Facial Massage, Skin Care, and Ancillary Barber Services
Purpose and effect
Facial massage relaxes the client, stimulates circulation, and helps soften the skin before and after shaving. Its manipulations mirror shampooing: effleurage to glide and warm, petrissage to knead muscle, tapotement to stimulate, and friction or vibration for smaller areas. Movements generally follow the direction of muscle fibers - upward and outward on the face - and drain toward the lymph nodes near the ears and down the neck. Pressure should be firm but never painful, and the client's comfort sets the pace.
Contraindications
The exam tests contraindications heavily. Do not massage over active acne, boils, cysts, cold sores, open lesions, sunburn, recent waxing or peeling, or undiagnosed lumps. Clients with a communicable condition, recent surgery, or a medical condition their physician has restricted require clearance or no service. When in doubt, skip the massage and perform the service without it - a massage is never mandatory.
Ancillary services and equipment
Barbers commonly perform hot-towel treatments, masks, tweezing of eyebrows, trimming of ear and nose hair, scalp treatments, and hand or arm massage. Hot towels must be tested on the inside of the wrist before contacting the face; overheated towels burn. Tweezers are disinfected like other nonporous implements. Draping and towel placement protect the client's clothing and the client's modesty, and eyes are protected during any product application near the face.
Traps
Questions offer massage as a treatment for acne (it is a contraindication), or imply that a barber can extract or lance lesions. Another trap is assuming that all clients want a massage - consent and preference come first.
Rule of thumb
Warm, not hot; upward and outward; and never over anything broken, inflamed, or unidentified.