What is Indian head massage?
Indian head massage works the scalp, face, neck, shoulders and upper back using gentle stroking and acupressure. The technique is over a thousand years old. You stay sitting up and fully clothed if you would rather, and a session runs anywhere from a focused half hour to a full hour with oil through the hair.
Light to medium
2 out of 5Relaxing pressure, easing deeper only where you want it.
- Champissage
- Head and scalp massage
- Indian champi
We come to you, anywhere in London. Your home, your hotel room or your workplace.
27 London therapists trained in Indian head massage
Independent, qualified, insured, and met in person before we let them near a client.
What people say about our Indian head massage therapists
Excellent massage from Simona. Good pressure and somehow relaxing too. Ended with a head and scalp massage which was great too. Thank you
Eleni was very friendly, and did an excellent massage. I look forward to booking her again soon!
Nice and easy to book and Monika was just brilliant, honestly! She arrived on time, was friendly and the massage was exactly what I needed. Cheers
Lois had a calm presence about her. She made me feel relaxed. She gave me a great massage and listened to my needs. If I needed more pressure to my lower back or less pressure to my calves, she could adapt easily.
My shoulders were a mess from desk work. Firm without being painful, and my therapist took her time on the knots - appreciated! Woke up the next day feeling loads looser
Rated Outstanding
Average 4.97/5 from 12,012 reviews
How Indian head massage feels
Far more thorough than the two-minute scalp rub at the hairdresser, and it starts a good deal further down than the head.
- Firm kneading through the shoulders and upper back first, where most of it actually lives
- Acupressure at the base of the skull, which is where a tension headache tends to let go
- Slow, deliberate work across the whole scalp, with oil or without, entirely your call
- Face and temples too if you want them, and most people do once they have tried it
- Sitting up in a chair or lying down, fully clothed either way
People book it on its own and just as often add it to the end of something longer. If you are having a Swedish or deep tissue massage, ask your therapist to spend the last twenty minutes up here.
Who Indian head massage suits
Worth booking if
- You get headaches, and they start in your neck and shoulders
- You have just landed after a long flight and cannot switch off
- You stare at a screen all day and your jaw and temples know it
- You would rather not undress for a massage at all
- You are not sleeping, and everything from the shoulders up feels tight
Mention it when you book if
- You would rather not have oil in your hair, which is easily arranged
- You have a scalp condition, or recent hair treatment you want left alone
- You get migraines and are in the middle of one right now
- You have neck or spine problems, or recent injury there
- You have had recent surgery to the head, face or neck
What happens during Indian head massage
Below is how a typical 90 minute session pans out. A 60 or a two hour booking follows the same shape, with more or less of the middle.
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Before she arrives
A chair, or your bed
An upright chair is ideal and any dining chair does. Say when you book whether you want oil in your hair, so your therapist brings the right thing.
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First 5 minutes
Shoulders first
Your therapist starts well below the head. Shoulders and upper back get kneaded loose first, because a tight scalp is usually a symptom of tight shoulders.
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Next hour and 20
Up through neck and scalp
Neck, base of the skull, then the whole scalp slowly and thoroughly. If you have said yes to oil this is where it goes in. Faces and temples last.
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Final 5 minutes
Quiet
Light stroking to finish. If you have had the oil through your hair, plan a wash rather than a night out.
Never had a massage before? Our guide to what to expect at your first massage walks through the whole thing, from preparing the room to how you will feel afterwards.
Jet lag, hangovers and hotel rooms
This is far and away the most requested treatment from hotel guests, and for an obvious reason. When you have just come off a long-haul flight, the last thing you can face is finding a spa and getting to it.
It works well the morning after too. It will not undo the night before, but the combination of scalp work and acupressure does more for a heavy head than another coffee will.
How Indian head massage differs from the alternatives
Most people land here torn between two. Here is the short version.
| Indian Head Massage | Swedish Massage | Deep Tissue Massage | Shiatsu Massage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Covers | Scalp, face, neck, shoulders, upper back | The whole body | The whole body | Whole body, or wherever you ask |
| You wear | Whatever you like, clothes stay on | Undressed as far as you like | Undressed as far as you like | Loose clothes or undressed |
| Best for | Headaches, jet lag, screen tension | Stress and poor sleep | Knots that keep coming back | Low energy, tension, sleep |
| Position | Sitting up, or lying down | Lying down | Lying down | Lying down |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
If Indian head massage is not quite what you had in mind
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60 minutes, from £59Indian Head Massage across London
Wherever you are, someone covers it. Seven days a week, 7am until 11pm.
Common questions about Indian head massage
Not at all, and plenty of people say no. Tell us when you book and your mobile therapist will work dry. If you do say yes, expect to wash it out afterwards, so it is a treatment for an evening in rather than an hour before you go out. Indian head is one of several Asian massage styles we offer.
No. This is the one treatment where you can stay in your clothes throughout. Your therapist works through a t-shirt or a loose top perfectly well, sitting up in a chair if you prefer.
Very often, when they are tension headaches that start in the neck and shoulders, which most desk-related ones are. It is not a treatment for a migraine you are currently having, and if headaches are new or severe, see a doctor before you book a massage. On the scalp side, we have written about scalp massage and hair separately.
It helps you unwind and sleep, which is most of what jet lag needs. It is our most requested hotel treatment for exactly that reason. Whether that counts as a cure depends on how generous you are feeling.
An hour gives time to do the shoulders and upper back properly before working up, which is what makes the difference. If you want it as a finish to a longer massage, book 90 minutes of something else and ask for the last stretch up here.
£59 for 60 minutes, £80 for 90 minutes and £110 for two hours, the same as every other treatment we offer. Some outer London areas carry a small travel charge, which you see before you pay. We have written up what a massage costs in London and how we compare.
Whatever you are comfortable in when she arrives. During the massage you undress as far as you want to and stay covered by a towel throughout, with only the part being worked on uncovered. If that is the bit you were worried about, what to wear during a massage goes through it properly.
Often within the hour, though it depends on who is free near you at the time. Put your postcode into the box on this page and you will see the therapists covering your area and the times they have left today. We work seven days a week, from 7am until 11pm.
Somewhere to lie down, either your own bed or a mat on the floor, and your own towels. Your therapist brings the oil and the music. We ask you to use your own towels for hygiene, because a therapist working in homes all day cannot launder between visits the way a spa can, and yours will always be cleaner. Old ones are best, since oil stains.
Across more than 200 London neighbourhoods, wherever you are staying or living. Your therapist comes to your home, your hotel room or your workplace. Enter your postcode above to see who covers your address, or look through every area we cover.
Medically and professionally reviewed by Katarzyna Piatkowska, ITEC qualified massage therapist, August 2025.