Back Massage:

During a full body massage the largest amount of time is usually devoted to the back and shoulders, partly because the back represents such a large part of the body, and partly because this is a very common place for people to accumulate tension.

Massage Steps:
1.Position yourself at your partners head with them lying on their front, face downward or turned to one side, and arms by their sides.Starting on their upper back, glide hands slowly down either side of the spine, back up the sides of the body, and lightly over the shoulders.
2. Turn Your partners head gently to their right and work on their left shoulder.Using both hands, starting at the base of the neck, make firm strokes outward along the shoulder and off at the top of the arm.
3. Use the thumbs to work into the muscles at the base of the neck.Pay particular attention to any knots or areas of rightness that you find here, working firmly and slowly into the muscles, making tiny circles.

Massage Tip:

Avoid rough or sudden movements as you cover and uncover the different areas of the body.Make sure you place the towel gently and avoid abrupt movements that might be disturbing to someone in a relaxed state.

Upper Back: Massage Steps
1.Move to the right of your partner.Grasp the top of their right shoulder with your right hand and place your left hand on their lower back.Draw the left hand firmly up along the side of the spine and the right hand down to meet it.Continue the stroke, moving both hands upward over the shoulder.
2. Slide hands down the arm and, taking the elbow in your right hand and the hand in your left, lift the arm and place it behind the back.
3. Cupping your right hand under the right shoulder, use the thumb or fingers of your left hand to work from the shoulder down around the shoulderblade.Stroke upward and over the whole shoulderblade.Use the fingers and thumb to stroke firmly along the protruding bone of the top of the shoulderblade.Move the arm back to its original position and turn your partner's head to the other side.Repeat the above sequence for the other side of the body.

Massage Tip:

Always avoid working directly over the spine, unless you are using extremely gentle, or feathering-type strokes. Work into the muscles either side of the spine instead.

Lower Back: Massage Steps
1.Position yourself next to your partners lower back.Placing the first and index fingers of each hand on either side of the spine, with one hand slightly behind the other, make rhythmic, overlapping movements all the way down the back.
2. Oil the lower back, starting at the base of the spine(the sacrum) gliding up, on either side of the spine to the ribcage, and down the sides of the body, returning to the starting position.
3. Using a friction stroke with the thumbs, make small overlapping circles over the sacrum, gradually moving up the sides of the spine to the ribcage.
4. Shift your position slightly so that you are facing your partner and begin working on the opposite side of the body.Make big gliding circles moving up the side of the spine, around the ribcage, down the side of the body,over the fleshy part of the hip, and back to the strating position.Using firm generous kneading strokes, work gradually over the entire hip area.
5. Place hands, facing across the body, with one on each hip, and using a wringing stroke all the way up the body to the shoulders.Changing position, repeat the above sequence for the opposite side of the body.To finish the sequence, stroke down the whole length of the spine several times using alternative hands.

Massage Tip:

For comfort you may wish to place a small cushion under the upper chest, under the ankles, and under the ribcage, just below the breasts(for women).
When performed in a slow, focussed way, the massage sequence can invoke an almost meditative state in the client, and perhaps even in the masseur too.