How to Give Someone a Face Massage: Step-by-Step

To give someone a face massage, have them lie on their back with you sitting at their head, warm a few drops of oil or a little cream between your clean hands, and use slow, light strokes across the forehead, around the brows, over the cheeks and jaw, and finish at the temples. A relaxing session takes about 10 to 15 minutes, and all you need is clean hands, a towel and a gentle face oil or cream.

Part of the 10-Minute Wind-Down series: short, calm routines you can do at home.

Time needed: About 10 to 15 minutes.

What you need: Clean hands, a towel and a gentle face oil or cream.

Face massage is all about light touch and a slow pace. This guide walks you through the setup, each area of the face in order and how to keep the person comfortable. If you would like to try the strokes on yourself first, read our guide to a relaxing facial massage you can do on yourself.

Before you start: position, hands, oil or cream

Ask the person (a partner, friend or family member) to lie on their back on a bed or couch, with a pillow under their knees if that feels comfortable. Sit or kneel behind their head so you can reach the face without stretching.

• Hands: wash your hands, trim long nails and remove rings.
• Face: ask them to remove makeup and take off glasses or earrings.
• Oil or cream: use a product they already use on their face, or ask before trying anything new, since faces can be sensitive. Two or three drops of oil, or a pea-sized amount of cream, is enough.
• Hair: use a soft headband or a towel to keep hair off the face.

Warm the oil or cream between your palms, then rest your hands lightly on their cheeks for a couple of breaths before you start.

To see the strokes, watch our relaxing facial massage tutorial (video by Huyana Beauty on YouTube).

Forehead strokes

1. Place the pads of your fingers in the centre of the forehead, just above the brows.
2. Glide them slowly outwards to the temples. Repeat five or six times, moving up a little each time until you reach the hairline.
3. Then use alternating hands to make slow, light upward strokes from the brows to the hairline.

Around the eyes and brows (very light)

The skin around the eyes is delicate, so use your ring fingers, which tend to press more lightly than the others.

1. Gently press along the brow bone from the inner end to the outer end, a few small presses at a time.
2. Trace a slow, feather-light circle around the bony edge of each eye socket, staying on the bone and well away from the eyes themselves.
3. Never press on the eyelids or the eyes.

Cheeks and jaw

1. Place your fingertips beside the nose and glide them out across the cheekbones towards the ears.
2. Make small, slow circles over the cheeks with light pressure.
3. Move down to the jaw. Place your fingertips on the muscle in front of the ears, just below the cheekbone, and make slow circles. Many people hold tension here without noticing.
4. Glide your fingertips along the jawline from the chin out to the ears.

Temples and ears

Rest two or three fingertips on each temple, the soft area beside the outer corner of the eyes, and make slow, light circles. Then gently hold the outer edges of the ears between your thumbs and fingers and make small, slow presses from the top of the ear down to the lobe.

How to finish

Return to the long forehead strokes from the start, getting slower and lighter each time. Finish by resting your palms gently on the cheeks or over the forehead for a few breaths, then lift your hands away slowly. If you would like to build up to a longer routine, our step-by-step spa facial massage video shows a fuller sequence you can learn from over time. Hand them a soft towel or tissue in case there is any oil left on the skin.

Keeping it comfortable: pressure and skin checks

Ask once at the start whether the pressure feels right, and adjust straight away. The face needs much less pressure than the back or shoulders. Keep your strokes slow and even, and avoid pulling or stretching the skin.

Safety note: skip the massage, or avoid the area, if there is a rash, broken skin, active breakouts, sunburn, a recent cosmetic procedure or any eye irritation. If the oil or cream causes redness or itching, stop and rinse it off. For any ongoing skin or facial pain concern, suggest they see a doctor or dermatologist.

This is not medical advice; see a professional for pain.

Frequently asked questions

How to professionally massage someone?

Professional massage takes formal training, and in many places a licence, so the best route is a course at an accredited massage school. At home, you can borrow the basics professionals use: ask about comfort first, keep the person warm, use slow strokes and check in about pressure. If someone wants more than a relaxing session, book a licensed massage therapist.

What are the 5 basic steps of massage?

In Swedish massage, the five basic strokes are gliding, kneading, small circles, light tapping and gentle shaking. A face massage mostly uses gliding strokes and small circles with very light pressure. Tapping should be soft and quick, if you use it at all.

Is facial massage actually effective?

That depends on what you hope to get from it. Many people simply find a slow face massage relaxing and pleasant, and that is how we suggest you approach it. We do not make claims about skin results, so ask a dermatologist if you have a specific skin goal in mind.