Massage has played an important part in Indian life for the past 4000 years.
Indian Head Massage (also known as ‘Champi’) comes from the tradition of family grooming. The techniques were originally developed by women to keep their hair strong, lustrous and in good condition with the use of vegetable oils.
In India, Champi was performed by barbers and it was normal custom that everyone in the land from the King down would have someone to tend them. Treatments differed from the massages performed by the women in that it was more of an invigorating scalp massage designed to stimulate and refresh the individual and not as part of a beauty regime.
These skills have evolved through the generations from barber-father to barber-son and from mother to daughter. Owing to the fact that clothes need not be removed, the use of oils is non-essential, and that it can be performed anywhere and at any time.
Indian Head Massage is renowned for its physical, mental and emotional benefits:-
Improves blood and lymphatic flow
Improves removal of waste from the body
Improves muscle tone
Improves joint mobility
Relieves muscular tension
Improves and promotes hair growth
Relieves eye-strain, headaches, sinusitis, congestion and insomnia
Revitalises the whole body
Alleviates stress, anxiety and depression
Re-balances the energy flow within the body and releases stagnant energy
Creates a balanced feeling of peace and calmness
I would also like to add that this particular technique of Indian Head Massage has been handed down third generation to me by Narendra Mehta, the man who actually introduced it to this country, and developed his own style of ‘champissage’, incorporating Ayurvedic elements to the massage.