How to Massage

Video Transcript

"Hi, if you've ever wondered about the basics of giving a massage in your home, I can help. I'm Sundae with Natural Sundae. Now what you want to do is make sure your client is on your table nice and relaxed. You want to make sure that the bolster is under their legs to support their lower back. And you want to make sure that the headrest is securely fastened to prevent any neck injuries. Now you want to just start by relaxing your client, and you can do this in a couple of ways. You can start with some gentle rocking, or some pressing. Gentle compression is always a very nice way to get clients ready for a massage. Then what you want to do is, you want to take some massage oil. And usually in massage you use thinner oils, like apricot kernel, grape seed and jojoba. And there are many kinds of oils to choose from that are thicker, you want to stay clear of those because that could become really sticky and they're going to want to take a shower after a massage. So, thinner oils are always best. So start at the front by the neck, and you just want to use some nice, uninterrupted, gliding strokes down. And this is called an efflarage. And it is the basic massage technique. You want to go from their neck and shoulders, all the way down their spine, into their lower back. And it's a really good idea, and it feels really good if you take your thumbs and move them all the way down the spine. Now you can use this technique all over the body. And we're going to transfer this from the neck to the shoulders and back. You can do this down the arm. Pull the arm down a little bit, so there's nice space between the ear and the shoulder. And do this on the legs and the feet. And then of course, you can flip the client over, and do this on the fronts of the arms and hands, and the fronts of the legs and feet. And a great way to finish off a massage is to end with the neck, and some ear pulling. And usually some nice circulation, some circular movements with your fingers, and then pulling those ear lobes down is a great way to finish a massage. So these have been some very basic techniques on how to give a massage at home. I'm Sundae, with Natural Sundae."