Massage Oils and Acupressure Points
If you decide to master Shiatsu massage, it will be extremely useful if you can incorporate massage oils into your overall routine. While it's true that many Shiatsu massage therapists shy away from massage oils, the extra lubrication and warmth that such oils produce are extremely effective in loosening up the muscles and various acupressure points.

What Exactly Are Acupressure Points?
From a spiritual standpoint, acupressure points are various nodes along the meridians where Chi (life energy) is believed to flow through. During pain, illness, or heightened stress, these acupressure points are believed to become clogged and need some gentle (or sometimes not so gentle) bodywork to free them up. From a clinical standpoint, acupressure points are areas on the body were tension and stress tend to build up quite regularly. These tend to congregate around specific muscle groups, connective tissue areas, and joints. Again, by applying various levels of pressure, a practitioner can induce relaxation, pain alleviation, stress reduction, and euphoria.

Selecting the Right Massage Oils
When shopping for different massage oils, it's best to stick with natural ingredients (herbal extracts, for example) since massage therapy is generally a naturopathic mode of healing, and most practitioners shy away from synthetic or clinical ingredients of any kind. It's also important to find a vendor that you trust since some stores and web sites sell inferior products to unsuspecting consumers. If you need help in this area, try asking your massage therapy instructors for some guidance. They should be able to provide you with a list of reputable vendors fairly easily.