Buccal massage in Amsterdam-Zuid

Intra-oral work on the chewing muscles, with a glove — from the inside and the outside. We look first, then treat.

From the inside, where outside work cannot reach

Buccal massage is a treatment in which the chewing muscles are worked from the inside of the cheek, with a glove, supported from the outside. At Bodyfix it is given at Legmeerplein 7 in Amsterdam-Zuid, roughly ten minutes from Zuidas, in sessions of 60 or 90 minutes. Every client starts with a free 10-minute bodyreading of the face — we look first, then decide what the treatment should be. Everything runs in English. Bodyfix treats women only.

Want both the inside and the outside work in one session? That is the Ultimate Bodyfix Massage.

What buccal massage is, and how a session runs

The treatment has two halves, and the order matters.

First the bodyreading of the face. We look at how the jaw sits and where the tissue holds, and decide from that which zones are worked and at what intensity. It is free, takes about 10 minutes, and there is nothing attached to it.

Then the intra-oral part. With a fresh treatment glove, the therapist works via the inside of the cheek. This part is short and targeted — it is not where most of the session goes. Working from the inside reaches muscle layers that cannot be reached from the outside at all.

Then the work from the outside. Manual work on the connective tissue of the face, jaw and neck, with lymphatic drainage where that fits the plan. The relaxed chewing muscle makes that work more effective, which is why it comes in this order.

Then the plan. What is sensible in your case, over how many sessions, and what falls outside it. We say that at the end of the first appointment, not in a brochure.

Which muscles we reach

  • Masseter — the thick chewing muscle at the angle of the jaw, the strongest muscle in the face. Reachable from the outside, but the deeper fibres only properly from the inside of the cheek.
  • Buccinator — the cheek muscle, running from the corner of the mouth back towards the jaw. It sits behind the fat pad of the cheek and is only properly reachable from the inside. This is the muscle the technique is named after: bucca is Latin for cheek.
  • Pterygoid, medial and lateral — two deeper muscles behind and underneath the ramus of the jaw. They are not reachable from the outside; the intra-oral route is the way to them.
  • Temporalis — the fan-shaped muscle at the temple. Worked from the outside, because that is where it lies.

We describe where these muscles sit and how we reach them. What each of them does in your case is not something this page can say — that is what the bodyreading is for.

What this treatment does and does not do

  • Tissue that is stuck to the surrounding layers can start to move and feel different.
  • Bone structure and fat distribution do not change.
  • What changes is the tension in the chewing muscles and how the tissue around them moves.
  • We do not solve every jaw problem. We would rather say that beforehand.
  • We work on the muscular side. If what you describe points to the structure of the jaw rather than the muscles around it, we refer you on — to your dentist or an orofacial physiotherapist.
  • This is maintenance, not a one-off procedure.
  • Alongside what your dentist does, never instead of it.
  • A bodyreading is not a medical diagnosis. Only a doctor can make one.

Jaw tension is a different way in than this one. What manual work does and does not do there is set out in buccal massage explained.

Hygiene, comfort and waiting times

Gloves. A fresh treatment glove for every treatment. If you have a latex allergy we use nitrile — mention it when you book.

Gag reflex. If you have a sensitive gag reflex, tell us beforehand and we adjust the approach. You set the pace, and we never work through a limit.

After botox: two weeks. After lip fillers: one week, before we work in the treated area. Mention it at the intake and we plan the starting point around it.

Recent dental work. After an extraction or another procedure in the treatment area we wait until it has healed. The same goes for an active infection in the mouth.

If anything here is unclear, ask at the free intake. This is exactly the kind of thing we would rather cover beforehand.

Course and pricing

Usually 5–10 treatments, sometimes more. There is no standard course: the number follows from the bodyreading, and we adjust it if that is what the tissue asks for. We do not promise a number in advance.

Sessions run 60 or 90 minutes; the bodyreading decides which fits.

Bodyfix is a private practice and does not work with health insurers. See packages and prices for the full overview.

On its own, or combined with the work from the outside

Buccal massage and the Natural Facelift are two separate treatments. Working only from the outside does not reach the deep chewing muscles; working only from the inside leaves the connective tissue around them untouched.

Both in one session is the Ultimate Bodyfix Massage: €110 for a single session, five sessions for €500. That is the combination, and it is the treatment most clients end up on.

Which of the three fits is decided at the free bodyreading, not on this page.

In English, in Amsterdam-Zuid

  • English spoken. Booking, the free intake, the treatment and the aftercare advice all happen in English.
  • No referral needed. Bodyfix is a private practice; you book directly, without a huisarts or a referral letter.
  • Not covered by Dutch health insurance. Treatments are not reimbursed under the basisverzekering, so you pay yourself. Only your own insurer can say whether a supplementary policy covers manual work.
  • Women only. Bodyfix treats women only.
  • Legmeerplein 7, 1058 NJ, Amsterdam-Zuid — roughly ten minutes from Zuidas, within easy reach of Oud-Zuid, De Pijp and the Hoofddorppleinbuurt. Open Monday to Saturday, 09:00–19:00.

More on how the clinic works for internationals: English-speaking clinic in Amsterdam-Zuid. Directions are on the contact page.

Everything about buccal massage at Bodyfix

What is buccal massage? +

A treatment in which the chewing muscles are worked from the inside of the cheek, with a glove, supported from the outside. That reaches muscle layers — the masseter, the buccinator and the deeper pterygoids — that work from the outside cannot get to.

Is something placed inside the mouth during the treatment? +

Yes. The therapist works with a fresh treatment glove via the inside of the cheek. If you have a latex allergy we use nitrile. If you have a sensitive gag reflex, mention it beforehand and we adjust the approach.

How does it feel? +

The intra-oral part is short and firm; on a tense chewing muscle that can feel intense. You set the pace, and we never work through a limit.

How many treatments do I need? +

Usually 5–10, sometimes more. There is no standard course: the number follows from the bodyreading.

I have had botox or fillers — can I still come? +

After botox we wait two weeks, after lip fillers one week, before we work in the treated area. Mention it at the intake and we plan the starting point around it.

What changes and what does not? +

What changes is the tension in the chewing muscles and how the tissue around them moves. Bone structure and fat distribution do not change.

Buccal massage or the Natural Facelift — which one fits? +

Buccal massage works from the inside on the chewing muscles; the Natural Facelift works from the outside on the connective tissue of the face, jaw and neck. If you want both in one session, that is the Ultimate Bodyfix Massage: €110 for a single session, five sessions for €500. Which one makes sense in your case is decided at the free bodyreading.

What is the difference from Kobido or a regular facial massage? +

Kobido is a facial massage that works from the outside. The difference with buccal massage is the route: we also work intra-orally, on the chewing muscles.

I am coming because of jaw tension — is this the right page? +

Treatment for jaw tension is a different way in. What manual work does and does not do there, and when you are better off going to a dentist first, is set out in buccal massage explained. We work on the muscular side; if what you describe points to the structure of the jaw rather than the muscles around it, we refer you on.

Do I need to speak Dutch, and do I need a referral? +

No to both. Booking, the free intake, the treatment and the aftercare advice all happen in English, and Bodyfix sits outside the Dutch referral system — you book directly. Treatments are not reimbursed under the basic insurance (basisverzekering); only your own insurer can say whether a supplementary policy covers manual work.

Book a free bodyreading

One appointment, in English, with nothing to commit to. We look at the face, say what we see, and tell you honestly whether this is the right treatment — including if the answer is no. Bookings run through Bjootify.

Book free intake