In our busy lives it can be hard to find time to connect with our partner in ways that strengthen our relationship and create more intimacy.  Giving your partner a simple at-home massage can be a great way to boost intimacy and help your partner feel nurtured. You don’t need to be a professional; all you need is some great massage oil (we recommend Kate’s Magik Aphrodisian Fire Body Oil), relaxing music, a bed, and your own two hands. Pamper your partner using these easy to follow steps for a simple whole body massage.  No experience necessary!

About Kate’s Magik Aphrodisian Fire Body Oil: Alluring and sensual, aphrodisian fire enhances romance and excites the senses.  Evoking Aphrodite, this exotic blend highlights wood and flower notes. Sandalwood and patchouli are deep and sensual, while sultry rose and flowery ylang ylang instill a sense of passion and romance.

Prepare your massage space

• • Cover your bed with an old towel or blanket that you don’t mind getting oily.  Have one or two pillows on hand to make your partner more comfortable. If you’d like warm oil, you can fill a large bowl with hot water and place the oil bottle in it.  Have an extra towel on hand to clean up any messes.
  • Your partner may be more comfortable lying face down with a pillow under their chest, then they can turn their head to one side.  Have your partner put their arms along their side, with palms up.
  • When your partner turns face up, they may want a pillow under their knees or head.
  • Use your whole hand while massaging, palm and underside of fingers will be touching your partner’s skin.
  • Keep your back straight while massaging and use the weight of your body to put pressure, rather than just your hands.
  • Before you start, place your hands on your partner’s back, and take several deep breaths together.  Set an intention to be the giver, and honor the gift you are about to give your partner.

Massaging in the Back

• • Sit at your partner’s head, preferably in a kneeling position.  Sit on a pillow for extra knee support. Rub a few squirts of oil between your hands.  Place your hands, palm down, at the base of your partner’s neck, with the spine between your thumbs.
  • Glide your hands down your partner’s back, staying next to the spine.  At the top of the buttocks, glide your hands out to the top of your partner’s hips, then slide your hands up their sides and onto their shoulder blades.
  • Make several circles with your whole palms over the shoulder blades.
  • Starting with hands-on their shoulder blades, glide your hands down their back with your hands moving toward each other so they come together over the top of your partner’s buttocks.  Again, glide over the top of their hips, then slide your hands back together over their low back.
  • Slide your hands up their back with the spine between your thumb edges.
  • At the top of the shoulders, slide your hands out over the tops of their shoulders and then slide them back together to the base of your partner’s neck.  Repeat 3 – 5 times.
  • Starting at the base of the neck, slide your palms out over the tops of your partner’s shoulders.  Slide onto their very upper arm and then slide each palm all the way down their arms, onto their hands and then slide off their hands with your fingers going between theirs.
  • Repeat these strokes 3 – 5 times, varying direction and combining them as you like.  Use more oil as needed.

Massaging Back of Legs

1. • Sit at the outside edge of your partner’s lower leg.  Rub some oil into your hands. Start with your hands, palm down, on either side of your partner’s ankle.
   • Glide your hands up the sides of your partner’s leg, all the way to their hip and inner thigh.  Bring your hands together at the top of the thigh and slide your hands all the way down to their heel. Repeat 3 – 5 times, applying more oil as needed.
   • Now slide your way up the back of your partner’s leg making circles with each palm in an alternating pattern. (right-hand circles over middle and side of leg, left hand circles over the middle leg and inner calf/thigh, move up a few inches and repeat).  Go back down the leg with the same pattern, alternating the direction of your circles.
   • Repeat on the second leg.

Massaging Neck and Arms

• • Turn your partner face up and sit above their head.  Rub some oil on your hands. Place your palms at the base of your partner’s neck, with fingers facing your partner’s upper back and palms against the base of the neck where it meets the shoulders.  Glide your hands out to the tops of your partner’s arms, then glide down over the outside of their arms down to the elbow. Slide your hands under their arms and then glide back up under their arms, under their upper back and up to the base of their skull.  Repeat 3 – 5 times.
  • With your fingertips at the base of the skull, on either side of the spine, make small circles, letting the fingers move the muscles slightly.  Check-in with your partner about pressure, the more you press your fingers up, the more pressure they will feel. Continue making small circles on the neck muscles, moving downward toward the upper back.
  • Slide your hands under your partner’s upper back, with your fingers on the muscles between the shoulder blades and spine.  Glide your hands up to the base of the skull. Repeat 3 times.
  • Sit at your partner’s side near their hand.  With oil on your hands, place one hand on your partner’s wrist.  Slide that hand up their arm to the shoulder, followed immediately by your second hand.  Slide one hand under their shoulder and keep the other hand over the front of the upper arm.  Slide both hands down the arm to the hand while squeezing your hands slightly to create pressure.  Repeat 3 – 5 times. 
  • Repeat on the second arm.

Massaging Legs and Feet

1. • Sit at your partner’s side near their ankle.  With oil on your hands, place your palms and fingers on either side of your partner’s ankle.  Slide your hands up the sides of their leg to the upper thigh/outer hip.
   • Bring your thumb edges together at the middle of the upper thigh, with your palms and other fingers resting on the sides of the upper thigh.  Slide your hands away from each other toward the sides of the leg. Move your hands down a few inches and slide your hands away from each other again.  Continue this down the leg to the ankle, watching out not to press on the knee bone or the shin bone.
   • Repeat these two steps 3 – 5 times, using more oil as needed.
   • Place hands on foot, with one palm on top of the foot and other on the bottom.  Slide your hands up and down your partner’s foot, from toes to heel/ankle, pressing your hands toward each other.  Repeat several times.
   • Using fingers, make circles around the ankle bones.  Rub your palm in a circular motion over the front of the ankle.  Finish by rubbing your palm in a circular motion over the bottom of the foot, from toes to heel and back again.  Use a loose fist to make circles if your partner wants more pressure.
   • Repeat on the second leg and foot.

When you’ve finished massaging your partner, place your palms on the bottom of their feet and take several deep breaths together.  Take some time to snuggle up with your partner and let them give you some appreciation, in whatever form it comes. Enjoy the time you’ve spent together, even if you stumbled through, and know that moments like these are precious.  And make sure to find a time when your partner can take a turn as the giver too!

If you’re interested in coming in to enjoy any of our massage treatments, you are always invited. Book your next visit with us!

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Heather Bishop is the Massage Therapy Supervisor at Osmosis Day Spa Sanctuary.  She has been practicing massage and bodywork for over 17 years and performs a wide variety of modalities, specializing in deep tissue and east-west fusion massage.  In addition to massage, Heather is also a Registered Yoga Teacher of 15 years and teaches at Soulstice in Santa Rosa.  She loves having daily opportunities to help others and is a proud member of the Osmosis team.