Simple Man-Melting Massage Techniques

What's the one thing that every guy loves and is guaranteed to always want (besides food)? A massage! If you can learn to give a decent rubdown, you'll set yourself a permanent place in any man's record book. In this excerpt from Connecting Through Touch, we'll break down some basic techniques, complete with visuals, to help make you a massage legend.


Get Started
Begin your first massage stroke slowly down your partner's back, one hand on each muscle group on either side of the spine. Begin to lean your weight into your hands as they move down the back, all the way to the sacrum, the triangular bone that makes up the base of the spine.


Lower Back and Shoulders
Let your hands continue to the space between the pelvic bone and the hip, making circles at the hips before bringing your stroke back along the ribs to the shoulders. As you reach the shoulders, cup your hands around the bones, letting your fingers trace the muscles of the shoulders. As you continue, lift the tissue gently, and then follow the curve of the neck to the head.


Completing the Stroke
Gently complete your stroke at the top of the head by making little circles all over the scalp with your fingertips.


Slip and Slide
Repeat this stroke a few times from the beginning to the end. You will need to add more oil so the back is covered and the skin doesn't pull, but not so much that the skin becomes slippery.


Create Some Variation
Alternate your hands moving down the back of your partner's body and shift your weight into one hand, then the other, creating a variation of pressure on the muscles on either side of the spine.


Arms and Fingers
Repeat this sequence at least five times to get the feel of the move. Create more variation by changing direction at the shoulder and moving down the arms, gently squeezing the muscles of the arms as you travel to the fingertips. Give the arms a slight pull away from the shoulders as you leave the fingers.


Ending the Move
Alternate between ending the move at the fingertips and ending at the top of the head. Take your time, and always make sure you complete your move with firm contact; don't drift away at the end of the stroke. If you finish at the head, remember to massage it in a way that is sensual, slow, and loving.


The Big Finish
Continue to work on the head by making little circles on the scalp, moving it back and forth across the bones of the skull, gently pulling the roots of the hair, combing the hair between your fingers.

*taken from http://love.ivillage.com/slideshow/love/simple_manmelting_massage_techniques/simple_manmelting_techniques.html*