Facial Massage Courses: Which Techniques a Cosmetologist Should Learn First

Facial massage is one of the first procedures a new cosmetologist offers clients, and one of the most popular. But there are dozens of techniques, and starting with the most impressive one is a mistake. Here is the order in which to learn them, which of them are part of Biotonika's basic course, and what is worth learning after it.

Which facial massage technique to learn first: the short answer

Start with the classic, or cosmetic, facial massage technique: massage lines, four basic strokes — stroking, rubbing, kneading and vibration — and contraindications. Then add collar-zone and head massage, followed by plastic massage and Jacquet massage. Spanish chiromassage, Toff massage and other signature methods belong to the next level.

The logic is simple: advanced techniques do not replace the basics but build on them. If you do not know the massage lines, you risk stretching the skin. If you cannot dose pressure precisely in classic massage, you will not manage deeper techniques either. That is why training sets the hand technique first and only then moves on to signature methods.

What to know before your first stroke

Before practice, a cosmetologist studies facial and neck anatomy, blood supply and lymphatic drainage, skin structure, massage lines, and the indications and contraindications for massage. Without this theory, even a movement that looks right can do harm: stretch the skin or worsen swelling or inflammation. Theory is not a formality but a safety rule.

In the basic and hardware cosmetology course, the massage section starts exactly here: what massage is, the main facial massage lines, indications and contraindications, and technique. Anatomy has its own section at the start of the course — facial and neck muscles, blood supply and lymphatic drainage of the face, and innervation.

Learn the contraindications by heart from day one. Facial massage is not done with inflammation or rashes, herpes, wounds or cracks in the skin, couperose, psoriasis, high blood pressure, acute infections or fever. With acne, it is done only when there is no active inflammation.

The basics: classic massage, collar zone and head

The basis of facial massage consists of three techniques: classic (cosmetic) massage along the massage lines, collar-zone massage and head massage. Classic massage sets your hand and teaches you to dose pressure, collar-zone massage works on the neck and shoulders that carry the face's blood supply, and head massage completes the session and deepens relaxation.

Classic facial massage is the foundation. The cosmetologist moves along the massage lines, alternating stroking, rubbing, kneading and vibration. The goal is muscle tone, circulation, releasing tension and rest. This is the procedure clients most often ask for first, so it is worth practising until it becomes automatic. You can see what it looks like from the client's side on the Classic Facial Massage page: at Biotonika a session lasts 30 minutes.

Collar-zone massage is often underrated. Tension in the neck and shoulders restricts blood flow to the face, and it shows in the mirror: a dull complexion, puffiness, a double chin. A cosmetologist who can release tension in the neck gets a noticeably better result from facial massage.

Head massage is a short but valuable skill: it deepens relaxation, and clients remember it.

Second-level techniques: plastic massage and Jacquet

Once the basic technique is in place, plastic massage and Jacquet massage are added. Plastic massage uses more intense strokes with stronger pressure to tone dense skin and the facial contour. Jacquet uses pinching movements for oily skin with congestion. Both demand a confident hand and a precise understanding of contraindications.

These techniques solve problems that classic massage handles less well:

• plastic massage — when the skin is dense and deeper work on tone and contour is needed;
• Jacquet massage — when the skin is oily, with enlarged pores and congestion.

Both are part of the basic and hardware cosmetology course programme, together with cosmetic, collar-zone and head massage. So after the course a cosmetologist has not one but five techniques — enough to match the massage to the skin type of most clients.

Signature methods: Spanish chiromassage and Toff massage

Spanish chiromassage and Toff massage are signature methods learned after the basics. Spanish massage has more than 100 non-repeating kneading strokes and works on the face, neck and décolleté. Toff massage is built on 72 movements and works along the muscle fibres. Both techniques require a trainer to set your hand technique.

Spanish facial massage (chiromassage) is a technique with a deep effect on the neuromuscular system, aimed at improving skin turgor and relieving stress. Its roots go back to a method proposed in 1913 by the Spanish doctor V. L. Ferrandis. The key requirement for the practitioner is variety of touch: the same movement must never be repeated twice in a row. Larysa Lonchar not only performs chiromassage but has also trained cosmetologists in it, with hands-on technique coaching — including in Ivano-Frankivsk and Kherson in 2019. See what the procedure is like for clients on the Spanish Facial Massage page.

Toff massage was developed by the Dutch plastic surgeon Heinrich Joseph Toff as a non-surgical alternative for women aged 30–40. The method has four orientations: myostructural (movements along the muscle fibres rather than across them), vascular, cranial (work with the bone framework and the cervical spine) and neurosedative. At Biotonika, Toff massage training was led by trainer and cosmetologist-rehabilitologist Vitaliia Shyrchenko; a certificate was issued after passing the practical part.

Comparing facial massage techniques for training

The techniques differ in difficulty, purpose and when to learn them. Classic massage, collar zone and head are the first step. Plastic and Jacquet are the second, once your hand is set. Spanish chiromassage and Toff massage are signature methods for those who already work confidently with the basics.

Technique	What it does	When to learn	Where Biotonika teaches it
Classic (cosmetic)	tone, circulation, releasing tension, relaxation	first	basic course
Collar-zone massage	releases neck and shoulder tension, improves blood supply to the face	together with classic	basic course
Head massage	deepens relaxation, completes the session	together with classic	basic course
Plastic	intense strokes for dense skin tone and contour	after the basics	basic course
Jacquet	pinching for oily skin with congestion	after the basics	basic course
Spanish chiromassage	100+ kneading strokes, face-neck-décolleté	after solid basics	separate trainings by Larysa Lonchar (held in the past)
Toff massage	72 movements along the muscle fibres, four orientations	after solid basics	separate trainings by Vitaliia Shyrchenko (held in the past)

How much practice you need to work confidently

Facial massage is learned with the hands, so you need many times more practice than theory. In Biotonika's basic course the facial massage module is 4 hours of theory and 36 hours of practice — the largest practical module of the course. Practice takes place on models and fellow students under a teacher's supervision.

For comparison: the cosmetic facial cleansing module is 4 hours of theory and 10 of practice, anti-age therapy 4 and 18, and hardware cosmetology 4 and 16. Massage gets the most time because it does not work without a well-trained hand.

What matters in the practical part:

• small groups — 4–5 people, so the teacher sees everyone's hands;
• models as real clients — you can bring friends, which starts your client base and portfolio;
• support after the course — if you run into difficulties with your first clients, you can consult the teacher by phone or on Viber, and come back to practise a skill again for free under the teacher's supervision.

How to choose a facial massage course

When choosing a facial massage course, look at three things: how many hours of actual practice there are, who you practise on, and who sets your hand technique. Theory can be studied online, but hand technique only in person. If you are starting from scratch, it makes sense to learn massage as part of a basic cosmetology course and add signature techniques later.

Questions worth asking a school:

1. How many hours of practice and how many of theory are in the massage module?
2. Is there practice on models, not just on each other?
3. Which techniques are in the programme, and are contraindications taught?
4. How many people are in a group?
5. Can you come back after the course to practise a skill again?

At Biotonika, facial massage is part of the basic and hardware cosmetology course: 2 months, 390 hours, 282 of them practical; as of October 2026 the course costs 16,000 UAH. Training takes place in Kyiv, in a group or one-to-one, and the theory can be followed remotely via Skype or Zoom. The school's other programmes are on the Courses and Master Classes page.