Indian Head Massage

It’s all the rage in the UK, and it may even be in your city in Canada or the USA.  It claims to help with anything from headache to hair loss, and it only takes 20 minutes out of your day.  What is it?  It’s Indian Head Massage, otherwise known as Champissage.

There are a number of slightly different treatments that go under the name of Indian Head Massage.  But, in the 1970s massage therapist Narendra Mehta from Bombay India formalized the treatment while working in London.  Champi means simply “head massage”, but the head massage is combined with massage of the shoulders and back.  In its simplest form, however, the Indian Head Massage can just involve the head and not even any oil (although it’s recommended), making it very un-invasive and easy to do over a lunch hour.

Mr. Mehta’s version of the head massage is tied to the Hindu belief in energy centres in the body.  Those of us who don’t accept the Hindu belief system may have trouble with a treatment based on these concepts.  However, head massage itself is a helpful technique, based as well on simply the power of touch and the same muscle-relaxing techniques of any massage.

For those who easily get tense around the head, jaw and face, and who prefer a quick, less invasive massage, a basic head massage may be something to try.