Effleurage is long gliding strokes used to warm tissue at the start and close a region at the end.
The hands travel the length of a muscle or a limb with even contact. In 📝Deep Tissue Massage this is how depth is prepared and how a region is left — not filler, and not a light massage that replaces the deep work. Skipping it to "get to the real stuff" is what makes deep work painful. The stroke is a method, not a diagnosis, and not a claim about circulation as a medical event.
Clients feel warmth and a map of the area. If even this pass hurts, the region is not ready for depth. Sharp pain is a stop.