The Ultimate Checklist for Remarkable Face Lifting Massage Results

Work smart, not hard

You work hard every day, right?

What if I told you it doesn’t have to be that way?

Practitioners are at high risk for career ending injuries because they work too hard.  They often have body mechanics that don’t support their comfort or preserve their longevity.

I fought through pain day after day for years until my body just gave up.  It had been yelling at me for years but I didn’t listen.  I was exhausted and miserable, and eventually out of work.

During recovery I had time to reassess everything I was doing.  There were many factors, but the biggest was “working hard”.

I was raised to work hard.  I felt guilty for charging my clients unless I “worked hard”.  I believed I could only get results by “working hard”.

Then I realized I already had tools that could get results without my having to work hard.

I changed my mindset to focus on what clients really want.

My way of working is by carefully listening to and working with - not against - the fascia.  Myofascial release techniques will get clients the results they want, without straining me.

After that, my work became effortless, my books filled because of the results I was achieving with my clients, and my session price doubled.

You can implement this technique into your work easily!

Tip:  the “harder you work”, the less results you will see.  Less is more!

Ditch the Step by Step protocols 

I see a lot of facial massage practitioners on

Instagram showing off the new method they learned

in their continuing ed class.  

Do you notice they all look the same?  They’re doing someone else’s massage, but is it what the client actually needs?

Does it make sense that one method works for every client?

In my practice, clients have their own unique needs, goals, facial structures, tension patterns, contraindications and tolerances.  I’m sure you notice this, too!  One protocol or method does NOT fit all.

What’s worse, massage is perceived by clients as “effective” when a client feels acknowledged by your touch.  When you just gloss over a spot or 2 that need some attention because you have to get that whole protocol finished on time, the client doesn’t get what they need - and they feel the massage was incomplete.  They feel like you missed something, and quite honestly, you did.  There were tissues crying out for specific attention.  And when you don’t provide that attention, they don’t comply (whether that’s lift or relax), no matter how hard you try to force them into your newest protocol.

Each session must be tailored to the client’s needs, or your results are not as profound and don’t last as long.

Tip: take your time in consultation to figure out the areas that need attention, then address them in a customized session - customized for the client in front of you, not what you learned as a step by step protocol.

Create a session plan before you get your client on the table

 How’s your consultation?  

Is it a brief “hey, how ya doing? How are the kids?  What are we doing today”?

Is it a long drawn out session where the client has no idea why you’re asking all these personal questions?

Clients don’t usually know why we ask these questions or have them complete forms.  We as pros know it's for their own good.

The client wants to know “What’s in this for me?  Why can’t I just have my session?”

Your client is expecting a result for their hard earned money, and it's your job to give it to them.  But you may need to express what’s in your head about how to address this.

This calls for you to formulate a plan to address the concern that you explain to the client.

Tip:  Book enough time for an effective consultation.  It will make for happier clients because they are informed, have choices, and understand the need to participate in getting or maintaining a result.

Get your client’s nervous system balanced before doing any methods that are invasive or require the tissue to relax for a result.

So many of our clients are stressed.  They carry it around with them so it becomes a chronic issue.

How many times in the last week did a client of yours rush into your studio because they were running late?

The nervous system has the potential to calm quickly, but in today’s world, it's tougher than ever.  The rushed feeling is often replaced with spinning thoughts once they lie on your table - the to-do lists, the fight they had with a friend, the next appointment after the massage, lots of things.

If they are still in this excited state, how effective will your session be?  Will the lymph fluids drain away from the face effectively?  Will the tissues release and have a chance to maintain their healthier position?  Will you even be able to release those tissues?

Supplementing your session with a method or two of relaxation will signal to your client’s nervous system that it's time to focus on the session and why they are there, and can help clients relax and receive the work more fully, which will help you achieve better results for your clients.  

This doesn’t have to be complicated or lengthy.  

Consider these;

Tip: Ask the client to tune in to their current state.  If they feel stressed, ask them where they feel it in their face and body.  Then use that information to add in techniques that help release stress where the client feels it. 

Intra oral may not be the best choice - choose wisely

You may find that shocking since I teach this as part of my face lifting massage classes.  But it's only one technique in the toolbox that I share with students.

Does it have to be intra oral?  Not always, and in some cases, never.

Many practitioners are so excited to do intra-oral massage that they forget that their client may not be a good candidate for it.  Just like any other method, you must clear your client for contraindications.  

But intra oral poses another issue.  Your client may not want it for whatever reason.  It is their choice, especially since this is an invasive modality.  

Does this mean you can’t get results?  Absolutely not.

So many times I hear this face lifting work called Buccal Massage.  People teach it as if it's only intra oral.  But it isn't.  

Buccal simply refers to the cheek.  And you already know that cheek muscles can be powerfully accessed from the outside of the mouth.  So rather than forcing your client into work they don’t want, or, doing work that’s contraindicated, access the buccal muscles on the exterior of the mouth.  

Tip:  Here’s a chart of the cheek muscles.  Identify which ones you can access on the exterior of the face and be sure to have a choice of techniques to address them for results.

Allow the tissues to guide your session

The muscles and fascia will tell you about their

current condition and how ready they are to receive the work.

It's your job to communicate with those tissues;

• What are they saying ?
• What are they not willing to accept and what can they accept at this time?
• What speed is acceptable to them to achieve a lasting result?
• Are they fighting you or are they too devitalized to even respond?

Those tissues are speaking to you, and communicating with them effectively brings desired results (and some you might not even expect!).

Fascia has a tensile strength of 2000 pounds per square inch.  This means if you took a square inch of fascia, grabbed the sides of it and tried to pull it apart, you would need 2000 pounds of force to rip it apart.  

Muscle is controlled by the nervous system.  Each muscle can tighten overall or in one spot.  Trying to force them to relax will just leave a bruise or create a lot of discomfort for the client. 

All this force has an effect on you, the practitioner.  If you spend your days fighting against tissues to bend them to your will, what effect does this have on your body and mind over time?

The tissues are more powerful than any method you might use, so be sure to give them the respect they deserve.  Allow the tissues to open without force, without judgment.  

Tip:  Practice palpating how the tissue under the skin is feeling.  Is it warm, cold, tight, moveable?  Learning to “see” under the skin will bring your massage to new levels.

Avoid the repetitive upward movements until you have properly cleared the blockages, tightness or heaviness that will prevent the face from lifting

Many practitioners believe that if they just massage in an upward direction, the face will just stay that way.

If only it were that easy 🙂 Then your client wouldn’t need you 😯

As pointed out above, we need to communicate with the tissues.  But often, there’s another step that needs to be done first to be able to achieve results.

The neck is the place where most people hold tightness and tension.  If this is not cleared and released, the tissues may retain too much fluid, causing heaviness, which will prevent a nice lift.

Tip: my favorite way to release blockages in the tissues of the neck is lymphatic drainage!

Make it your unique signature session by integrating your best modalities or techniques that meet your clients stated goal and needs.

As I mentioned before, a step by step protocol is not the answer because it doesn’t account for what the client needs.

But it also doesn’t account for the things you’ve learned before or since, and how you make your session unique.  Practitioners tend to be creative and want to make the sessions reflect their experience, training, and beliefs.  Using a step by step protocol often doesn’t leave room for your stamp on the sessions you create.

Create each session as work you can be proud of that addresses your client’s needs and your own unique approach to healing.  After all, they’re coming to see YOU, not a robot.

Tip - if the client is exhibiting any signs of redness or swelling, the tissue may be overworked.  Don’t panic!  Leave time for a calming technique that draws energy away from the head and face and/or calms the skin from the surface.  There are many ways to address this based on your specialty - masks, energy work, oxygen therapy, red light therapy, reflexology, and more!

Joanna Tringali

Facial Massage Instructor

Licensed Esthetician, NYS LMT, NCBTMB

This work is endlessly fascinating, and to bring a wonderful experience to your clients, your skills need to be top notch.  Let me help!

Want to learn the powerful techniques I use to 

• get results that are a WOW for your clients
• easy on your body and
• give you the tools to fill your books and charge more

Join me!  Click here for class dates and more information.

joannatringali.com