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The first step in the Water-dance is trust.

The Waterdance is a new kind of massage being offered at the Strawberry Park Hot Springs that takes place almost completely underwater.

And before massage therapist Michael Moss can even begin, he must break through all your fears -- fear of being held underwater, fear of drowning, and fear of giving up control to another person.

The Waterdance sessions are an hour long, and for first-timers, Moss will spend as much as 15 to 30 minutes just getting them comfortable.

"They need to feel safe," he said.

The water is heated to 96 degrees, skin temperature. The massage begins on the surface of the water where Moss loosens your joints and your breathing by moving you back and forth like river grass in a current.

Your eyes are closed. The sun shines down on you. Your ears are underwater, and all you can hear is your own breathing. You feel like you are being rescued. You are dying. You are being born. The water and the movement of your body in the water removes you from the stress of the day and transports you to a different place.

"For some people, it's a roller coaster ride," Moss said. "For others, it's more like being in the womb."

As Moss moves your body, stretching muscles and working out tension, he matches his breath to the rhythm of your own.

"I breathe with you," Moss said. "As you inhale, I inhale. As you exhale, I exhale. That simple act is very nurturing." Your breath begins to lengthen, and Moss prepares you to go underwater.

You inhale and Moss pushes you under the water. At this point, you might imagine that you would panic and fight for the surface.

Instead, you are relaxed. The preparation worked.

"A diver's reflex kicks in," Moss said. "When you're skin diving, the body just takes care of the core. You can stay under for 30 seconds, 40 seconds, even a minute and a half. You enter a meditative state."

The first time Moss gives a Waterdance massage, he intentionally keeps it on the conservative side. He takes you underwater, stretches you or works on a knot in your muscle and then brings you back up for a breath.

"Because I breathe with them, I have a sense of when they need to breathe," he said. "I try to make the time below the water and above the water seamless. The shift is invisible."

Waterdance is similar in many ways to Watsu, a form of aquatic massage offered at Strawberry Park Hot Springs for the past eight years. The difference is that Watsu takes place completely on the surface of the water.

Arjana Brunschwiler and Aman Schroter created Waterdance in 1987. The moves are inspired by aikido, dolphin and snake movements, and dance -- all synchronized with the breath of the practitioner and the client.

Without the constraints of the massage table or even the constraint of keeping the body above water, the therapist can move your body in any direction.

"On a table, I can work on your back or on your front," Moss said. "Waterdance is dynamic. I can work in all planes at once."