Effects of Basic Massage Techniques in Head Spa on Mind and Body

Mannari Tetsuya, Toda Kazunari, Ogawa Shunsuke, Sato Chisato, Nakashima Reiko, Hosokawa Hiroshi, Ohnishi Hideo

doi:10.5107/sccj.52.187

<p>Recently, Head Spa has been drawing considerable attention in hair salons as a novel head massaging service. Several key basic massage techniques comprising Head Spa were identified although the physiological and psychological effects of each technique remained unclear. In the present study, the effects of five basic massage techniques — pressing, finger pressing, kneading, friction, and stroking — on mind and body have been evaluated using physiological and psychological indices. In the physiological test, parasympathetic activation was commonly observed for all five techniques, which was indicated by pulse rate decrease. The pressing, finger pressing, and stroking increased the secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) level in saliva. The kneading increased the skin surface temperatures at most sites followed by the friction. Several techniques even affected facial morphologies. In the psychological test using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) the factors prominent for each basic massage technique appeared differently. In particular, only the pressing induced an optimistic mindset, kneading raised the degree of relaxation, and stroking improved consciousness. These results suggested that, despite the short massage period of three minutes, each basic massage technique has distinctly different effects. Thus, our study contributes in unveiling the effect of each basic massage technique and creating a rational head massage menu in salons for improving customer satisfaction.</p>

Effects of Basic Massage Techniques in Head Spa on Mind and Body

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