How an At-Home Facial Massage Can Skip the Spa Bill, Ease Stress and Explore the Vagus Nerve

Spa facials come with a serious tab, but the same massage techniques work at home with your fingers or a face roller from the drugstore aisle. Experts say the practice may support circulation and, done gently, help your body settle into a calmer state.

What is a facial massage and what does it actually do?

A facial massage “refers to rubbing and manipulation of the skin and muscles of the face,” Joshua Zeichner, M.D., Associate Professor of Dermatology and the Director of Cosmetic & Clinical Research in Dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, told Prevention.

“This can be done with your fingers or different types of tools or electronic devices,” he says, adding that there can be “application of skin care products to enhance penetration into the skin.” Translation for value shoppers, your own two hands qualify.

Face rollers “come in varying sizes and material and apply gentle pressure on the skin,” according to Ramya Garlapati, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist from Miami. Vibrating massagers add a deeper effect, and microcurrent devices use small electrical currents that stimulate skin and underlying muscles.

What are the different types of facial massage?

Four techniques lead the pack. Gua sha, lymphatic drainage, buccal and acupressure each use different tools or pressure points to work the skin and muscles below.

Gua sha is “an East Asian massage technique that uses blunt objects to press and scrape all over the skin to relieve muscle tension and boost blood circulation,” according to L’Oréal Paris. Lymphatic drainage “may increase blood circulation and reduce puffiness in your face, giving your skin a glowing boost,” per Cleveland Clinic.

Buccal massage is the priciest of the bunch, involving a trained specialist “working both on the outside of your face and, wearing gloves, on the inside of your mouth simultaneously,” according to FACECO. Acupressure, on the other hand, is free. The points sit “approximately a whole finger’s length below your pupils, on either side of your nose, slightly beyond your nostrils,” per NuFace.

How does a facial massage impact the nervous system?

Facial massages may influence the nervous system through sensory pathways in the face, including the trigeminal nerve. Light to moderate massage can promote relaxation that supports vagus nerve activity. Very deep or uncomfortable pressure can push the body into a “fight-or-flight” response.

“Scientific research has finally caught up with old-world wisdom in realizing that we need to build resilience to stress, and that the signals to lower the effects of it are passed through a well-functioning vagus nerve,” Dr. Navaz Habib, author of Activate Your Vagus Nerve, told Elle.

Vernon B. Williams, MD, a sports neurologist at Cedars-Sinai, said many activities associated with calmness, including “deep breathing, meditation, massage and even the experience of awe,” effect changes in the brain “in part, through increasing vagus nerve activity.”

Other massage research has found that moderate-pressure massages can produce a parasympathetic response, including changes in heart-rate variability associated with increased vagal activity. These studies have generally looked at massage more broadly.

How often should you do a facial massage?

Once or twice a week is enough for most people who see results, according to dermatologist Loretta Ciraldo, MD, meaning your investment stretches a long way.

“If you see benefits from facial massage, and I find this is most commonly seen in younger women up to late 40s, you can do it once or twice a week,” Ciraldo told Women’s Health. A study from the National Center for Biotechnology Information found that short-term facial massage with a roller increases skin blood flow, and long-term use improves the vascular dilatation response.

How do you do a facial massage at home?

Clinique recommends starting on freshly cleansed skin with moisturizer or facial oil so your fingers glide instead of pulling, then working through the face and neck with light upward and outward strokes.

The brand’s basic sequence includes these steps.

• Warm up with small circles behind the ears, then move down the sides of the neck toward the collarbones
• Sweep the forehead upward and outward toward the temples
• Glide down the bridge of the nose and under the eyes toward the temples
• Work outward from the nostrils under the cheekbones using the index-finger knuckles
• Massage outward from the smile lines toward the ears
• Move along the jawline from the center of the chin outward
• Finish by sweeping up the neck toward the jaw

Repeat each section three to five times. “Oils are often used for lubrication to allow the hands or massage tools to glide across the skin without pulling, and these motions can be used to relax and smooth muscles, along with encouraging lymphatic drainage and circulation,” dermatologist Courtney Rubin, MD, told Women’s Health.