Japanese at a Massage and Seitai Clinic: Kori, Hari and Asking for Less Pressure

Massage, seitai, shiatsu, seikotsuin: which sign to walk under

The words on the sign tell you what kind of treatment, what training and what payment to expect. A rirakuzēshon salon sells time: a menu of ten-minute blocks, work done over a towel or loose clothes, no diagnosis and no insurance. Staff are not required to hold a licence. Seitai is manual therapy aimed at the spine, pelvis and posture, also unlicensed and private, and the style varies enormously from gentle to vigorous.

Shiatsu and anma are licensed traditions: the practitioner holds a national anma massāji shiatsu-shi qualification, and the word chiryōin, treatment clinic, often appears on the sign. A seikotsuin or sekkotsuin is run by a licensed jūdō seifukushi and treats sprains, strains and bruises, some of it under insurance. Acupuncture, hari, and moxibustion, kyū, are separate licences again and often share premises with these.

Booking and arriving

Most places take bookings by phone, through their website or through a reservation site. On the phone, give the day, the time, the course or the complaint, and your name. Many ask whether you have a preferred therapist, shimei, which sometimes carries a small extra charge. Arrive a few minutes early for the paperwork, and wear or bring loose clothes; salons lend a top and trousers, and seitai studios often ask you to change.

Cancellation rules vary and are usually printed on the booking page. Same-day cancellation fees are common at seitai studios and rare at walk-in salons, so read the page or ask when booking.

The intake form

On a first visit you fill in a monshinhyō, an intake questionnaire, or a kaunseringu shīto at salons. It asks where the trouble is, usually with a body diagram to circle; how long it has lasted; whether you have had surgery, an injury, or conditions such as high blood pressure or pregnancy that change what can be done; your work and posture habits; and how strong you like the pressure. Seikotsuin forms also ask when and how an injury happened, because that determines insurance.

Answer the medical questions honestly even if your Japanese is limited: tick boxes and short words are enough, and the therapist will go through the sheet with you. If there is something you do not want touched, such as a recent scar, write it down.

Pressure choices are usually yowame, weaker; futsū, normal; and tsuyome, stronger. If you are unsure, tick futsū and adjust during the session.

Explaining where it hurts and how it feels

Three words cover most complaints. Kori is stiffness with a knotted, heavy feeling, the classic kata-kori of shoulders that have sat at a desk all day. Hari is tightness or tension, a stretched, pulled feeling, as in a calf that feels hari after a long walk. Itami is pain proper, and its adjective itai is what you say when a press hurts. Beyond these, darui means heavy and tired, shibireru means numb or tingling, and nukeru yō describes a joint that feels as if it might give way.

Say the body part, then the feeling: kata ga kotte imasu, my shoulders are stiff; koshi ga itai desu, my lower back hurts; kubi ga hatte imasu, my neck feels tight. Pointing helps, and therapists will press and ask koko desu ka, here, until you say sō desu.

During the session: pressure, positions and small talk

The therapist will ask about pressure early: tsuyosa wa ikaga desu ka, how is the pressure. Answer honestly, and update as the session goes on; a good therapist wants to hear chotto itai as much as kimochi ii. They will also direct you into positions with short commands: utsubuse, face down; aomuke, face up; yoko-muki, on your side; and chikara o nuite kudasai, relax your muscles, which is the instruction most learners miss.

Small talk is optional. Some therapists chat, others work in silence. If you would rather not talk, closing your eyes is usually enough, and you can say shizuka ni shite ite mo ii desu ka, is it fine if I stay quiet. If a technique frightens you, such as a neck adjustment with a click, say so before it happens.

Insurance, payment and receipts

Relaxation salons and seitai studios are private: you pay the listed price for the time. Seikotsuin clinics can treat certain acute injuries under national health insurance, which cuts the cost to your usual co-payment share, and licensed massage or acupuncture can be covered with a doctor's written consent for specific conditions. What qualifies is set by the rules and checked by the clinic, and the rules are enforced; a stiff shoulder from desk work is not an injury. Bring your insurance card, or the My Number card if you use it as one, to every visit. Prices, session lengths and payment methods vary by shop, so ask rather than assume that cards are accepted.

• Ask hoken wa kikimasu ka before treatment, not after
• Bring the insurance card on every visit; clinics check it monthly
• Expect questions about when and how an injury happened
• Private sessions are paid in full; ask about cards and QR payment
• Ask for a ryōshūsho if you claim treatment costs on tax or employer schemes
• Ticket books and memberships exist at some salons; read the expiry terms

If the receptionist says jihi ni narimasu, it will be private pay, the complaint does not qualify under insurance at that clinic, and you can decide whether to go ahead at the private price.

Aftercare advice you will hear

At the end the therapist gives short advice, and the same items come up everywhere: drink water, avoid a hot bath and alcohol that evening, expect momi-kaeshi, a dull ache the next day after strong work, and do a stretch or two. Seitai studios often recommend a course of visits; how many and how often is up to you, and it is fine to say you will think about it. Seikotsuin may tape or bandage an injury and tell you when to come back.

When something goes wrong

If pain gets worse during a session, say so and ask to stop; you are not obliged to finish. If you feel dizzy afterwards, sit down and tell staff. Persistent or sharp pain, numbness spreading down an arm or leg, or pain after a fall or accident belongs with a doctor first, and a good therapist will say so and refuse to treat until you have been seen. Pushy sales of long courses do happen; a firm kekkō desu, no thank you, ends it.