Soft, soothing music plays in the background. The lights are dimmed. The room is warm. You are lying on your stomach between two sheets with your head snuggled into a round hole at the end of the table. This is the atmosphere in the small room where you are about to receive a massage. Relaxation is part of the experience, says Tina Borchers, Wichita senior. Borchers is a certified massage therapist working toward a physical therapy degree.

Massage therapy began in the 2nd century B.C. with the Chinese. Many believed it was a cure for multiple ailments. India, Greece and Rome soon adopted the practice of massage to treat numerous medical conditions or to ease pain. In the 5th century B.C., Hippocrates said massages were the key to treating diseases.

In fact, Borchers says most of her clients come in because something hurts. “They tell me their back hurts or their neck is out of place. It all depends on where people carry their stress,” Borchers says. “Stress can make you have awkward movements or bad posture, and I can see that when someone walks in.”

Back problems are common for Chris Williams. “I have lower back spasms from time to time, and massages really help me focus on something other than the pain,” says Williams, Goddard senior.

“Immediately after a massage I feel like a new person,” says Tanya Johnson, 2007 graduate. She suffers from neck tension, and a massage helps to relieve that pressure, she says.

Giving a massage is pretty easy. Borchers says there are three stages: the warm-up, deep massage and a wind-down. Here, Borchers explains steps to take during each stage to give a satisfying massage.

The warm-up

First, put a pillow under the ankles of the person lying face down. “Your ankles have a natural curve to them, and the pillow allows the feet to relax,” Borchers says.

Next, lubricate your hands with a massage cream, lotion or oil. Massages can be done without these products, but usually there is too much friction without the lubricant. Re-apply the massage lubricant as often as needed throughout the massage. Use your entire hand to lightly apply pressure over the whole back. Begin with the larger muscles by your shoulder blades, and move down the back, going along each vertebra. “Allow the person to get used to the feel of your hands. Communication is also key. Make sure to ask them how everything feels. You want to apply pressure, but not too much,” Borchers says.

She also recommends making everything flow together. Don’t push your hands down a person’s back and then remove your hands. Instead, when you reach the small of their back, slide your hands outwards and move back up the back. This helps create a more relaxing feeling.

The deep massage

After you’ve applied light pressure to the entire back, arms, shoulders and neck, you are ready for deeper pressure. Remember to continually ask if the massage feels good, as you don’t want to hurt the person. The back has several layers of muscles, and deeper pressure reaches the lower muscles. Essentially, throughout this process, you are using your hands like rolling pins. You are flattening the muscles, which pushes toxins out of the muscles.

You can use a technique called petrassage by making a V between your thumb and forefinger on both hands. Keep your four fingers together. With each hand, make a large pinching motion to pull, pinch and push the muscles. The harder you pinch, the more you will work the muscles. Use your thumbs or the heel of your hand to apply pressure and push along the edge of each shoulder blade. Continue to make your motions as fluid as possible. Concentrate on doing the petrassage on one side of the back. Move upward towards the shoulders and neck, and then go back down the other side of the back.

“Think about what you’re doing,” advises Evan Toren, Shawnee senior. “Rubbing your hands around somebody’s back in a careless way will accomplish nothing. Have a goal.”

Be careful around joints such as the elbow. Use your thumbs to make small circles around the elbows, but not directly on top of them. You can use this circle motion to massage the entire arm if you’d like.

The wind-down

To finish up the massage, go back to using light pressure all over the back, shoulders, neck and arms. Use the same technique and pressure as you did with the warm-up. Before ending the massage, lighten the pressure even more, or just use your fingertips to graze the skin. End with all your movements going toward the center of the back. “Move the blood flow towards the heart. That is the center, so you want to make sure blood flows towards it,” Borchers says.

You have now successfully completed a massage. It takes nine months and many hands-on practices to become a certified massage therapist, so don’t expect to be perfect the first time. Just be sure to communicate and not to cross your partner’s pain threshold.