Unlock Glowing Skin: The Surprising Facial Massage Techniques Experts Swear By (You Can Do This Tonight!)

Ever caught yourself in that blissful zone mid-facial, the kind where you’re basically out cold and the world just fades away? Yeah, that’s the enchanting power of a facial massage at work. But here’s a twist—not only does this treatment melt away tension and ease pain, it can also give your complexion a legit glow-up, something Jodi Tillduster, a pro massage therapist and esthetician, swears by. Imagine a mini facelift without the needles or price tag. Sounds like a dream, right? The kicker? You don’t even have to splurge at a spa because, as Dr. Courtney Rubin points out, this magic is totally doable at home with just your hands and the right know-how. Forget the fancy gadgets and overcrowded serums—this is about embracing simplicity and catching that glow from your fingertips. Ready to unlock the secrets behind this underrated skin hack and learn how to work it yourself? Let’s dive in. LEARN MORE

If you’ve ever zonked out while getting a facial, then you already know the magic of a facial massage.

This type of treatment feels relaxing, can reduce pain, and helps you release any tension you may be holding in your face. But it can also help improve the appearance of your complexion, too, says Jodi Tillduster, a licensed medical massage therapist and esthetician at Maia Salon and Spa in Smithtown, New York.

“If done correctly, it could look like a mini facelift,” Tillduster says. “It’s unbelievable the difference in the skin before and after.” But perhaps the biggest perk of facial massages is that you don’t need to break the bank to experience the potential benefits: You can do it at home yourself, says dermatologist Courtney Rubin, MD, a dermatologist at the Comprehensive Dermatology Center of Pasedena in California.

And don’t worry, you don’t need any fancy facial tools or a medicine cabinet overflowing with serums. All you need is clean hands and solid know-how.

Meet the experts: Jodi Tillduster is a licensed medical massage therapist and esthetician at Maia Salon and Spa in Smithtown, New York. Kathy Anne Resasco is a licensed medical message therapist and medical esthetician at The Spa 4 Skin in Holbrook, New York. Loretta Ciraldo, MD, is a dermatologist and the founder of Dr. Loretta skincare. Courtney Rubin, MD, a dermatologist at the Comprehensive Dermatology Center of Pasedena. Edyta Jarosz is a master esthetician at Shafer Clinic Fifth Avenue. Laura Conroy is a licensed massage therapist, esthetician, and director of education at The Well. Lauren Roxburgh is a personal trainer, bodywork practitioner, and fascia expert.

Before you go to town on your face, read on to understand the science (or lack thereof) behind the benefits of a facial massage and how, exactly, to perform them yourself, according to a variety of skincare and massage experts.

So what is a face massage?

As the name suggests, a facial massage refers to sweeping motions across the face and neck. They’re typically performed with your hands or using facial massage tools such as a roller or gua sha—a smooth-edged tool used in traditional Chinese medicine to stroke the surface of your skin and improve blood flow, says Dr. Rubin.

Facial massages also typically involve the use of a non-pore-clogging lubricant such as grapeseed oil or serums that target a specific skincare concern such as hyperpigmentation or fine lines and wrinkles, Tillduster says. It may seem like this step is simply to make the massage feel more comfortable, but it’s actually quite important since lubricants “allow the hands or massage tools to glide across the skin without pulling,” Dr. Rubin says. Without lubrication, a facial massage can lead to minor injuries such as broken capillaries, Tillduster adds, which can lead to unwanted redness. Yikes.

Though facial massages are something you can do at home free of charge, you can also pay to have them done professionally by estheticians, massage therapists, and even some dermatologists. The exact length and price of a facial massage can vary, but services typically range from 30 to 90 minutes, Tillduster says, while prices often start at $150.

What are the benefits of a face massage?

Besides feeling great and offering relaxation, a face massage may also temporarily revitalize your complexion or maximize the effectiveness of skincare products. Granted, large, well-designed and conclusive studies on the benefits of facial massages for the skin’s appearance are quite limited, but here’s a breakdown of how they can potentially benefit aesthetics:

Reduce puffiness: Facial massages may help stimulate the lymphatic system, an aspect of our circulatory system that involves small, bean-shaped lumps of tissue that support immunity and help drain excess fluids from the body. Those lumps are called lymph nodes, and we have a good amount of them in our face and neck. So simply put, the rhythmic pressure and rubbing involved in a face massage can help move fluid to the lymph nodes and encourage drainage. This can help temporarily reduce the appearance of swelling or puffiness in the face and lead to a more lifted, sculpted and defined appearance, adds Dr. Rubin.
Plump skin and reduce fine lines: Remember how face oils and skincare products are often used as lubricants during facial massages? That means whether you use a serum, toner, or face oil, a massage will help press the product into your skin to promote the intended results. Plus, many face oils effectively moisturize the skin, which can plump and firm your complexion and minimize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles caused by dryness.
Increase blood flow: Facial massages, especially when consistently performed with a roller, can cause blood vessels in the face to dilate and help improve blood circulation. Proper blood flow is crucial to ensure all the tissues and organs in your body get the oxygen and nutrients that they need—including your skin. And healthy skin cells help contribute to the appearance of a more youthful complexion. Some studies also suggest that certain massages, particularly those involving mechanical devices like vacuums, motorized flaps or rollers, can stimulate the activity of fibroblasts, a type of cell responsible for the skin’s production of collagen and elastin, the proteins that keep skin looking youthful.

Are there different types of facial massages?

There are dozens of facial massages that exist, all using different techniques to relax the muscles in your face, stimulate circulation and deliver oils and serums to your skin.

But one underlying theme is that they typically use repetitive, upward motions to give the face a lifted, revitalized look, says Kathy Anne Resasco, a licensed medical message therapist and medical esthetician at The Spa 4 Skin in Holbrook, New York. “You want to bring stuff upward because as gravity has it, everything goes down,” she says. “So you’ve got to bring it back up.”

Here’s a quick breakdown of a few common types of massages:

Face Slapping or Tapping

Seems…not relaxing at all, right? But face tapping can be an efficient way to stimulate blood flow when done properly.

It’s true that this type of massage is more intense than some of its counterparts since it can involve light slapping, tapping, pinching and stroking, says Edyta Jarosz, master esthetician at Shafer Clinic Fifth Avenue. But it should never be done aggressively enough to induce pain, Resasco says, which can potentially cause broken capillaries on the face or even bruising.

Jarosz recommends face tapping with a lotion or oil for some lubrication, although you can also use a cleansing balm. Ultimately, “it’s all about the pressure and precision of the movements,” she says.

How to do it yourself

After cleansing and exfoliating, dispense moisturizer or face oil onto your fingers.
Using firm but not painful pressure, “slap” your hands in an upward motion while using the pads of your fingers. Keep your fingers loose. Start the massage near the jawline and work your way up to the cheeks.
Repeat this motion until the product you’re using is absorbed.

Facial Acupressure

You might already be familiar with traditional acupuncture, which involves inserting needles at shallow, strategic points of the body in order to relieve pain. The mechanisms behind the benefits of acupuncture aren’t well understood by Western medicine, and many skeptics believe the practice isn’t grounded in sound science. But it’s theorized that acupuncture could potentially stimulate the body’s nervous system and muscles in a way that boosts the body’s production of natural pain killers, according to the Mayo Clinic.

In traditional Chinese medicine, meanwhile, acupuncture is thought as a technique to balance the flow of energy, called “qi,” in the body. The technique can be applied to the face by using the pads of your fingers to apply pressure to strategic points. (That’s right, no needles involved, folks!) This is called acupressure.

How to do it yourself

On clean or moisturized skin, use the pads of your fingertips, and press on the center of the chin, halfway between your lips and the bottom of your chin.
Using your index fingers, repeat at the corners of the lips, at either side of the nose (where it meets your laugh lines), and directly between the brows.
Use your fingers to apply upward pressure along the cheekbones, as well as at the inner edge, middle, and ends of the brows.
Tillduster recommends holding your fingers on each point for at least 30 seconds, she says.

Fascial Face massage

A fascial massage is kind of like foam-rolling but for your face. But before we get into how to perform the massage, let’s talk about fascia itself. Fascia is the connective tissues located right underneath the skin. It coats all the muscles, organs, blood vessels, bones and nerve fibers in the body, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.

“Picture a raw chicken breast with the skin on it, and you pick up the skin and you see a thin white membrane. That’s the fascia,” Resasco says.

A fascia face massage is all about the lifting and smoothing strokes—kind of like doing a gua sha massage, but without the tool. It’s a form of myofascial release therapy, which is focused on relieving tightness and pain throughout the tissue by using gentle, constant massaging strokes. And “when you release that pressure, the fresh, oxygenated blood is going to come back” into the skin, says Lauren Roxburgh, a personal trainer, bodywork practitioner, and fascia expert. This can help supply fresh nutrients to keep your collagen-producing cells chugging, she adds.

If you want to give it a go at home, Roxburgh recommends doing a fascia massage after applying serums and using a face oil.

How to do it yourself

Use the pads of your fingers to apply pressure, starting in the center of your face and moving outward. Hold the pressure at the sides of your face for several seconds. With each movement, work your way out towards your ears and down to your jawline in order to promote the drainage of excess fluids and reduce puffiness.

Beginning from the outer corners of the nostrils, move your fingers around the eyes and up under the eyebrows, and out to the ears.
Repeat from the center of your forehead to the temples.
Repeat from the outer corners of the nostrils directly out over your cheekbones and towards your ears. Then, repeat the movement from the outer corners of the mouth, moving over the cheeks and towards the ears.

What should I avoid when performing a facial massage?

Avoid aggressively tugging or pulling at the skin, and always use a serum, oil, or hydrating and balancing toner to allow for a smooth glide, says Dr. Rubin.
Do not apply excessive pressure, says Loretta Ciraldo, MD, a dermatologist and the founder of Dr. Loretta skincare. Pressing harder on your face will not speed up results and may even cause sensitivity or bruising.
Avoid using coconut or olive oil as lubricants, Tillduster says. They can potentially clog your pores and cause acne.
Consider avoiding face massages altogether if you have broken skin of any kind, as well as eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, acne, sensitive skin, open wounds, and cold sores. The impact of a massage can potentially exacerbate those conditions, Tillduster says.

How often should I get a professional facial massage?

There’s no hard and fast rule, but Dr. Ciraldo suggests a few times per week to see the maximum benefit.

Tillduster, meanwhile, generally only recommends visiting an esthetician for a facial every two months or so. “You don’t need to come to us every single month, as much as I’d love you to,” she says. But to make sure you see consistent results, you can massage your face at home in between appointments for just two or three minutes a day, she adds. “That’s all you need,” she says. “There no excuse why people can’t do that.”

Deanna Pai is a freelance beauty writer and editor currently based in New York. She has more than 10 years of experience writing about beauty and wellness.

Andi Breitowich is a Chicago-based writer and graduate student at Northwestern Medill. She’s a mass consumer of social media and cares about women’s rights, holistic wellness, and non-stigmatizing reproductive care. As a former collegiate pole vaulter, she has a love for all things fitness and is currently obsessed with Peloton Tread workouts and hot yoga.

Katie Mogg is the beauty editorial assistant at Women’s Health. Since starting college at Northeastern University in 2020, her bylines have appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, NBC News and The Boston Globe. She strives to help readers lead happier and healthier lives through science-backed stories that explain how to care for hair, skin and nails. When she’s not working, Katie enjoys live music, strolling through Central Park, planning her next beach getaway, and sharing hotpot with friends.

Abigail Cuffey is the executive editor of Women’s Health, where she oversees the brand’s content and initiatives across platforms. Abigail has more than 15 years of editing and writing experience at national publications, with a specific expertise in health and medical journalism. She’s edited award-winning features and packages and is passionate about creating impactful stories that engage and inform the audience. Abigail hails from the Midwest (Urbana, Illinois) and is a proud alum of Syracuse University, graduating with a specialty focus in exercise physiology in addition to magazine journalism. She’s completed 4 marathons, countless half-marathons, and 1 half-ironman. Abigail is also an adjunct professor at New York University where she teaches in the masters of publishing program, and lives in New Jersey with her husband and two very active kids.