We have performed bulk and surface-sensitive inelastic x-ray scattering experiments on liquid indium with 3 meV energy resolution. The experimental data are well reproduced within a generalized hydrodynamic model including structural and microscopic relaxation processes. We find a longitudinal viscosity of 22 mPa s in the near-surface region compared to 7.4 mPa s in the bulk. The origin of the increase is associated with a slowing down of the collective dynamics in a subsurface region of 4.6 nm.