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Massage is the practice of soft tissue manipulation with physical, functional and in some cases psychological purposes and goals.

Massage involves acting on and manipulating the body with pressure – structured, unstructured, stationary, or moving – tension, motion, or vibration, done manually or with mechanical aids. Target tissues may include muscles, tendons, ligaments, skin, joints, or other connective tissue, as well as lymphatic vessels, or organs of the gastrointestinal system. Massage can be applied with the hands, fingers, elbows, knees, forearm, and feet. There are over eighty different recognized massage modalities. The most cited reasons for introducing massage as therapy have been client demand and perceived clinical effectiveness.

Foot massage/Pedicure massage

Feet constantly take the pressure, wear and tear of getting us from point A to point B, leaving them feeling achy and worn. Giving a foot massage, whether to you or to a friend, is a special relaxing, treating that releases tension instantly. Read on to learn how to pamper by giving a foot massage.

Here are some helpful steps to have a pedicure massage.

1. Clean the feet with a foot soak. Dissolve a cup of Epsom salts in a gallon of warm water to distress the feet prior to massage. Soak for 5 to 10 minutes. Dry thoroughly, including between your toes.

2. Apply lotion or cream and massage each foot completely with gentle strokes. This includes the top and bottom of the foot from toes to ankle.

3. Follow with deeper strokes. Using both hands, place your fingers on bottom and your thumbs on top. Firmly slide your thumbs between the tendons of the ankle and toes. Use appropriate amount of pressure so it’s not ticklish, but not so deep that it’s painful.

4. Massage the soles of the feet using circular motions with your thumbs over the entire bottom of your foot. Keep the pressure steady starting from the base of the toes and moving toward the heel.

5. Rub your toes with gentle, circular motions. Stretch your foot while you rub to increase the effect.

6. Gently bend and rotate each toe. Use a circular motion to rub each toe individually, from the bottom to the tip.

7. Twist the foot by rotating both hands around it in an up and down motion. Each hand should move in opposite directions.

8. Repeat the all-over, gentle massage that you started out with to complete the foot massage. Use towel to remove any excess lotion on feet.

While it is true that most people do not know how to give a great massage, the same can not be said for giving a pedicure massage, it takes very little effort or knowledge on how to give a pedicure massage as most people just love having their feet touched and caressed, particularly after activity when they are sore or aching. The only exception is if the person is either excessively ticklish, or if they are self conscious about their feet because they think they are ugly.