Indian Head Massage in Porto

The Indian head massage, or champissage, is the shortest head massage in Porto that still deserves the name: twenty minutes, seated in a chair, dressed, eyes closed. It works the shoulders, neck, scalp and face, which is where a day at a screen leaves its tension. It comes from the ayurvedic tradition of India, where it is given at home, between generations. At Mirra, in Porto city centre, near Trindade metro station, it is the pause that fits any schedule.

Why have your head massage in Porto at Mirra

The format. No clothes to take off, no oil on the body, no shower afterwards. You sit down, the therapist starts at the shoulders, and twenty minutes later you stand up and carry on with your day. That is why so many people book it before or after another treatment, or in the middle of an afternoon downtown.

Where it works. Shoulders, the base of the neck, the base of the skull, scalp, forehead and temples. These are areas a full-body massage touches lightly at the end; here, they are the whole treatment. If the tension you feel is from the shoulders up, this is the right massage.

The place. The Baixa, Porto’s downtown, near Trindade metro station. Opening hours: Every day, 9am–10pm. The visit includes tea after your treatment and slippers. Arrive 10 minutes early. A team of 7 therapists, named further down this page.

How the Indian head massage is done

Shoulders and neck

Seated, back supported. The therapist starts at the shoulders with medium pressure: kneading the trapezius, running her thumbs along the base of the neck and the nape, and holding a few pressure points where the tension is hardest. This is the firmest part of the massage; if you want it lighter, say so.

Scalp

The hands move up to the head. Circular movements with the fingertips over the whole scalp, gentle friction, small tugs of the hair at the root, and a pressure that travels the line of the skull from the nape to the forehead. No oil, unless you ask for it. This is the phase in which most people stop thinking.

Face

In the last minutes, gentle pressure points on the forehead, the temples, around the eyes and along the jaw, and light movements on the ears. It ends with the hands resting on the head, in silence, for a few seconds. Then the therapist gives you time to open your eyes.

Benefits

On head massage specifically there is no good research, and we tell you no more than it does. On massage in general, a meta-analysis found that a single session reduced the anxiety felt in the moment.¹ For the neck, a Cochrane review describes a short-term effect on pain and tenderness.² The rest is what you feel when you stand up: a lighter head, lower shoulders, and twenty minutes in which you thought of nothing.

Afterwards

Drink water. Your hair will be a little out of place; if you have a meeting next, bring a brush. If you have booked another treatment as well, this massage works well first: you reach the table with your head already in the right place.

If you want the head with warm oil and the whole body, the ayurvedic massage runs eighty minutes. If it is the shoulders and back, the back, neck and shoulder massage in thirty minutes. All our massages in Porto are on one page, and this one is a good voucher for the person who says they have no time.

1. Moyer CA, Rounds J, Hannum JW. A meta-analysis of massage therapy research. Psychological Bulletin, 2004;130(1):3-18. PMID 14717648.
2. Patel KC, Gross A, Graham N, et al. Massage for mechanical neck disorders. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2012;(9):CD004871. PMID 22972078.