This is a complete guide on how to give the best foot massage at home. These techniques are guaranteed to relax or put your significant other, kid, friend, parent (etc.) to SLEEP. The receiver will be so appreciative they may even return the favor. Perhaps try these techniques on your own feet!
Keep reading for a podiatrist’s at home foot massage secret tips and tricks.
Here’s the scenario: You worked a full day at the office and/or chased after your two-year-old at home. It’s 9pm, you’re exhausted, and your feet are sore. You find yourself on the couch with your toes elevated. At the same time, your significant other dominates the TV with the (insert favorite sports team) game. You think to yourself: “A foot massage would certainly melt my stress away from the day…”
Fact: having your feet massaged alleviates stress, anxiety, and it helps you sleep better. So why not learn how to give/get a proper foot massage?
Foot massage is not taught in medical school. Most doctors, like myself, learn how to give a proper foot massage by incorporating understanding of foot anatomy with personal massage experience ie: really great nail salon foot massages vs. really bad ones, I have thorough knowledge of every nerve, muscle, joint, fiber etc. in the feet and lower extremity and therefore, know which areas are loaded with nerve endings. In addition, some podiatrists, like myself, have worked alongside medically trained massage therapists and physical therapists for even more knowledge on the subject.
Most of you love and appreciate beautiful (and sometimes painful) shoes, so I figured it’s crucial to share all of this knowledge with you. I’ve done my best to simplify each massage technique/step (and will perhaps someday make visuals for each one.) Bottom line, if you wear heels, then you know–there is nothing better than a 5 minute foot massage after removing your heels! Keep reading for techniques.
All it takes is a TEN MINUTE foot massage to give us maximum health benefits and stress relief. But first, here are five essentials supplies you’ll need for your massage. You may find these supplies already in your home. If not, I’ve added convenient amazon links to purchase products guaranteed to help you give or receive the most relaxing foot massage.
At Home Foot Massage 5 Essential Supplies: 
Before we start with massage techniques, here’s a list of Amazon supplies you may want to use while performing the foot massage at home. (The following may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you. See terms.)
1. Foot Lotion – the perfect spa foot lotion for massage linked on amazon here
2. Tennis Ball or Foam Roller – tennis balls linked on amazon here // foam roller linked here
3. Warm Towel or Wash cloth – spa massage towels linked on amazon here
4. Candle – romantic spa candle for foot massages linked on amazon here
5. Massage timer – linked on amazon here
You can also select item from this shopping list below. Simply select an image to shop item on Amazon. Keep scrolling to learn the proper techniques for at home foot massage.
Basic Foot anatomy before starting:
Our feet are incredibly resilient and robust. They maintain our body weight throughout the day and carry massive pressures in motion. Anatomically, our feet contain 42 muscles, 26 bones, 33 joints, 250,000 sweat glands, 50 ligaments and tendons, and 15,000 nerve endings. As a result of these dense nerve endings, our feet are very sensitive to touch. Keep reading to find out which foot areas are the least and reversely–most sensitive, etc.
At Home Foot Massage Steps: Where to start
These techniques work best when the person you’re massaging is lying face down on a bed or couch.
TIP: It’s best to focus on one foot at the time. Doing so will help your partner feel completely relaxed. Massaging each foot for about 5 minutes is plenty of time to cover all areas of the feet.
Firstly, gather your supplies then set a timer for ten minutes. Next, choose which foot you want to massage first.
Always start a foot massage underneath the big toe. The big toe is the best starting point for two reasons: 1. it’s easy to grip and 2. It’s the least sensitive part of the foot. Technique: Apply some lotion underneath the big toe. Stabilize the foot with your non-dominant hand. Using your dominant hand, press your right thumb into the bottom of the big toe. Next, apply some gentle pressure then make circular motions with your thumb for a few seconds into the bottom of the big toe.
Avoid pushing too hard into the feet!
It’s essential you initially avoid pushing hard onto the foot. Start off with gentle circular motions. It also helps to add more lotion to the foot to help your hands glide easier.
The next step is to move outward toward the little toe, but stay somewhat parallel to the bone where you first started. Simply use your thumb pressing under each bone connected to the toes. Apply pressure in a circular motion to each bone for a few seconds. There are 5 in total, including the big toe. They feel like rounded marbles when pressed. Without complicating this, here’s an anatomical book review of metatarsal bone heads (if needed). Do this all while applying pressure with your thumb on each bone with a gentle circular motion.
Think of the foot as a grid. You’ll want to make circular motions with your thumb as you go up the foot toward the ankle. Continue to go slow and use as much pressure as your partner tolerates. As I stated above, our feet are incredibly sensitive, so you always want to communicate pressure amounts–either stronger or lighter. You can massage both the bottom and the tops of the feet with this technique. If your partner experiences foot cramping, you might be massaging with too much pressure. If this happens, stop what you are doing and let the foot relax before starting the massage again.
Don’t forget the toes
To massage the toes, hold the foot with one hand while the other hand gently massages each individual toe–starting with the large toe then making your way to small toes. In other words, don’t overthink it, as this part should only take about 20 seconds!
The most sensitive yet, relaxing place of the foot is in the arch–also known as the plantar fascia. So when you massage this area, first apply light pressure in the foot’s arch. Once light pressure here is tolerated, next press and rotate your thumb by sliding it towards the outside of the foot with deeper pressure. You can also hold pressure with your thumbs for a few seconds then release it. Arnie calls it his “Press Rotate Slide technique.” Use this technique until you reach the heel.
At home foot massage techniques for the heel and the calf muscles.
Use your knuckles to massage the heels. Our heels are very thick and contain fat pads for walking, so using your knuckles while applying more substantial pressure helps. Next up, massage around the ankles in a circular motion with both hands on each side of the ankle. Above all, in this area, be very gentile with massaging around the Achilles tendon. Afterward, slowly work your way up to the calf muscles. Rub the calf muscles with both hands using long upward strokes. Apply your thumb in spots where the muscle feels tight.
Meanwhile, if there’s an area on the foot that’s incredibly sore(for any injury–consult a doctor before considering foot massage), try breathing slowly through the nose and mouth during the massage. For example, breathing slowly during massage helps alleviate pain or discomfort. Even without soreness, it’s essential to take deep breaths during the massage to transport oxygen and blood to the muscles.
After the massage
After both feet are massaged, I recommend rolling both foot arches over a tennis ball or a foam roller. This action helps with post-massage muscle recovery. It also, in turn, helps stretch the foot’s intrinsic muscles. Once you’re done, saturate a towel with warm water and apply it to both feet. Alternatively, take a nice warm bath or shower to help with circulation and relaxation. Ahhhh–so lovely!
Having difficulty touching your S.O.’s feet? You’re not alone…
It’s a known fact that most people dislike touching someone else’s feet. Until I became a foot doctor, I wasn’t crazy about touching feet. I cringed when my younger sister put her feet near me when we were kids. Needless to say, it took me some time to get used to touching them (even with gloves on) during my medical rotations. Keep reading for more tips on how to get over this.
While researching information for this blog post, an unusual Google search appeared: “I hate feet.” Unbeknownst to me, there are forums of people discussing how much they dislike feet. The fear of feet even exists; it’s called Pedophobia. So unless your significant other has a foot fetish, your feet are not the first thing they want to touch on you. So, what’s the best approach for asking your significant other for a foot massage? I will discuss first what not to do, then mention some tried and true methods that will work for you!
Before asking for a foot massage first…
Firstly, convincing someone to massage your feet helps if you’ve recently had a pedicure. There’s nothing worse than having to touch a pair of feet with long overgrown toenails and/or dry, cracked heels. If you need help with this: check out my blog post on pedicures. You don’t necessarily have to paint your toenails or have Uma Thurman-Esque-looking feet. Still, try your best to cut your toenails, pumice your calluses, and moisturize your skin. If you are diabetic or need help with footcare, see a podiatrist.
How to Ask for a Foot Massage: 5 Tips
Here are 5 tips that I consider win-win situations that both you & your partner will be happy to oblige.
1. Offer a trade
Offer to massage his back, shoulders or whatever is ailing him in exchange for your 5 minute foot massage. This method works the best in my opinion. Even if he/she dislikes feet, your significant other will feel relaxed after your shoulder massage that he/she will forget that they are even touching your feet.
2. If you’re shy about asking… try a subtle approach
If you want to opt for a subtle approach and/or you are nervous about asking him, just straight up offer to give him a foot massage. He’ll hopefully enjoy the experience and return the favor.
3…Or the opposite: be very direct
If you want to opt for a more direct approach gently put your feet in their lap and ask nicely. ” Baby my feet hurt from my long day and you have incredibly strong hands, would you mind gently massaging them for a few minutes?” What have you got to loose?
4. Short term: Foot massage lifts your mood and lowers stress.
Every female that walks the earth has fluctuating moods. It’s biological. Our estrogen and progesterone levels are constantly in flux dependent on our phase of cycle. A foot massage study from 2015 performed on postpartum women shows a decrease in cortisol levels, the stress hormone, after having foot reflexology massages. Lowering cortisol levels decreases stress and helps elevate our mood.
5. And if they still wont budge, mention long term health benefits…
There are numerous health benefits of a foot massage. Here are a few:
- It improves circulation and helps decrease foot swelling (ladies, this is a majorly important one during pregnancy!)
- It’s relaxing which in turn lowers your blood pressure and elongates your life.
- It helps you sleep better.
- It’s releases endorphins. Endorphins are feel good hormones that are released when you exercise or eat chocolate. The release of happiness hormones may also lead to SEX! What partner would say no to THAT!?
- It helps maintain balance when walking.
- It strengthens foot intrinsic muscles, helps with joint mobility, and decreases pain in arthritis sufferers.
In conclusion, I hope this guide helps you elevate your foot massage techniques and bring to mind the health benefits of foot massage. Do you have a particular way of asking for a foot massage or special massage techniques? Please share in the comments below!
