The Art of Hand Massage

AJ Palma from Salon Tantrum shares the six most important things to do for a successful and relaxing hand massage.

1. Choose a product that has a pleasurable scent and a good amount of slide but will not leave the hands greasy or oily. This can range from massage oil to good quality hand lotion.

2. The first few minutes of contact with your guest or loved one should be long, gentle, broad strokes with the intent of warming up the muscles for later more detailed deeper muscle work. By going too deep too fast you might cause pain or soreness.

3. The next step is to “open up the hand” by gently bending the hand in the opposite direction than the natural grasping motion. By doing this you begin to separate the different muscle layers and stretch the hand, which is important because our hands are usually in more of a closed position and by doing this motion you help elongate the hand muscles.

4. At this point you are able to do more detailed deeper massage work. Start with point pressure massage along the heel of the hand. There are very large muscle groups which control the thumbs and wrists that all connect in this area and deep pressure can alleviate many hand problems and soreness. After this most of the hand can be done with less pressure, but by using the same point pressure technique.

5. Remember that the fingers are a part of the hand too and a great way to do massage on the finger is to do a firm compression stroke from the base of the finger all the way up to the finger tip.

6. It’s nice to finish any massage by doing the same light pressure effleurage technique that you began the massage with. You want to make sure that the person you are working on knows when you are intending to stop the massage so that they don’t feel let down by an abrupt ending.

Massage is important and beneficial for the hands specifically because they are a group of muscles and joints that endure repetitive daily stresses such as typing, grabbing, and lifting. Many times people forget the importance of their hands and they are neglected. A hand massage is a simple and fun way to relieve stress and relax.

Anyone receiving hair services at Salon Tantrum can experience the
Tantrum Signature Hand and Scalp massage which is complimentary to all of their guests.