Facial Massage

What is a Massage:

Massage has been practised for thousands of years and its effects have been well documented, telling us clearly that it is good for us – regular practice means we become calmer, healthier and happier.

So how does it work? Under the skin, massage causes complex processes to start, hormones and “signal substances” transmit messages to the brain and back again, some stimulating and others calming. Touch is known to increase the level of oxytocin, the hormone that makes us relax, which in our fast-paced modern lives is a necessary means to restoring balance in our physical, emotional and spiritual well-being.

Face And Head Massage:
A face massage and head massage is a particularly pleasurable experience – most people will be surprised as the amount of tension they hold here, particularly around the jaw. There is not usually time for a full face and head massage as part of a full-body massage. You might like to try it on its own or in combination with a back and shoulder massage. However, if you are having a complete facial done, it would be a good idea to have a head, neck and face massage. 
Most massage to the face is based on shiatsu, which means “finger pressure” in Japanese. Instead of long strokes, acupressure points are used to balance the body’s energy. Gentle enough to relax, the pressure should feel firm but also caressing. We reflect tension and stress in our face with a tightening of the brow and jaw; calm and relaxation shows as a very ‘open’ face. Massaging the face enables us to drop some of our “masks” and leads to a sense of relaxation.

Steps To An Easy Facial Massage:
Before you begin any face massage, you should make sure your partner is not wearing contact lenses. 
1.Make contact with your partner (on whom you are going to perform a massage) by resting the flats of your thumbs next to each other on the center of your partner’s forehead. Glide the flat of each thumb across the forehead to the outer edge, lift off and return, working on the whole area from the hairline to the brow. 
Taking Care, glide the thumbs across the eyebrows, working from the inner brow outward and off at the sides of the head. This movement soothes the whole of the eyebrow area. 

3.Place the pads of your thumbs on your partner’s temples, resting in the natural hollow. With your fingers supporting the head behind the ears, make tiny circles over the temples. Alternatively, keep the thumbs stationary and press inward, hold for a few seconds and release. This is an excellent remedy for tension and headaches.
4.Ask your partner to close their eyes. if she has not already done so. Bringing your thumbs inward, start at the corner of the eye and carefully and lightly glide over the eyelids to the outer edge, then return. If the eyes are too sensitive, or your partner is too nervous, do the stroke but without making contact. Repeat two or three times.

5.Starting from the top of the nostril, glide the tip of each thumb alongside the nose, sweep along the top of the cheekbone to the outer edge, pull off and return. This stroke follows the path of the sinuses and will help release any congestion. Repeat once or twice.
6.Place your thumbs and fingers on the jawline, just either side of the centre and, in a rotatary movement, work each hand slowly outward toward the ears. You may notice that as the jaw relaxes your partner’s mouth will open slightly, as a reflex to the massage and a sign that tension held there is releasing.

7.When you reach the ears, pull down gently and off at the edges with your whole thumb. This is a very pleasurable stroke. Eastern philosophies believe that the ear is connected to – and represents – the whole of the body, so with this small movement your partner may feel relaxed all over.
8.Take the ears between your fingers and thumbs and gently pull outward, stretching them away from the head. Then squeeze all around the lobes, holding for a few seconds before breaking contact.
9.Move to the top of the head at hairline level and run your hands through your partner’s hair, making sure that the tops of your fingers brush the whole of the scalp from front to back.

10.Take small strands of your partner’s hair at a time and pull toward you very gently, working in sections over the whole of the head.
11.By now your partner must be completely relaxed. To finish place the flat of one hand across the whole of the forehead with the other hand on top and hold for 5 to 10 seconds.