What is Buccal Massage?

I've been blessed to build my career on facial massage!  There is no more rewarding feeling than having my client look in the mirror, looking and feeling great after their Buccal Massage session.

There are many types of facial massage, but I've found that Buccal Massage is the most effective for my clients seeking results in both skin health and stress relief.

This is because so many clients have facial tension, and most of it is centered around the muscles and fascia related to the sides of the face - Both inside and out.  Some common areas to observe as a practitioner include the jaw, mouth, cheeks, neck, shoulders, decollete and ears - these are where our clients hold lots of tension.

There are many reasons for this situation.  Let's look at some of these situations and how they affect our clients.

#1:  Emotional and Mental Stress

I don't need to tell you how stressful life has been in the last few years.  When you speak to your clients, they tell you what's happening in their lives. They will often point to their jaw, talk about tension or even pain in this area, and acknowledge they grind or clench when awake or asleep or both.  They may be wearing a night guard, participating in physical therapy, or maybe have received a Botox injection to temporarily relieve the tension.

#2: Poor Posture and Electronic Devices

Our world and ou lives are managed by technology.  We live on our mobile phones.  Our clients use phones to communicate via text or social media, to search for and read reviews for places and services like our skin care or massage business; to read blogs, find music, shop, watch videos, be entertained. 

But this focused attention on a small electronic device for hours on end causes us to hunch our shoulders, hyper extend our necks, squint our eyes.  These actions have a far reaching effect on structures not directly associated with shoulders or eyes.  In fact, because of the reach of fascia and its connection to adjacent structures, this poor posture makes cheeks look flat, necks sag and develop horizontal lines, and facial features become distorted or unbalanced.  This can contribute to headaches, migraines, jaw pain, tooth problems, neck pain, poor sleep, anxiety and more.

What can we do to help our clients?

You see the tension on their faces, and see the effect its having on their skin and facial features, not to mention their self perception, confidence, energy levels and sense of wellbeing; but you may not be sure how to help them with this. 

Being the compassionate healer that most of my students are, I know you want to help.

And I want to help you help your clients.

Buccal Massage, when done using a client-centered, analytical, fascia-focused approach, will provide;

- the results your clients will love

- a service you love performing because you're most happy using hands on techniques like massage

- a reputation for you - the go-to aesthetician or massage therapist in your community

- career and financial rewards of offering a transformative service

Wouldn't it be fun to earn a living doing services you love to do and make such a profound impact on those you serve?  

Buccal: Origins in Language vs. Modern Society's View

Let's look at the word "Buccal".  Its origin is Lain; it is an anatomical adjective meaning "cheek".  The word itself does not mean inside the mouth; it simply means "related to the area of the cheek.  That's a pretty broad area, which suits our purposes since we need to view this area holistically for best results.

In recent years, an old technique taken from the practice of osteopathic medicine called Intra-oral manipulation, has been adapted by many beauty practitioners to access the muscles of the cheek in releasing tension to lift and tone the face and promote greater well being (including yours truly).  It has become known as Buccal Massage, which to many means the esthetician or massage therapist will be working in their mouth.

Check out these languages with roots in Latin, all describing the "mouth";

In Italian, "Bocca" 

In Spanish "Boca"

In French "Bouche"

So its easy to see why this confusion between Intra-Oral and Buccal occurs with practitioners and clients.  Buccal Massage, may be the common term for this work, because its easily associated with Bocca, Boca, or Bouche, meaning mouth.  However, Intra-Oral is only a small part of this work, at least how I teach it.

Remember, Buccal means cheek, and we want to be able to work the entire area (plus the surrounding structures) to get the best results for our clients.  In the end, that's what you want - the best results for your clients, which is rewarding on so many levels for you.

Do we have to work inside the mouth to get results?

Emphatically no.  Will I show you how to work inside the mouth?  Yes.

Depending on your scope of practice for the license you hold, in the locality in which you work, you may or may not be able to provide techniques in the mouth (Intra-Oral Massage).  You may also have clients who are contraindicated for intra-oral work, or clients who are simply not comfortable with the idea.  But we can still make a profound impact on the results our clients achieve by working externally on the cheek (plus the surrounding, deeply related structures).

Our studies wouldn't be complete without knowledge and techniques for the surrounding attachments.  This is why my Buccal Massage Training includes techniques for the entire face, neck, and beyond.

Join us for the next Buccal Massage training, or contact me if you have questions about how you can use Buccal Massage in your practice.  You can email me at [email protected] or set up a phone call using this link

I'm happy to help! 

Stay tuned for more posts on Buccal Massage!

Joanna Tringali