Name: Bolton masseuse offers steel bar treatment
Uploaded: 2025-01-28T10:19:22.000Z
Duration: 5 min 26 s
Description: A therapist is offering £90 massages using a steel bar which can be so painful that some clients have walked out. Rick Howarth, 40, says clients fly from as far away as the UAE for his hour long treatment which he claims ‘get deeper’ into knots and scare tissue

A therapist is offering £90 massages using a steel bar which can be so painful that some clients have walked out.

Rick Howarth, 40, says clients fly from as far away as the UAE for his hour long treatment which he claims ‘get deeper’ into knots and scare tissue. His instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilisation (IASTM) treatment sees him firmly press a surgical steel bar up and down his patients' bodies to "get deeper" into knots and scar tissue.

But he admits 12 clients have walked out of his massage parlour in Bolton during treatment in recent years.

He said: "Around 12 people have walked out while having the massage done in the last few years. It is painful and it will be more painful if you go over the area that has issues."

Rick Howarth pictured with Craig Whittington performing a massage techique which uses a steel bar | William Lailey / SWNS

placeholder image — Rick Howarth pictured with Craig Whittington performing a massage techique which uses a steel bar | William Lailey / SWNS

Around six years ago, Rick, of Bolton, suffered from a shoulder injury and after having physio, he was told that he would never be able to go to the gym or lift heavy again. He then had an IASTM massage and thought it was "amazing" so decided to train in it.

Rick said: "I had physio and a TENS machine, but nothing was working as I couldn't move my arm more than 90 degrees. Someone sent me some information about IASTM and I thought it looked horrendous but I spoke to my physio and they told me to not do it.

"My surgeon told me I would never go to the gym again so I decided to give it a shot. After one session, I was back in the gym again and I could move my arm again - I thought 'wow this is amazing.' I then asked if I could learn it."

Rick has even had clients travel from United Arab Emirates, France, Newcastle and London to come and have the treatment and he's also massaged former X Factor star Jake Quickenden

He said: "My youngest client is nine and my oldest is 82. I treat everyone from professional athletes to young children to people who have retired who might have hip mobility issues.

"I treat literally everyone, you don't have to go to the gym. Someone came from Abu Dhabi, someone else came from Nice in France, I've had people from Belfast, Jersey and Guernsey. I also get people from London, Bristol, Bournemouth, Newcastle and Grimsby - people come from all of the UK."