If you have injured yourself and it is causing you chronic pain, or you are chronically stressed and it is causing you physical and psychological distress, or maybe you just want to feel invigorated from the outside in – a deep tissue massage is for you. As one of our most popular massages, deep tissue massage helps our customers feel rebalanced, re-energized and pain relieved.

What is deep tissue massage?

This type of massage is commonly used for individuals who are experiencing chronic pain from musculoskeletal issues like injuries, imbalances, strains or joint issues. For these individuals, a lighter, swedish massage may not provide them enough relief to alleviate their painful symptoms, and so a deep tissue massage may be better suited to them.

The primary goal of deep tissue massage is to relieve trapped tension in the muscles and connective tissues, to encourage blood flow, lymphatic drainage and to stimulate a healing response. This will, in turn, break up scar tissue, reduce puffiness and swelling, ease pain and loosen up muscle stiffness.

During a deep tissue massage, the therapist will ask you to remove your clothing, keeping your underwear on. You will then lay on your stomach, covered with a sheet. Prior to this, the therapist will ask you to discuss which areas are your cause for concern. Based on this, the therapist will massage you for 60 to 90 minutes, focusing on this area.

The therapist will massage you in deep, firm strokes; deep enough to reach the muscles and fascia. Unlike swedish massage, deep tissue massage is intended to relieve pain rather than to relax, so you may feel some uncomfortability during the massage – but it’s all for the greater good of helping you to feel pain-free post-massage!

What are the benefits of deep tissue massage

The benefits are extensive, and have been confirmed in research. Commonly used as a recovery modality in sports, deep tissue massages are extremely beneficial for helping to reduce muscle soreness, accelerate recovery from injuries, for repetitive strain injury and for muscle tension. Aside from this, they are also effective at reducing low back pain, increasing mobility, improving posture, helping to realign imbalances, for arthritis pain and trapped nerves.

For example, one study found that in a group of participants, deep tissue massage was equally as effective at reducing low back pain as non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID).