeve shirt and without shoes or socks. The Studio Body Design specialist then smoothly, comfortably massages the client’s limbs in a downward movement as they sit. Starting from the shoulders, they rub different cremes into the skin as they move down towards the wrist and hand.

They do the same with the legs, starting from the feet and ankles and then moving up past the knees as they smooth on a pleasant-smelling creme. They do the same with the core, comfortably pressing on the stomach and lower back.

Then they wrap the skin with cellophane and then special warming sleeves. The wrapping of the arms starts at the wrist. The specialist continues to spiral the cellophane wrap around the forearms and upper arms towards the underarm. The cellophane is wrapped from the ankles up to the quadriceps and hamstrings. The cellophane is even wrapped around the abdomen if the client wants.

Then special warming sleeves are placed on both arms, both legs and around the core.

KAATSU Air Bands are then applied to the upper arms and the client starts doing standard KAATSU Cycles. Movement is quite simple from stretching to extending the arms and rotating the shoulders. More complex movement from Pilates to use of silk suspension ropes can also be requested by the clients.

After 10 minutes, KAATSU Air Bands are removed from the arms and the Bands are placed on the upper legs.

Movement on the legs with the KAATSU Air Bands is also relatively simple, from stretching and walking in place on special foam pads to standing up and twisting the torso. More complex movements can also be requested by the client if they so desire.

“Nothing is vigorous; the movements are not difficult,”

explains Tawil.

“The clients are not exhausted; rather, they are invigorated. Their bodies start to perspire with all the rhythmic movements. But the perspiration is not dripping sweat, it is more like a glistening glow.”

After the KAATSU movements are over, the clients then sit back down and the Studio Body Design specialists remove the warming wraps and cellophane and softly dry the skin.

They then re-apply a moisturizing creme to the body and spray the body with various air spritzers.

“Then the real fun begins,”

Tawil recalls.

“The specialists give a soothing face massage with bits of accupressure that really accentuate the benefits of the entire 50-minute experience.

The clients open their eyes after the session and they have these huge smiles that express a deeply felt gratitude for time very well spent.”