According to one study, there are about 230 million visits to a massage therapist each year in the United States.
Instead of going to visit a massage therapist, you may want to consider having a friend or your significant other massage you.
If you’re the one who is going to be giving a massage as a treat to your partner, you may be curious as to what some of the best massage techniques are. We’ll break some of them down here for you!
9 Must-Know Massage Techniques
1. Create a Calming Atmosphere
When you’re wondering how to give a massage, the first thing you should do is to create a calming atmosphere.
You want them to feel relaxed so that their muscles aren’t tense while you try and relax them.
To create a calming atmosphere, try creating some mood lighting by lighting a candle (you can click here to explore candles with a fantasy twist, if this is something you like). Play some soft music and try to avoid any loud or distracting noises.
2. Pinpoint Their Trigger Points
When you give someone a massage, you want to try and target certain trigger points that are great for relaxation.
Everyone’s muscles are covered in a soft cushion, and sometimes the cushions will tear from exercising or moving too much. When this happens, the cushion will try to heal itself, and that healing can cause pain or tension.
many complain about having the feeling of a knot in their muscle. If they have a knot in their muscle, you should try and massage that area.
By working on it, it can help to heal it faster and get rid of some of the pain that they feel from it. Massage therapy can help to promote the flow of blood in the area, which will also help it heal faster as well.
3. Incorporate Massage Oils
Another great thing that can help with relaxing during a massage is to use some massage oils. Before you use oil though, make sure you warm it up to make it more relaxing and soothing on their skin.
There are all kinds of massage oils that you can use, like CBD massage lotion.
Some even come with relaxing fragrances, like lavender which is normally used to deal with stress and anxiety.
4. Use Hot Stones
Using your hands is a crucial part of giving a massage, but you may also want to incorporate some hot stones.
This can be the perfect addition to people who have a lot of tension and pain in their muscles. Like massaging a knot, it will also help to increase the blood flow in that area which can help it heal faster. It can be very relaxing as well.
To give them this type of massage, try placing heated stones on strategic points of their body. Put them on places where you know they’ve been having problems.
5. Start With Their Back
Regardless of what massage you give them, you should always start by massaging their back and work your way down.
If you’ve ever had a massage, you probably notice how the masseuse seems to have a certain path that they take when giving you a massage. When you massage their back and the top of their body first, it will help them relax some of their larger muscles and will be really relaxed by the time you work your way down.
To make sure that they’re comfortable, give them a pillow that they can put under their head or chest.
Since they’ll be laying on their stomach, you should also have them rotate their head from one side to the other periodically so they don’t strain it.
6. Avoid the Bed if You Can
While most people may think that the bed would be an obvious place to give a massage, you may want to try and skip it.
If there’s nowhere else, the bed will be fine. But as the masseuse, it can be difficult to get the right angle and position because the bed moves with you.
It will also put a strain on the person you’re massaging. Because the bed can sink in, it may end up hurting their spine while you’re putting extra pressure on them.
Using a massage bed is the best bet, but most people may not have one. Instead, try laying on the floor and making it comfortable with pillows and blankets.
7. Use Your Entire Hand
Some people try to only massage with the tips of their fingers, but you can’t apply as much pressure that way.
The best method to use the most pressure is with the palm of your hand. Be careful not to hurt your own hand while doing this either.
For an even more interesting massage, you can mix up different hand styles. Use your palm, fingers, and a mixture of both as you go up and down their spine and their shoulders.
8. Focus on Patterns of Three
While you’re doing patterns with your hands, you should try and do them in sets of threes.
When you do the same thing over and over, the person will start to realize what to expect, and it can start to get boring. To keep things interesting, repeat one thing three times and then find a different technique.
You may want to use your fingers to pinpoint pressure points three times, but then you can rub circles into their back with the palm of your hand three times.
This is your chance to get creative
9. Don’t Stress!
Unless you’re an expert masseuse, you’re not going to know all the tips and tricks.
Try not to put a lot of pressure on yourself to give an amazing massage; your partner will likely appreciate it regardless.
If you are stressing about it, they’ll pick up on it as well and then may not enjoy the massage as much. So just like you want your partner to, just relax and don’t stress about it.
Discover More of the Best Massage Techniques
These are only a few of the best massage techniques, but there are many more out there. It really just boils down to what your partner responds to and what they prefer.
If you want to help them relax more, using CBD oil is the best way to do it. For new CBD users, we offer a lot of information on our blog!
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