Score some major points by giving the woman you love a massage — if you do it properly. If you don’t, then she’ll feel like you just gave her a Vulcan nerve pinch!

Whether you two have been together for an eternity or you’ve just started dating each other, offering to massage her is a great way to score some brownie points. You need to know the right techniques to give her the right kind of massage to keep her from experiencing pain rather than pleasure. This way, when she gives you the green signal to start rubbing her, you don’t accidentally give her the Vulcan nerve pinch.

Here are some pointers on what to do and what not to do when massaging a woman.

Set the Mood

There’s no need to light incense sticks and play exotic sounds of thunder and rain. But do remember to make a playlist that’s easy on ears and make the ambience more conducive to relaxation by using a table lamp instead of an overhead light that can be harsh to eyes. The playlist doesn’t need to include instrumental or new age tunes, but if it’s a song that rattles the walls, you can do away with it.

Lube Up

In order to glide your hands smoothly across her skin, use of oil or lotion can prove to be a huge help. You can also pick up lubes and massage oil from a webstore or find them in your local drug store.

Straddle Her

Straddle her lower body after she’s laid face down on the bed. You can also kneel next to her, but from our experience, we feel that straddling would be comfortable and much easy. Start with the hands placed above the shoulders and then push all the way down her back one single fluid stroke. Then go back up with your hands on either side of her body with the thumbs in the middle of the spine. That will cover the whole back.

Go Real Slow

Speeding through a massage can have its own disadvantages. First, it will prevent her from relaxing and you end up looking like you’re uncomfortable. You’ll appear more confident (even when you’re not!) if you take your time. A woman would feel grabby and annoying when you rush through the process. She would feel stiff and awkward if at any point your hands feel stiff or awkward. So, think about ways you can change it up.

Be Consistent

While massaging a woman, you would want to have a consistent pressure and equally consistent flow. So don’t switch between really light to really deep quite quick. Your touch should feel light and soft, it shouldn’t tickle her or feel like a torture rack!

Focus On One Area At A Time

No professional masseur works on both sides at the same time. Here, you are her masseur so you shouldn’t either. Just make sure that you make your way to the side you didn’t start with.

Push Out, Not Down

Push with your thumbs or the base of your palms. Remember that you don’t push down which will only make her cry in pain. Always push out, it feels good!

Touch Her Butt

If you’ve only just started dating, you could skip this step. But, if you’re both super-comfortable around each other, you can go ahead with this – use both hands on her glutes and push in with palms or fingers and forward to some fun and exciting action!

Play With Her Head

Women love it when you play with their hair, so it would be no harm of you include this activity in your massage sesh. Make your hand into a claw and run ever so softly from the nape of her neck up into her hair making a stop at the crown. Repeat. Massage pressure points at the base of her head to get her into the mood.

Practice On Yourself

To master of all of the massage techniques, practice on yourself (when nobody’s around, of course!). Explore and discover dips and grooves on your upper back and shoulders. Those are the very pressure points that we are talking about. So, if you try it on yourself, you can find them much easily on a woman. So wait no more, get started already!