MM Chapter 13: Swedish Massage Techniques

Face Routine Outline Apply a light lotion starting under the chin, coming up around the mouth, around the nose, up the nose to the forehead, and down the sides of the face to the chin. Spread the lotion evenly over the entire face.  Apply light effleurage strokes with your fingertips between the eyebrows. Transition into […]

Foot Massage Outline In the laced fingers hold, the fingertips of each hand are placed on the plantar surface of the foot, lacing them almost but not actually in between the toes. Hang on the foot as if hanging onto a ledge with just your fingertips. Stand on the lateral side of the foot facing

Technique 26: Passive Joint Movement Techniques Sit at the head of the table and stabilize the shoulder with one hand while the other moves the head and neck into lateral flexion. This movement can be used alone or with a massage stroke. Next, stabilize the shoulder with one hand and use the other hand to

Technique 24: Active-Assisted Joint Movements Practice active-assisted joint movements by asking the client to abduct the arm (demonstrate the movement first). The client starts to abduct the arm, and then you help complete the motion at the end of the joint’s ROM. The client begins the motion of hip flexion, and you help complete the

Technique 25: Active-Resisted Joint Movements Active-resisted joint movements are most often used in ROM assessment and in healthcare massages to build client strength. Later you will learn additional active-resisted techniques. For now, practice resisted shoulder flexion by placing one hand directly above the wrist and the other directly as a guide above the elbow. Ask

Novice therapists must master individual techniques before trying to combine them in a flowing, integrated professional massage. After mastering these core skills, you can consider how subtle factors like intention, depth, stroke length, and rhythm profoundly influence the client’s massage experience. Therapist’s Intention Chapter 11 describes the importance of centering and grounding before a session.

Routines are a series of strokes planned in advance, delivered to body areas in a preset order, and practiced until they flow smoothly together. Some spas and massage clinics develop set routines that are provided by all of the business’s therapists. These standardized wellness sessions often include enhancing extras like warm packs, aromatherapy, and foot

Technique 27: Passive Stretches For an upper body stretch, ask the client to bring the arms up over the head. Grasp the arms directly above the elbows, and pull them slowly backward, keeping the client’s arm close to the head. Continue to push the arms down, working slowly until the client feels a stretch. For

Sequencing refers both to the sequence of strokes (the order in which strokes are applied to a given body area) and to the overall sequence of the massage (the order in which body areas are massaged). In Swedish massage, the strokes often follow a defined progression from effleurage to petrissage, to friction, to vibration, to

https://vimeo.com/481738656%20 Technique 23: Active Joint Movements Paired with Massage Having the client perform a particular movement during a massage stroke can increase the effectiveness of the stroke because the movement lengthens target muscles while the stroke broadens and stretches the muscle fibers. A nice technique for the pectoralis major muscle is the “pec angel” technique.