No Seriously, W.T.F. Is Watsu®
Watsu® is a mixture of water and shiatsu.
Shiatsu is a form of acupressure that pushes on different pressure points and meridian lines to move chi throughout the body, especially in areas where it’s blocked or stuck.
In 1981, Harold Dull, a poet who had gone to study in Japan, brought what he learned into a warm water pool. He began testing shiatsu movements in water, using the body’s natural buoyancy and flow, and created what we now know as Watsu®. Over time, more practitioners with strong backgrounds in anatomy and physiology got involved. They helped enhance the practice, not just to make it more effective, but to ensure it’s safe for both the receiver and the practitioner.
Eventually the focus shifted. It became less about the practitioner doing the work and more about learning how to let the water, the element itself, carry the work. We are not the source. We are conduits for the water.
And as you can imagine, when people see people that look like us, in water but not swimming, it’s confusing.
Our work can look quite intimate from afar. Most people’s reaction is, what the fuck is that?
Honestly, you’ve got to be pretty far out to get into these kinds of modalities. Our appearance doesn’t necessarily match our actions. And yes, by societal norms, we are weird. That must be honored. That must be respected.
For people like us, who are often seen as the black sheep, an anomaly in this timeline, this matrix, we’re met with rejection, projection, and all kinds of assumptions. So there are things we’ll likely never share. Some parts of us are held sacred, kept within our hearts and within our dynamic.
But what we do share freely is our knowledge, this space, this practice, this gift.
We know social media has become a place where people decide whether they like us personally in order to trust us professionally. In some ways, we get that. But there’s also a conflict, because trying to get to know a person through such a curated and subjective lens is limited. This work is intimate. Real. It’s meant to be felt, not just watched.
By trade, I’m Dara. I’m a recreational therapist.
I’ve done hundreds and hundreds of hours of training in Watsu®, including Levels 1 through 3 and other sub-modalities certified by the World Aquatic Bodywork Association.
This work is intimate. In Watsu®, you are held.
Touch was our first language. It was how we communicated need before we had words. As adults, especially men, that language is often stripped away.
"Harold Dull once said that for some men, the most intimacy they feel outside of romantic relationships is with their barber."
That line stuck with us.
And after the pandemic, when human connection itself was weaponized, it became even clearer. This is who we are. This is how we’re wired. Touch, presence, connection. That’s the work.
We’ve chosen
We’ve chosen one of the most intimate professions to remind people of a truth. Your body knows how to heal itself.
Big love to Geminelle for creating the Mantra Loops albums. She’s the one who anchored the words in us: Everything I need is already inside.
Watsu® helps us return to that knowing.
We carry so much trauma in our bodies that many of us believe healing means learning how to endure. But maybe healing is about learning how to experience joy.
- To make space for pleasure.
- To trust stillness.
- To soften into what’s already here.
That kind of expansion is vulnerable. And it requires doing things outside the norm. It requires allowing the body to be seen.
Alongside Watsu®, we also offer WaterDance.
This includes underwater experiences that introduce you to three-dimensional movement and surrender. You’re not surrendering to us. You’re surrendering your breath. Trusting that everything you need is already there. Trusting your own capacity. Trusting your own air.
The pools we use are privately rented, preferably saltwater. The water is always heated between 92 and 98 degrees, depending on the outdoor temperature and the facility. If it’s hot outside, we stay closer to 92. If it’s cooler, we go higher. The goal is to create a consistent warm water experience that supports nervous system regulation and deep relaxation.
Water is said to be feminine by nature. And it’s also said to have memory. We are mostly water. And water always seeks balance.
When your body is in water, especially warm water, your nervous system shifts. You begin to lose yourself, in the best way. Water is one of the only places where all four lobes of your brain can activate. We often operate at 10 to 15 percent of our brain’s capacity, but in water, the hemispheres communicate. It’s not just left brain or right brain. It’s all of you, online.
And because water is so unique, it scrambles familiar patterns. Your body doesn’t move the same way. You can’t cling to the same stories. The loops break. The nervous system resets. New connections fire.
Never been a huge fan of percentages but they say we typically operate at just 10 to 15 percent of our brain’s capacity. In water, especially warm water, something shifts. Your nervous system settles. You begin to lose yourself, in the best way. All four lobes of your brain can activate. The hemispheres start talking. It’s not just left or right. It’s all of you, online.
And because water is so unique, it scrambles familiar patterns. Your body doesn’t move the same way. You can’t cling to the same stories. The loops break. The nervous system resets. New connections fire.
For some, it’s the first time they’ve ever felt weightless. And you’re not meant to carry everything.
Depending on your level of buoyancy, we may use floats to support your legs. That way, your body can fully surrender.
The work involves pressure points, gentle stretches, range of motion, and types of touch similar to massage. But water changes everything. The resistance, the depth, the rhythm. You feel things that land doesn’t make possible.
And so, again, when people ask, “What the fuck is Watsu®?”
Watsu® is a healing modality.
One rooted in trust.
- In water.
- In touch.
- In being held.
- In remembering you don’t have to perform to deserve rest.
We work hard to document this visually too. We collaborate with professional photographers to help capture the energy, the emotion, the beauty. But still, words and photos only go so far. This is something you feel.
This is something your body remembers.
Watsu® as a powerful option for:
- People with autism
- people with cognitive disabilities
- people regulating their nervous system
- trauma survivors
- expecting mothers
- men who don’t often get held
- people who are exhausted from being strong
- people who crave softness and stillness
- people who need touch but don’t know how to ask for it
Watsu® is not recommended for:
- open wounds or active skin infections
- uncontrolled high blood pressure or cardiac conditions
- incontinence
- fever or contagious illness
- certain seizure disorders (without medical clearance)
- acute respiratory conditions
If you have an extreme fear of water:
This is actually a beautiful setting to begin healing that relationship.
In Watsu®, you are held and guided throughout the entire experience. You’re never alone in the water. You’re never left to fend for yourself.
For many people, this is a safe place to reconnect with water in a way that’s gentle, supported, and affirming. We’ve seen Watsu® become a gateway for people who then go on to learn how to swim, not for leisure, but for life.
Especially in our community, swimming needs to be reframed as a life skill. Not something extra. Not something optional.
If any of this feels like a yes in your body, reach out.
This is the first of many blog posts. We finally got past the freeze of trying to find the right words.
We’re here. We’re choosing to be seen.
And we want to keep finding ways to reach you.
If there’s something more you want to know, a topic you want to see covered, or something that moved you, let us know.