5 Important Massage Areas You’re Missing Out On

The beauty of a full-body massage is that you experience relief not just in common areas like your shoulders and back but also in places you may not realize need the attention. Often during my massage sessions, a client will say something like “Wow, that feels great! I didn’t know I needed massage there” when I hit a tense spot on their foot or forearm. During a “full-body massage”, I focus on all the muscles, pressure points, and trouble areas that you didn’t even realize needed attention. Here are five important massage areas on your body that you need to try next!

#1. Feet

Think about it. Our feet hold all our weight when we are standing, walking around, and moving through the rhythm of life. We use them for exercise, driving a car, dancing, gardening, and often stuff them into uncomfortable shoes for long periods of time. For some, their jobs require them to stand all day long. Your feet contain 7,000 nerves, making them highly sensitive and prone to poor circulation, inflammation, and swelling. If you don’t care for them, especially if you’re on your feet all day, you can really impact your health. I tell all my clients if you are going to massage yourself, start with your feet. Give this area some TLC! It really needs it.

#2. Scalp

A scalp massage is not just for hair. Massaging the scalp releases tension in your fascia and helps the entire body to relax. Did you ever have a hair stylist that gave you a scalp massage while shampooing your hair? It feels great! The increased circulation can really benefit the health of both your scalp and hair, too! Improved blood flow delivers nutrients to the scalp that help prevent dandruff and psoriasis, as well as help your hair grow faster. This is one of those important massage areas to try when you don’t care what your hair looks like after the session.

#3. Forearms & Hands

It often shocks clients to feel their forearms and hands relax from massage. Everyone uses their hands, wrists, and arms for typing, texting, driving, writing and so many other things. Hands are often the place that clients first feel the twinge of arthritis. Massaging this area releases tension and increases circulation and flexibility. It also feels great!

#4. The Base of the Skull (Occipital)

This is a favorite! You have layers of neck muscles that can be treated by massaging the base of the skull. Treating this area with massage can help relieve headache pain, and is essential for relieving neck and shoulder tension. It can be a sore spot when touched, so it is best to start with light pressure to relax the area slowly.

#5. Face

Your face holds more tension than you’re aware. Face massage releases tension, increases circulation, helps with headaches and sinus troubles, and simply feels wonderful. Some clients are hesitant to have their face massaged because they do not want oil or lotion on their face. If this sounds like you, ask the therapist not to use any product when massaging your face.

The human body is a beautifully complex organism. Your muscles, nerves and circulatory system are a vast, interconnected network. While your shoulders and back might be common trouble areas, you can experience the full benefits of massage when you give some love to even the smallest, most unassuming areas of your body. Let me know during your next massage session which of these important massage areas you’d like to try out!