How to Give a Foot Massage

Every day, we wake up in the morning, finish whatever chores we have in the house, get ready, head out to work, come back home, prepare dinner, do more chores, and then finally, get a chance to hit the bed. In a week, almost 5 to 6 days' schedule looks like this and it can definitely take a toll on anyone. Aching feet, back and shoulder muscles hurting, and other parts of the body crying out for some much-needed rest, you owe yourself a good break.

All day long, we walk, stand, and take the entire body's weight on our feet. Due to which, the soles of the feet can ache, resulting in discomfort while walking. Especially for women, when they wear high heel shoes, their feet and ankles can begin to hurt.

Now I'm not saying that you should stop wearing such shoes, or not stay on your feet while working. What I want to mention here is that after a long day's work, you can massage your feet in order to find relief from aching feet and relax the tired muscles.

Learning how to give a foot massage is fairly simple and can be done by anyone. So what are you waiting? Let's see how easily you can relax your feet.

There are various types of massage techniques that can be learned. But right now, for the purpose of this article, we will stick to learning how to give a good massage. Below, you will see the steps mentioned. Follow them accordingly and feel the difference in the way your feet feel.

➭ First and foremost, whoever is getting the massage should soak their feet in warm water. If possible, add baby oil, Epsom salt, or few drops of scented essential oil in the water. The warm water soothes feet and helps in relieving stress as well.

After 10-15 minutes, or when the water becomes cool, ask them to remove their feet and dry them with a clean towel.

➭ Have the person sit in a relaxing chair and place a small chair or stool to place their feet on. Keep another smaller stool in front and sit on it.

Take a little bit of scented essential oil, lavender or chamomile, rub them between the palms of your hands, and grab one foot with both hands.

➭ First, we will begin with the top of the foot. We will work on one foot at a time. Place your thumb underneath the foot and forefingers in front of the foot.

Keep sliding your fingers with long strokes for at least 15 to 20 times.

➭ Next, we will concentrate on the arch. Hold the heel of the foot with one hand and use the heel of your other hand to massage the arch. Use slightly more pressure here because this is where the tension lies.

As you hold the heel of the foot, slowly massage it as well. Apply even pressure at the arch; 10 to 15 strokes.

➭ With one hand, hold the foot near the arch and with the other hand, we will massage each toe at a time. Beginning from the base, massage each toe using slow yet firm strokes. After massaging the toes, rotate them in circular motions.

➭ Rotate the ankle of the foot and press the entire foot, top to bottom, one last time. You can use your thumb and press them on the sole of the foot. This way, you can apply pressure at specific points on the foot. When you finish massaging the first leg, follow the exact steps given above for the other one.

These were the steps on how to give a good, relaxing foot massage. In the end, wash both feet and pat them dry with a clean towel. Apply a moisturizing lotion and relax. And if your hands are feeling tired of massaging the feet, shake them a few times. Wasn't that easy? You can either give a foot massage to someone or to yourself.