Your first onboard booking is a 60-minute back, neck and shoulders. The guest is lying face-down, the room is warm, and you have one hour. Everything you do in that hour is built from five strokes and a sequence — and knowing why you are choosing each one is what separates a therapist from someone rubbing a back.
The five classic strokes
| Stroke | What it is | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Effleurage | Long, gliding, flat-handed strokes towards the heart | Opening, spreading oil, warming, linking, closing |
| Petrissage | Kneading, wringing, lifting and squeezing tissue | The main working stroke — depth, tension, tone |
| Friction | Small, focused circular or transverse pressure | Specific tender points, tendon and attachment areas |
| Tapotement | Percussive: hacking, cupping, pounding | Stimulating, invigorating — rarely in a relaxation massage |
| Vibration | Fine shaking or trembling through the hands | Soothing, finishing an area, nervous or ticklish clients |
Two practical rules. Effleurage opens and closes every region — you never begin or end cold. And tapotement is optional: it is stimulating, noisy, and wrong for a sleepy pre-dinner guest. On a yacht, it is usually the wrong choice entirely.
Building the hour
- Consult and check contraindications before the guest is on the couch (5 minutes).
- Settle: guest positioned, draped, warm, face hole comfortable, a moment of stillness with hands resting.
- Warm the area with effleurage, gradually increasing depth.
- Work with petrissage, adding friction only where the tissue and the guest invite it.
- Integrate: return to broader effleurage to link the area back to the rest of the body.
- Move on in a logical order — back, then shoulders and neck, then arms, then reposition if needed.
- Close with slow, light effleurage, a still hold, then leave the guest to come round in their own time.
Pressure and feedback
Pressure is not a virtue. The correct pressure is the deepest pressure the guest can receive while still breathing normally and staying relaxed. If they hold their breath, brace, or grip the couch, you are too deep — regardless of what they told you.
- Ask once early: "How is that pressure for you?" Then read the body, not the words.
- Many guests will endure pain to be polite. Watch breathing, jaw and hands.
- Say clearly at the start: "Tell me at any point if you want more or less, or if anything is uncomfortable."
- Never work into sharp, shooting, electrical or radiating pain. Ease off, and if it persists, stop and refer.
Onboard Notes
- Five strokes, used deliberately, will carry an entire career.
- Open and close every region with effleurage.
- Skip tapotement unless the guest specifically wants stimulation.
- Pressure is a conversation, and the body speaks louder than the guest does.
- Preparatory study only. Nothing here qualifies you to treat. Massage requires an accredited vocational qualification (for example ITEC, CIBTAC or VTCT) and professional insurance.