Swedish massage therapy uses a wide combination of basic massage techniques: • Effleurage: this is this most basic massage technique. Effleurage means stroking, the hands slide over the skin slowly covering different parts of the body. Normally it’s used at the beginning and at the end of the massage and to finish off a certain area. This way the blood flow is increased which produces a relaxing effect. The pressure can alternate between light and firm, using the palm of the