Massage Therapy Journal Winter 2025

Winter 2025 • 19

to the lifting and tightening effects of the facial massage. According to Renata’s, prior to a Kobido massage, the massage therapist may cleanse the face before applying a noncomedogenic oil. The massage might begin in a sitting position with stretching movements to the neck area before clients lie down and receive a stimulating massage to the face and neck with fingertips, focusing on the muscles in the face. Massages typically last anywhere between 60 and 90 minutes, but are also offered in shorter sessions between 30 and 45 minutes. Seitai: Teaching the Body to Restore Itself Seitai, which translates to “balanced body,” is a Japanese bodywork practice developed by Haruchika Noguchi in the mid-20th century. Noguchi believed that when humans adapt the environment to their needs, as opposed to

The purported benefits of Kobido include anti-aging properties, improved skin hydration, improved circulation and lymphatic lifting effect, and relaxed muscular tension and stress release. Facial oils and creams can be used to help enhance the benefits. drainage, a natural

Photo courtesy of Stan Shimizu

Stan Shimizu practicing Shiatsu massage on a client.

The purported benefits of Kobido include anti-aging properties, improved skin hydration, improved circulation and lymphatic drainage, a natural lifting effect, and relaxed muscular tension and stress release. Facial oils and creams can be used to help enhance the benefits. Although not specific to Kobido massage, a pilot study 1 using computed tomographic (CT) technology explored the effectiveness of facial massages in relation to morphological changes, such as improvements in facial sagging. Five healthy adults performed a self-massage twice daily for two weeks. Before and after the massages, they were given CT examinations, which were then analyzed by two radiologists on a high-accuracy imaging analysis system for massage-induced changes in the cheeks and the superficial musculoaponeurotic system (SMAS). The radiologists found that after the facial massage, the malar top thinned and shifted cranially and horizontally while the SMAS height increased. The change in the rate in cheek thickness and SMAS height showed a significant correlation, with these changes being attributed

Photo courtesy of China Facchini

China Facchini practicing ashiatsu on a client.

amtamassage.org/mtj