How to Massage Shoulders the Right Way – 5 Steps Guide

Nothing feels more cozy and soothing than a perfect shoulder massage. The truth of the modern era is that millions of people suffer from shoulder pain every day just because of a poor posture while sleeping or at work or by lifting some heavy objects. A good shoulder massage can prove to be a miracle for the day as it relieves all the tension and stress, and who doesn’t love a lovely massage?

Not only it helps to release the tension, but also gives a push to your immune system and improves blood pressure. When done the right way, it has some serious chill-out benefits.

That being said, here is a quick solution for a shoulder massage that you can do on your own or with the help of your partner (recommended). You don’t need any therapist for this purpose, just follow the guide.

How to Massage Shoulders

Usually, the neck and the spinal region are also covered while you are massaging the shoulders. This must be done in a gentle and gradual manner as we don’t want to exert too much force or pressure on your muscles and weak areas that may lead to pain or aches later on. Here is the right way that I recommend!

1: Learning to put the right pressure & Working out Gradually

It doesn’t matter how much pain and stress you have on your shoulders. The pressure must be balanced and firm enough that you can feel muscles move underneath your skin. Being a professional in this field, I would say that your partner shouldn’t grimace while putting the pressure on your shoulders.

The next thing to practice is controlling your movements. They must be gradual and slow. If you rub too fast and hard, it will irritate the muscle and stress points that lead to more pain. Instead of massaging with fists, use palms and fleshy parts of the thumbs and fingers.

2: Focus On Muscles and Avoid Bones & Joints

While you are massaging, don’t push directly on the spine area. Also, avoid the bones and joints! In most cases, if you put pressure on bones, they may bruise causing more pain to the person receiving the massage.

When working on the shoulders, keep your hands close to the partner’s body and gently push into the muscles and fleshy area. For better results, you can firstly massage some oil and then go for the pushing technique.

3: Squeezing & Stroking

For this make your partner sit on the floor or a soft mattress. Now tilt his head back and using your palms and fingers to start squeezing the flesh at the base of his neck on both sides. Continue for about 5-10 minutes and then stroke the hands up and down on the back of the neck. This warms the area. Using your fingers, give a deep circular motion by putting in pressure around the neck region. Try to avoid the spine. Finally, place the left hand on the right shoulder and squeeze the muscle. While you are squeezing the muscle, ask your partner to rotate his shoulder backward. Do the same using the right hand on the left shoulder.

4: The Forearm Technique

This one is a bit tricky and requires extra care. Using the fleshy part of your forearms, put them on the shoulders of your partner and close to his neck. Keep your palms down, in this way the fleshy area always rests on the shoulders. Now put a little force and move your forearms back and forth gradually. This is a fabulous technique and relieves the stress points quickly.

5: Finishing Up Things

For a ‘happy ending’ use the thumbs and fingers and drape your hand over the back of the neck by making a C shape. See the image for much clarity. Because the spinal area is also close, you have to be very gentle and careful. Try not to pinch the skin, instead, slide over it slowly.