How to Massage the Back

Have the recipient lie face-down under a sheet. Stand at his or her head and fold the sheet down to the top of the hips.

Apply oil to your hands and place one hand on either side of the spine at the upper back, with your fingers pointing toward your partner’s feet. Lean forward and glide your hands straight down the back toward the tailbone. When you reach the bottom of the spine, divide your hands laterally over the top of the buttocks, then lean back and drag up the sides of the back until you are back at the shoulders.

Locate the mound of tissue at the apex of the right shoulder between the neck and the shoulder joint. Knead this tissue: pick up and squeeze the area, alternating between your right and left hand. As you squeeze with your left hand, glide toward the neck; with the right hand, glide toward the arm. Move back and forth between your two hands in a rhythmic fashion. Repeat on the other shoulder.

Stand facing your partner’s left side. Place your thumbs or fingertips (whichever is more comfortable for you) in the groove just beside the right-hand side of the upper spine. Hook into the skin and push the tissue laterally, as if you are trying to push the right side of the back away from you. Repeat all the way down the spine, making small circles at each point if you wish. When you reach the bottom of the spine, repeat on the other side.