How To Give A Good Neck Massage

A proper neck massage needs practice just as an art. Not everybody, even at professional salons, really knows how to get it right. Areas like the legs, arms, and torso are relatively simpler, but the neck area is far more complex. An unskilled therapist can often cause more damage than good. However, the neck and shoulders are often the biggest problem areas for most people due to long hours of sitting in front of a computer, bad postures, and even stress. There are some essentials that everybody should know in order to give a good neck massage.

These include:

1. Use good quality aromatic oil: It is important to use fragrant oil that spreads easily. This will aid in relaxation and help avoid unnecessary pressure on the sensitive neck muscles. In contrast, almost any kind of oil can be used on one’s feet where more pressure can be applied and the smell is also not so apparent.
2. Rub your hands together to warm them up before starting the massage as the skin in that area would be very sensitive to cold. Do this every time you leave the person for any length of time. Also ensure that the room temperature is comfortable with adequate ventilation.
3. Never rush through a massage even if the client requests it himself. Reschedule the appointment or even cancel instead. Massages require time and any hurry can defeat the very purpose of the massage.
4. Start with low pressure, increase slowly, and keep checking with your client to ascertain his or her comfort level as the neck area is very sensitive.
5. There are several movements – `scrubbing’, `rotating’, `ironing’ to name a few – use a combination of all ensuring to spend more time on `knots’ since this relieves the muscle tension the most.