Why Face Up and Feet First?

Everywhere I've worked, from spas to hospitals to sports clubs, my colleagues always started a massage face down, working the back first. I start every massage face up, feet first, and people sometimes wonder why.  I have always done things a little backwards, which is my nature. However, this inclination has a lot of common sense and science behind it.

Why starting a massage face up and working the feet first, is beneficial:

1. Face up: you might be unsure of getting a massage. If we start face-up, you can see what I am doing until you relax and your eyes close naturally. Starting face down seems impersonal to me, and the beginning is when we may have a short dialogue about appropriate pressure or other things related to your comfort and treatment goals. It's good to be able to make eye contact when we confer.

2. Most people have tight neck and shoulders or low back pain from the way we live now. If I were to start you face down and begin massaging your back, it would take a while to relax you and facilitate release of trigger points and tightness. When I start you face up, your back and shoulders get warmed by the table warmer, and you begin to sink into a pleasant, comfortable, safe state. Your limbs are relaxed. Trouble spots that impede the kinetic chain in legs and arms have been addressed; you are enjoying the massage, your busy mind has slowed down...so when you turn over, and I work on your back, your preheated muscles are ready to release tension and tightness.

3. Feet First: The feet have 26 bones and 33 joints! They are also your foundation. Keeping them moving freely helps everything up the kinetic chain: ankles, knees, hips, back, shoulders, neck, head....

4. Feet are the most ignored part of the body...and they work hard to move you around in the world. Treat them well, and they will serve you well. It may save you having to buy those expensive Hokas.

5. For most people, allowing a relative stranger to touch their nearly naked body (draped, of course) is a big leap! The feet are a relatively neutral body part to introduce therapeutic touch and get the recipient acclimated. Caveat: some people are ticklish, or very self-conscious about their feet, but enjoy having them worked on after reassurance, proper non-ticking touch, or with socks on!

6. We live mostly in our heads, right? So working on the feet, bringing some of that attention/energy down is grounding and helps balance your energy. Example: Your karate instructor says, "Think of your problems, a math equation, or what you are going to eat for dinner." Then he walks over and easily knocks you off balance. "Now place your attention on your lower dantian, the place between your navel and pubic bone." He walks over and cannot knock you off balance. Why? Because your attention is now on your center of gravity, and the body naturally follows your attention.

7. The feet are full of nerves, reflex points, and acupuncture points. Bubbling or Gushing Spring, or Kidney 1, is located on the bottom of the foot. Kidney 1 (KD1), or Yongquan is a foundational pressure point on the sole of the foot. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), it acts as the vital entry point where earth energy rises into the body, serving as a primary site for emergency resuscitation, calming the mind, and promoting physical grounding.

   
   

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