Massaging ticklish feet can be tricky. Too hard and it can hurt, too soft and the receiver feels tickles. Proper foot massages require some skill. In this article, we’ll look at How to Massage Ticklish Feet.
Here are the key points:
- Communication is key. Confidently talk to your client or partner about what you’re going to do.
- Know where and when to apply pressure during the session.
- Be thoughtful when altering the massage sequence.
- Avoid massaging the feet too strongly or too lightly. Practice makes perfect.
Feet ticklishness is something many people deal with. There are tons of nerves in the feet, and the sensation of being touched is strong. Too much intensity can lead to foot pain, and too little can lead to ticklish sensations. You’ll need to practice, and learn to hit the Goldilocks zone where your foot massages are just right.
Feet ticklishness is more common than many realize, but it should not be confused with pain or burning sensations.
We’ll discuss foot massage technique below.
Why Some People Are Ticklish
Some people are touchy or have ticklish feet because their skin has sensitive receptors that interpret the slightest touch with great intensity. But ticklishness is not only down to skin cell membranes, but also involves how the brain reacts to touch.
Some massage therapists believe that touch is interpreted by the brain receptors more than the skin receptors. After all, the brain processes all sensations! They also believe that skin receptor cannot tell the difference between the touch of someone else and the person who touches himself. It’s all the brain!
Most people who become ticklish during a massage do not feel that way when they touch themselves. The sensations are the same, but when you try to tickle yourself, your brain is already compensating for the sensations.
Most people who become ticklish during a massage do not feel that way when they touch themselves. The sensations are the same, but when you try to tickle yourself, your brain is already compensating for the sensations.
Furthermore, the brain has to interpret the difference between tension and suspense so some people react to touch even before actual contact is made. So following this logic, the body only reacts to ticklishness because the brain elicits such a response.
Regardless of which side of the argument you align with, the fact still remains that you will have to deal with certain clients who have extremely ticklish feet as a massage therapist.
Factors That Cause Ticklish Feet During Massage
1. Nervousness And Discomfort
Some people feel nervous and uncomfortable when strangers touch them during massage therapy. This is especially true if they are coming for a massage session for the very first time.
Being a stranger, they may feel nervous in front of you or haven’t had much experience with massage. And the mounting anxiety will make their feet ticklish and other parts of their body.
2. Nakedness Anxiety
Another factor that may be responsible for ticklishness during massage therapy besides overly sensitive skin membranes is the anxiety of being in front of a stranger in a (partially or fully) naked state.
Lying facing down and bum up before a stranger is not a comfortable situation many will be happy about. This discomfort may be represented by ticklishness.
3. Touch Unpredictability
Some people react negatively to an unfamiliar touch or if they are touched in areas, they are not used to being touched. And as you may already know, massages focus on parts of the body like the back, arms, thighs, and feet. These areas are parts the average person is not used to being touched.
Not to mention that the amount of pressure applied on these parts may be a little too much for some of your clients.
These factors may cause ticklishness of the feet, so knowing how to handle such a scenario as a licensed massage therapist is important.
How To Massage Ticklish Feet
When dealing with a client with ticklish feet, here are some tips to imbibe as a massage therapist.
1. Apply Less Pressure
When massaging a person during massage therapy with ticklish feet, apply less pressure to the tickly areas, but don’t go too soft! The only way to know which areas to apply less pressure on is to ask the client for affirmation as you move from one heel to the other.
Once you identify these areas with their help, ensure you apply less pressure, not a firm pressure on these parts. Aim for confident and present, as opposed to firm and intense, pressure on ticklish areas.
Another way to tell is when they are experiencing a ticklish feeling when you touch those areas during the massage therapy. Although massaging these parts will take more time at the massage school, the process will be completed nonetheless.
Also note that if you go too intense, people may experience foot pain!
2. Don’t Go Too Light
Nothing can be as discomforting for a person with ticklish feet as much as a feathery touch during a foot massage. It’s a balancing act: go too heavy, and they will react. Go too light, and their reaction will worsen. You need to find the Goldilocks zone where it’s just right.
An extremely light touch will cause the receptors to send strong signals that will cause them to move too frequently, disrupting the flow of the session.
It’s a balancing act: go too heavy, and they will react. Go too light, and their reaction will worsen. You need to find the Goldilocks zone where it’s just right.
3. Alter The Sequence
Another clever way to massage ticklish clients as a massage therapist is to alter the sequence of the flow to reduce tickle sensation. This involves avoiding the ticklish area, focusing on the less sensitive part, and returning to those areas.
This will help the ticklish client relax during the professional massage.
Another way to alter the sequence of massage strokes is to go for strong and light touches instead of using only heavy or light touches all through.
4. Communication is Key
As mentioned above, one of the weird aspects of ticklishness is that most people can’t tickle themselves, because they anticipate the sensations. By communicating where you’re going to be placing your hands, and how you’re going to be moving them, you’ll provide some of that information and help limit the ticklish sensations.
Conclusion
If you’re massaging ticklish feet, you need to be careful. A ticklish bout can ruin the massage, and if you go either too soft or too hard, you’ll run into issues. Find the Goldilocks zone of pressure and practice practice practice.
Keep good lines of communication open, and your foot massages will be on point!
