11 Steps to the Perfect Naptime Facial Massage

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Cybil Solyn, skin professional, performed a crowd drawing presentation at her Skin Inc. LIVE! Performance “Better Results While Your Clients Snore: The Naptime Facial Massage Demo.” Solyn discussed how spa professionals can be optimizing the time their clients sleep on their table by performing a naptime facial that focuses on lymphatic drainage and massaging the Vagus nerve.

What is the Vagus Nerve?

The Vagus nerve runs through every organ and down the spine. The Naptime facial is about enhancing and adding intention to any treatment on your menu to make a better experience for your clients. This facial is designed to be easy for the spa professional to perform and incorporate into their treatments.

The Vagus nerve that is the on and off switch of your stress. Solyn explained that most of the time the Vagus nerve is just turned on, and it doesn’t know how to turn off. So when estheticians perform a naptime facial, they are helping turn this nerve off, while enhancing the treatment for their client.

Enhancing Your Client Treatment

During a facial in general, estheticians down regulate their nervous system, but once that is done the client is kicked off the table and sent home. So, the Naptime Facial helps to optimize this time to better benefit the client.

Solyn then moved into the demo portion of her stage presentation. She provided tips for performing the naptime facial that utilizes lymphatic drainage and makes an entirely new relaxation experience for clients.

Step 1. Start with lymphatic drainage. Solyn started with a clavicle pump, then moved to the jawline and ended with a neck drain. The option to add product for more of a technical lymphatic drainage is also an option at this step.

Step 2. Make a connection. This is when you will hold and cradle your client’s head. It’s very important that estheticians do this step with intention.

Step 3. Perform spinal circles. You perform circles of the spine. This helps relieve tension there, and Solyn noted that above all else, this feels really good for your client.

Step 4. Go into a neck swoop. This comes down and drains and when it comes up it actually comes up the SCM muscle (the muscle that is responsible for tech neck). During this time, you want to use more pressure up and then go lightly back down to drain down and provide pressure up. This relaxes that lymphatic while draining it.

Step 5. Come back to the occipital and massage that area.

Step 6. Move your hands to perform behind the ear circles. This area has so much lymphatic, making it a key part in this massage.

Step 7. Move into Temporalis Play. Focus on touching the actual head of your client and not the hair.

Step 8. Grab the hair and gently push down with light but firm pressure.

Step 9. Perform an ear massage. Solyn noted that if you do nothing else or add nothing else in a treatment, add an ear massage. Everyone loves these. You’ll want to go all around the ear, pick the ear up off the head. Be mindful of the ear area if your client has a shunt or has specific requests to avoid the area.

Step 10. Drain the lymphatic again using a V pattern on the ear front and back.

Step 11. Perform an SCM stretch. Drape your hand, drop it down and drape your body forward. There is no pushing, just draping. Repeat this on the opposite side.

From here, Solyn explained how she would move into an extensive facial massage as which would take a facial from a 60-minute service to a 90-minute service. Solyn emphasized that no crazy bells or whistles need to be pulled out for this treatment. The massage is the treatment and it works wonders in helping to relax and de-stress clients on a whole new level. 

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