Indian Head Massage (Champissage ™)

Indian head massage is also known as Champissage™. Champi is the Hindi word for head massage. Head massage has been practiced in India for many centuries, but was brought to the West in 1978 by Narendra Mehta.

Narendra Mehta is a blind physical therapist who moved from India to England in 1973. He was accustomed to getting regular head massages from his barber in India. When he moved to England and found that service wasn't available, he was dismayed.

In 1978, he went back to India to study head massage. He expanded the traditional head massage to include the face, neck, shoulders and upper arms. He also included Ayurvedic principles and energy work in the massage.

During a Champissage™ you can remain fully clothed or take off your shirt. The massage can be given with or without oil. You sit in a normal chair to receive the therapy. This makes it a very accessible therapy that can be done anywhere.

This gentle form of massage can be used to treat a variety of conditions.

• stress
• tension headaches
• eye strain
• stiff muscles
• neck and shoulder pain

Champissage™ usually lasts 30 minutes. It should not be done on infants whose skulls are not fused or people who've had a recent head injury.