I also use massage exactly as you described it to relieve severe stomach and back pain that I get from a congested liver/gallbladder. When I hear and feel those gurgles I smile from ear to ear!!
I have done around 20 liver flushes, but still experience pain (much less that I used to), so I think the massage is a valuable tool, I often get stones coming out the morning after an "attack" of pain when I massage. I have also done the arise and shine Bowel Cleanse twice and Bernard Jenson's Bowel Cleanse twice, so I feel it is definitely worth using massage and best of all intiution to assist in the major cleanses.