Fifty minutes for everything above the shoulders. Warm oil worked into the scalp, slow strokes over the face, and careful attention to the neck, where most of us keep our day. People come for headaches and leave surprised at how much their face was holding.
What Face, Head and Neck Massage is
You lie on your back, dressed, with a towel over your shoulders. I start with the neck and the base of the skull, then the scalp with warm oil, then the face: forehead, temples, jaw, around the eyes, with light pressure on the marma points, the Ayurvedic pressure points of the face. I finish with the ears and a few minutes of stillness. The oil stays in your hair; bring a hat or a scarf.
Where it comes from
Head massage (shiro abhyanga) is one of the oldest parts of Ayurvedic daily care. The texts recommend oiling the head to calm the mind, protect the senses and help sleep. The face work follows the marma points, which Ayurveda maps across the face and head as places where tension gathers and can be released. Oiling the head is part of the daily routine in Vagbhata’s Ashtanga Hridaya [1] and in the Charaka Samhita [2].
What it is for
What people come to me for:
- Tension headaches and migraine tendency (between episodes, not during)
- Jaw clenching and teeth grinding
- A mind that will not stop
- Trouble falling asleep
- Dry scalp and dull hair
- Sinus pressure once the acute cold is over
Reviews of massage therapy report reduced tension-type headache, anxiety and sleep problems across many small trials [3]. The US National Institutes of Health summarises the research on Ayurveda as a whole [4].
How often to come
This depends on why you come. These are the rhythms I suggest most often; we settle on yours at the intake.
| If you come for | I suggest |
|---|
| Headaches and jaw tension | Every two weeks for six weeks, then monthly |
| Sleep and overthinking | Weekly for a month, ideally in the late afternoon |
| Maintenance | Once a month |
What to combine it with
Treatments that work well alongside it:
And at home, in the days around the treatment:
- Warm milk with a pinch of nutmeg in the evening, an old Ayurvedic sleep remedy
- Less coffee after noon while you are coming for headaches
- Oil in the diet, not only on the skin: ghee, sesame, good olive oil
- Leave the oil in the hair overnight once a week if you can
Practical
50 minutes, €85. Amsterdam city centre, by appointment.
- Eat lightly, and nothing heavy in the ninety minutes before.
- Tell me beforehand about pain, injuries, pregnancy or conditions you are being treated for.
- Keep the rest of the day easy if you can. The body is warm and open, so a hat helps on cold days.
When not to book
Better to wait, or to choose another treatment, with:
- A migraine attack
- Fever
- A scalp infection or open skin on the face
- The first days after dental surgery
Let me know about recent head or neck injuries.
Afterwards
Leave the oil in for a few hours, overnight if possible. Wash it out with shampoo applied to dry hair first.
Booking
Before a first treatment I suggest an Ayurvedic consultation of forty minutes for €90, so I know which oil and which treatment fit you. If you already know what you want, write to me or book directly.
Before a first visit, read the preparation notes and contraindications and the cancellation and rescheduling policy.
References
Numbers in square brackets in the text point to the entries below. Journal references are given in the National Library of Medicine style; each was checked against the Crossref and PubMed registries.
- Srikantha Murthy KR, translator. Vagbhata’s Astanga Hrdayam. Vol. 1. Varanasi: Chowkhamba Krishnadas Academy; 2004. Sutrasthana, chapter 2 (Dinacharya): daily oil massage of the body, head, ears and feet.
- Sharma PV, translator. Caraka Samhita: text with English translation. Vol. 1. Varanasi: Chaukhambha Orientalia; 1981. Sutrasthana, chapter 5 (Matrashitiya): the daily routine, including abhyanga.
- Field T. Massage therapy research review. Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2016;24:19-31. doi: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2016.04.005. [DOI] [PubMed] [PMC free article]
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Ayurvedic medicine: in depth. Bethesda (MD): National Institutes of Health. [NCCIH]
The frequencies and combinations above are my general advice from practice, not medical treatment. If you are being treated for a condition, tell your doctor and tell me.