Indian head massage is a seated treatment which focuses on the face, neck, shoulders and scalp. It’s a relaxing, balancing treatment that helps to reduce stress and muscular tension – and is short enough to be carried out in a lunch hour or after work.
It’s normally carried out in a seated position, on a normal chair, and no oils are used, so there’s no need to take your clothes off.
It can be helpful in reducing pain from migraines, tension headaches, whiplash, and neck or jaw pain.
It was pioneered in the west by Narendra Mehta, an Indian student who came to the UK to study in the 1970’s, who was disappointed to find that most massages in the UK ignored the head completely. He returned to India to formally study massage, and returned to the UK to share his learnings. Since then, Indian head massage has become a popular and well-known treatment throughout Europe.
A fun fact about this treatment is that it’s sometimes called Indian Champissage, based on the Hindu word for rubbing – champi. This is also the basis for our western word ‘shampoo’ (champu). Don’t say I never give you anything.
Treatment length: 30 or 45 minutes