Recently I googled “why does head massage feel good”. I was curious what people had to say about it.
There were lots of comments from people who loved getting their head massaged or shampooed in the beauty salon. Some even described head massage as an ‘orgasmic’ experience.
In some countries it is quite normal to get a head massage along with your hair cut, like in India or the Philippines. Actually, I don’t understand why in so many places it is NOT done.
It’s such a perfect and obvious combination, and it feels so great. It makes people look forward to their haircut and enjoy it so much more.
Personally, I’d get my hair cut much more often if I knew I’d get a great scalp massage along with it.
But back to my google search. People described how they loved head massage, how their partners asked them for it, how their mother put them to sleep with it, and how they went into a trance while receiving it, just to name a few.
Head Massage is quite different from body massage
Normally when you massage someone, you manipulate a stiff joint or work on a tight muscle. But there are no big muscles on the head that you can feel, and there are no joints that you can mobilize. You really only feel skin and bone. So why does it feel so wonderful?
My search results brought up some explanations like ‘it increases blood flow’, ‘it releases tension’, ‘there are many nerve endings in the head’, and ‘it releases feel good hormones like dopamine and serotonin’.
But those explanations don’t even come close to the actual experience that people describe as ‘trance-like’, ‘orgasmic’, ‘amazing’ and ‘out of this world’.
Head Massage bliss it not just a chemical reaction
If someone would tell me that the cause of my feeling great is due to my dopamine levels or the number of nerve endings in my head, my eyes would glaze over and I’d start yawning.
It’s like telling someone that dinner tastes good because of particular chemical reactions in the mouth.
NO! It tastes good because my wife is a great cook and she prepared it with loving attention.
I have given hundreds of Heavenly Head Massage sessions during my career, and I have witnessed a lot of amazing reactions by my clients.
I have seen migraine headaches vanish, and I have seen people enter profound states of altered consciousness. I have had many clients thank me for one of the best experiences in their lives.
The art of truly heavenly head massage
So what accounts for these reactions to head massage? Here are some observations of mine:
- Rubbing someone’s head feels good most of the time. But this effect can be increased tremendously by consciously working not just with your hands, but also with your energy.
- The pleasure of a head massage can be greatly enhanced by using a variety of techniques besides just rubbing. There is a real art to it, and it can be learned.
- Head Massage affects not just the body, but also your mind, your energy and your consciousness. It is the fastest way to improve someone’s state of mind through focused and conscious touch.
- Head massage is easy on the therapist. It does’t require much physical effort and doesn’t stress your thumbs, wrists or back like other types of massage. Without strenuous physical manipulations it is easier for the therapist to focus more on energetic aspects, and this in turn can make the treatment magical.
- Head massage training is a great way to develop a ‘magic’ touch and learn how to listen with your hands.
- Some things in life cannot be explained completely. No scientific jargon will ever transmit the feeling of being deeply in love with someone, and no medical explanations will ever come close to the exquisite feeling of a great head massage.
- Good head massage is supremely relaxing and therefore puts the body into an ideal state to activate its own natural healing mechanisms.
Why feelings can matter more than rational thought
We don’t have to explain everything in a rational way. Some of the most beautiful things in life defy scientific explanations – like falling in love, holding your baby, watching an incredible sunset or having an amazing dream. And yes, a wonderful massage as well.
“Feeling great” is your personal experience, and you don’t always have to justify or explain the “why”.
Learning head, neck, and face massage
I have seen the amazing effects of Heavenly Head Massage over many years of practice, and my students are telling me about similar results with their clients. You can learn this system too and add another dimension to your practice.
Our Heavenly Head Massage online training course is as detailed as a live class. It takes you step by step towards a more refined touch, increased sensitivity and intuition, and a wide range of unique techniques for neck, head and face.
Learn Heavenly Head Massage through
our convenient online training course:
The author, Shama Kern, is the founder and director of Thai Healing Massage Academy. He has been practicing and teaching Thai Massage and other Asian healing arts for 20 years, and he is the creator of 20 online training courses.
hello, when ever someone rubs my head or even just a simple haircut it feels GREAT, i would its more of a comfort thing, like in your post a mother rubs her childs head. but to describe the feeling more it feels like every hair on my body raises up or like goosebumps all over and these come in different patterned waves all through my body with a VERY high euphoria, can take any worries away. yes this sounds like someone describing an orgasm lol but im not horny or turned on in anyway. anyway i wanted to post how it makes me feel and one of these massages sound like heaven lol
Thanks Cory for sharing your experience. I hope you will have the opportunity to experience a Heavenly Head Massage one day!
In pre-k my teachers had to rub my head and play the piano so I can go to sleep until this day I need my head rub and listen to soft instrumentals to sleep otherwise I’m like an owl ?♂️
Thank you for your answer. I found a hair salon that does scalp treatments for dry scalp. Its the second best thing to an actual scalp massage.
Since youtube has been around just watching a head massage helps relax me, and by reading comments I’m not alone.
keep on massaging!
I wish all barbers and beauty salons would offer scalp treatments or head massage, like in India and some other countries. I think it would be a great revenue booster and people would get hair cuts more often. I would for sure!
Hi,
You have given hundreds of head massages?! Your experience is amazing.
Describing these changes that may happen to our state of mind during a head massage, makes me want to try it.
You bringing up some great point of views.
From reading your blog, it looks like you know quite a bit about head massage yourself already:)
A head massage is a great way for me to relieve stress, my masseuse uses his energy to find sweet spots all over my dome and I give into the sensation with each and every stroke. It’s like chanting ‘ohm’ when practicing yoga, the feeling starts oddly slow and builds into a vibrating that is felt all the way down to my toes. There are times when my face becomes contorted and my therapist massages different points on my face and forehead (which feel equally exquisite). I noticed the secret elixir is the energy that’s what gets my blood flowing and keeps me surprisingly focused. With a skilled hand it’s felt long after it’s over and your mood is elevated dramatically. You walk out of the room with a grin from ear to ear. Days later my outlook on life is cheery and I find myself able to connect with people and read into their expressions.
Thanks for sharing your experience. I can very much relate to it. After a good head and face massage I walk out of the room like I am walking on clouds, and my energy is totally shifted. Everything looks bright and full of positive energy to me, and this effect can go on for quite a while.
I’m sorry but what you said about the chemical reactions going in your brain not being the cause of having a good sensation is a completely erroneous argument. It is a perfect example of an informal fallacy. The cause of a good sensation is in fact the result of chemical reactions going on in your brain. Take for example: If a loved one and a stranger both cook the same exact meal and you end up liking the loved one’s better, it is because knowing that a loved one cooked your meal releases an extra amount of good feeling chemicals into your brain. There is plenty of evidence to support this. Everyone’s brain functions differently as well, which is why some people feel ‘orgasmic’ pleasure with a head massage while other do not.
So you are saying that all feeling, emotions, love, passion is all just the result of chemical reactions? That would make us nothing more than sophisticated robots.
Anyway, this strictly mechanistic world view has long been superseded by new discoveries in Quantum Physics which you apparently have not studied. Consciousness is not a chemical reaction, and energy is not the result of chemical reactions either.
However this is not really worth discussing, since it does not change the fact that Heavenly Head Massage is a wonderful method to make people feel better, increase their well being, improve their state of mind, strengthen immune system functioning, and contribute to our fellow human being’s happiness.
Hi Shama,
Since you have so much experience, could you answer something for me please? It seems to me that women enjoy a head massage much more than men. Would you agree? Why/why not?
Also, bald people or those who shave their heads don’t seem to enjoy it as much as people with full heads of hair. Again, would you agree and why/why not?
Thanks in advance.
I agree. Actually this applies not only to head massage, but to massage in general. Women are more open to being nurtured. They are less “touch-phobic” than men.
Heavenly Head Massage does not work well on people with shaved heads. The only way that you can do something on a shaved head is if you use oil. The techniques which are part of the Heavenly Head Massage system feel much better on a head with hair. You can move your fingers around much better than on a bald head where the skin offers resistance.
I had several Indian massages in the course of a week by someone using me as a case study who is more than halfway through a course to learn the technique. I felt slightly relaxed but no effects that I can describe as especially beneficial. Perhaps some people are simply not good subjects for Indian head massage. Or it could be that the therapist still has a lot to learn.
I think rather than some people not being good subjects of Indian head massage, not every therapist has that kind of touch which makes it feel really good. That’s a special skill.
I also took an Indian Head Massage course way back when, however the teacher just showed techniques, and there was nothing about quality of touch. Not surprisingly it did not feel very good. That’s why I developed Heavenly Head Massage which is all about quality of touch.
The body craves attention: touch is a necessary part of human communication. Massage is a sensual way of communicating care, relaxation and stress relief.
Massaging the scalp can help stimulate the nerves and blood vessels beneath the skin while calming muscle tension around the head and rubbing the area urges the body to send blood which oxygenates it.
Ok but why does it only feel super good when other people massage your scalp, and feels only alright when you massage it yourself?
That’s the case with all massage. It never feels so good if you try to massage yourself. You just can’t totally relax while you are making an effort massaging yourself.
I think the reason a head massage feels better when it’s done by someone else is that when you massage yourself, the brain knows where you are going to move your hands whereas when someone else does it, each move comes as a surprise.
Thanks an excellent observation – thanks!
I have been diagnosed with tension head ache and when i hve done a massage on the head i feel a lot better.I prefer it to be done by another person.I hve nvr hd a headache lk ths one and im sooo scared.
I understand, bad headaches are an awful experience. Good head massage can be very helpful in my experience as well.
I used to be one of those people who felt wonderful euphoria when my head was just touch and a message would put me in a deep trance. For some reason I have lost this sensation. I don’t take medication so I wonder what might cause this because I so want this pleasure back. Any ideas?
Patty, in my experience this wonderful sensation can either increase or decrease due to several factors. One is that I can only feel it when someone massages my head whom I trust, who has a great touch, and who has a great technique.
If someone works on my head who has clumsy technique and it just doesn’t feel right, I cannot relax into it and my mind keeps on going throughout the session.
Another factor is the gradual buildup of stress and undesirable mental activity throughout our lives. This can reduce sensitivity in our nervous system.
A third factor is that we don’t give ourselves the opportunity often enough to feel this blissful sensation. It’s kind of like the saying “If you don’t use it you lose it”. This can be counteracted by getting excellent head massage more often.
good evening
I am a 40 year old male and with an ok set of hair.A little receding. My loving girlfriend massages my head every evening before sleep. I am put into a feeling of constant pleasure. Sometimes she gets the end of a pencil and just plays with my hair and scalp again it’s complete heaven. If she stops I beg her to continue. .I can’t live without it. .
!!
Charlie, I can totally relate. My wife gives me lots of head massage and I can never get enough of it.
Hello shama I have always enjoyed head massages rather I have hair or not I actually enjoy it more without hair and I will go as far as saying it’s better than sex. To me it blows sex out the window the feeling is unexplainable I think what happens with me is I have a Wrinkles A little on my head so when I do it I can really grab it and Squeeze It feels great. It felt so good it worried me over the years I have read up on this and no one ever says anything to worry about. Its just a gift god give me to feel and it doesn’t matter if I’m doing it to myself or if someone else is doing it for me it just feels Amazing.
That’s interesting that it even feels great if you massage your own head yourself. And I agree, as far as physical sensations are concerned, it is hard to beat a good head massage.
Hi Shama, do you know why I can feel my arteries in my head pulsing after having a good head massage? The pulsing doesn’t hurt at all.
Hmm, I really don’t know since I have never experienced this pulsing myself and none of my clients ever mentioned feeling this either. However if you feel good and the pulsing doesn’t feel uncomfortable I wouldn’t worry about it.
Yes a head massage feels so AWESOME! My mom did it to me as a child. I do it to my clients who fall asleep everyone. School didn’t train us in this, my mom did 🙂
yes it felt good hopefully you can tell me how old you are lol
Hi
Thank you for this article. I’ve been searching why does it work, what’s the idea behind that magic trick, and your article is as close as the search results got to any website even mentioning that.
I’d like to add something I’ve noticed. It works with animals too.
I’m a cat person and people are amazed how even stray cats get very attached to me after a first encounter. The simple reason, I guess, is that I scratch their heads and, if it trusts you enough, their lower jaws too.
I was first introduced to this by my grandfather who would easily put me to sleep as a kid when my noise and playing was too much to handle for the family -I was a very naughty kid.
As an adult, nothing works better to take away all the stress of a hard day at work than head scratching. And for some reason it has to be done by another person, scratching your own head doesn’t quite do the trick.
Last this I want to say is a little test I did about the animals part. There was this stray cat that daily followed me home for playing. I offered her food and water but she didn’t eat or drink. I opened the door but she wasn’t interested in going into the house. All she wanted was her daily dose of out-of-this-world experience from her human therapist.
I’m glad someone is doing this professionally. Not so the case in my country, but it would surely be nice to drop by your shop/office when I visit your country.
It definitely works with animals. Check out this article which I wrote about massaging animals:
https://thaihealingmassage.com/thai-massage-therapy-on-dog-gains-trust-of-client/
I love any type of massage. I just wonder why I always fall asleep. I hate it! I want to really enjoy it and be awake. ALSO I wonder why my mom hates massages. Why can’t she enjoy massages. Any kind of touch anywhere she hates it.
I am glad that you didn’t inherit this particular gene from your mom and that you love massage! 🙂
A head massage feels great if you have a recently tight haircut.
You would be amazed if you knew how many people I worked on with head massage who had long hair. The only ones who are challenging are those with dreadlocks or hair extensions.
Shama I love all your advice and totally agree with you! I am a licensed massage therapist myself with many years of experience. I love helping people feel GREAT too ! Thai massage is one of my favorites! ❤
Thanks for that feedback, Melissa! I am glad to hear that you love Thai Massage. 🙂
Hi,Shama!
Thanks for sharing your view on head massage with us ! I feel great to know that people feel relaxed and eased by getting a massage … Being a professional therapist am glad !!
I have 3 kids and have done this on each of them and nieces and nephews and so much more all around the forehead and hairline area nowhere else and Instantly you see it in their eyes and 90 percent were put to sleep when I’ve done it. What brought me here tonight my boyfriend just asked for me to do it again I just had done it twice lol but so I do it again and this time I felt so Good giving it it was such a great feeling I mean Great!
The study found that head massage treatment reduced depression symptoms, decreased feelings of boredom, and positively influenced anxiety levels. Another benefit was the feeling of liveliness experienced by the participants.