How To Give A Full Body Massage

Scented votives, fresh flowers, snow-white towels, aromatherapy oils, blissful ambience, and an inviting masseur/masseuse, coupled with a stressed-out body - all these things imply just one thing, an awaiting massage session! Massages present the best way to relax and pamper your body. While combating the pressures of the workplace and house, almost all of us knowingly or unknowingly take too much of stress. While you may think that your mind is the one that is most taxed, believe it or not, your body suffers no less and sometimes, even more than the mind.

 

A good massage, after a long and tiring week, would be a pleasant treat. Add to this, the pleasure arising from the fact that your spouse or a loved one is the one who is calming and soothing the parched areas of your body. Blissful, isn’t it!! If your spouse has lately undergone a lot of stress and seems tensed and strained all the time, the best bet would be to allow him/her the indulgence of a home spa.  Are you now wondering how to give a full body massage? If yes, then read the following lines, in which we have provided useful tips & technique for giving a full body massage.

Before giving a massage, it is extremely important to set the mood for it. Firstly, choose a dimly-lit room that is neither too dark nor too bright. The temperature of the room should also be just right. Play nice, soothing music in the background and have aroma candles and fresh flowers all over the room.

To start the process, get some fluffy towels, on which the person receiving the massage can lie down. In the meantime, heat some calming aromatherapy oil. The warmth of the oil would provide soothing effect to the person and also help your hands slide smoothly on his/ her body. Choose oil that has a sweet soothing fragrance. 

Make the person lie on the flat steady surface, front-side down. Ask him/her whether he/she is comfortable or not. It is very important to be in a comfortable position during the massage; lest the subject complains of having an ache after the therapy.

Focus on the main areas of the body that carry a lot of tension and require greatest relief. The head, neck, shoulders and back are the most prominent regions, wherein the massage should be focused. Pour oil on your hands and start by massaging the bilateral sides of the head, in a circular motion. Apply slight pressure all around the head and behind the ears.

Step 5  

Stroke up the temples and run down your hands, at the base of the neck. Move out slowly to the shoulders, rubbing and kneading them as you proceed. With the help of your thumb, rub the joints of the neck and shoulders, in an upward motion. Slide your hands down to the person’s shoulders, gripping both of them and massaging with a bread-kneading motion.

As you move to the different parts of the body, use liberal amounts of oil, so that your hands slide down the body, easily and effectively. In a circular and outward motion, go back up to the shoulders, by way of the sides of his/her body, kneading lightly up to the armpits. Run down your hands to the lower back and then up again.

Most masseurs focus on the upper back region, completely forgetting that the lower back area is also a victim of continuous stress and pressures. Using the heels of your hands and thumbs, apply pressure to this area. Work your way down the buttocks, kneading in a circular motion. However, do not forget to massage the sides of their body, from the back of the hips to the top of the legs.

 

Now, it’s time to move down and massage the legs. Start by massaging the top of one of the legs and then the other. In soothing circles, massage the thighs, gliding lightly over the back of the knees and then to their calves, working your way up and down. As for the feet, rub it energetically in an up and down motion, i.e. from heels to toes. Take enough of oil to keep the hands lubricated.

Step 9

Once the back portion is done, ask your subject to turn over. Start from the legs, gently massaging the shins and knees and move up to the thigh. Using soft strokes, but larger circles, play around the legs, running your hands up and down. Do not apply much pressure onto the abdomen.

Massage the pubic bone, stroking upward, towards the bottom of the ribcage. Run your hands over the hips and then over the rib cage. As for the chest area, start from the middle of the chest, at the breastbone and work your way from the middle to the outside of the pectoral muscles.

The last step would be to massage the neck, kneading each side gently. Start by rubbing it lightly with your thumb, along the jawbone, to just below the ear and back. With this, the whole body massage would come to an end.