Massages can be given to aid the process of injury healing, relieve psychological stress, manage pain and improve circulation. The effectiveness of Indian head massage, also known as Champissage (champi is an Indian word for massage), is based on alternative medicine principles, specifically those surrounding energy flow, or chakras. It's an ancient technique that Ayurvedic healers have been using for thousands of years, and it's becoming more and more popular in the Western world.

Champissage, also known as an Indian head massage (possibly a portmanteau of chāmpi, the Hindi term for the practice, and is a trademarked term for an alternative medicine massage therapy. In champissage, the head, neck and face are massaged with the purpose of manipulating energy channels.The goal is to clear blocks in these energy channels that cause a build-up of negative energy that are purported to cause ailments. The belief is when the energy does not flow properly, negative energy builds up, causing common ailments, including stress, pain and nociception pains and aches, and baldness or hair loss. Champissage is practiced all over Europe. Indian head massage was brought to the west by Narendra Mehta in the 1970s