Want to treat your partner ahead of Valentine's Day? Why not spoil them with a sensual massage. It may sound intimidating, but a spa manager has revealed how to caress like a professional.
Natasha Bowles, 28, works at the Manchester Marriott Picadilly. She told us how to start with the hands if you're feeling a little nervous. She recommended: "You could easily sit at home, you could get a little bit of oil, a little bit of lotion out for your partner, and massage hands and arms because it's really easy to do anywhere - whether that's just on the sofa watching TV, whether you've just gone to bed, or whether you're sat at the kitchen table, it's that easy. Apparently, the secret to an expert-level massage is a technique called "effleuraging".
The word "effleurage" is derived from the French word effleurer, meaning "to skim" or "to touch lightly. So as the name would suggest, it involves using long, sweeping, and gliding strokes that are typically performed with the hands, palms, or fingertips.
Natasha said: "All you're going to do, is you're going to start effleuraging the forearms, into the fingertips, doing little circular movements around each knuckle. That's going to really hydrate your cuticles, the knuckles - especially in winter when it's a bit colder - and then you can massage up the wrist which is going to help anyone who works from home and use computers. You can go right into the shoulder blades as well. So if you just do little circular movements with your thumb or any of your fingers, you can get any little nodules out.
Use light pressure to promote relaxation, increase surface circulation, and warm up the muscles. Or to release tension and encourage lymphatic drainage, apply a bit more pressure. When it comes to the products you use to massage, Natasha said you can use "something as simple as coconut oil". Or if you're feeling fancier, you can try something like Milk Bath from Elemis, which is one of Natasha's favourite products.
