Acupuncture and massage in Calgary

At Renu you can have acupuncture and massage in a single 90-minute appointment with one practitioner, Dr. Will Tanner, a Registered Massage Therapist trained in Traditional Chinese Medicine. The combination is $167 and is available once you are a returning acupuncture client, so the first step is the 90-minute initial consultation and treatment ($150). Fire cupping can be worked into either visit.

Most clinics that offer both acupuncture and massage book them with two different people. At Renu, Dr. Will Tanner is both a Registered Massage Therapist and an acupuncturist, so the two can happen in one appointment, in one room, planned by one person who knows your history. This page covers how that 90-minute combination works, why it starts with an initial acupuncture visit, what each half has behind it, and who should check with a doctor first.

One practitioner, two disciplines

Will trained in Traditional Chinese Medicine at CITCM and practises as an RMT. His listed credentials are massage therapy, acupuncture, fire cupping and prenatal massage. In practice that means:

• the hands-on assessment from massage informs where needles go;
• muscle work and needling can target the same problem in the same hour;
• you explain your history once, to one person.

Acupuncture at Renu uses ultra-fine sterile needles placed at specific points. Treatments are personalized and aim to support circulation, regulate the nervous system, relieve pain and muscular tension, and help recovery. Massage is the same RMT massage you could book with Will on its own.

Who tends to book the combination

The combined session suits people whose problem has both a muscular and a nervous-system side, and who would rather spend 90 minutes with one practitioner than book two appointments. Common reasons include:

• neck and shoulder tension that comes with headaches;
• low back stiffness that has not settled with massage alone;
• stress and poor sleep alongside general muscle tightness;
• recovery from a busy season of sport or work, where both rest and hands-on work help.

If you only want one of the two, Will offers each on its own.

How to get to the combination

The acupuncture and massage combination is 90 minutes for $167, and it is available to returning acupuncture clients. If you have never had acupuncture with Will, the path looks like this:

1. Initial consultation and treatment, 90 minutes, $150. A comprehensive assessment and a personalized first treatment. It covers your health history and goals before the first treatment.
2. Then the combination, 90 minutes, $167, whenever you want massage and acupuncture together.
3. Or acupuncture on its own: a 60-minute return visit at $120, or a 45-minute follow-up at $85 for maintenance and targeted support.

Appointment with Will	Length	Price
Initial acupuncture consultation and treatment	90 min	$150
Acupuncture and massage combination (returning clients)	90 min	$167
Acupuncture return visit	60 min	$120
Acupuncture follow-up	45 min	$85

Everything books online through Jane under Will’s name. Wear comfortable, loose clothing that allows access to your arms, legs and back.

Inside a combined session

There is no fixed script. The balance of hands-on work and needling is set with you, from what you report that day and what Will finds when he assesses you. Tell him at the start if you want more of one than the other, and you can change your mind on the table.

Adding fire cupping. Will is one of the few RMTs in Calgary who offers fire cupping, the traditional form in which a flame briefly heats the air inside a glass cup before it goes on the skin. It pairs with both acupuncture and massage and can be added within a session. Cupping often leaves round marks that fade over days; see fire cupping in Calgary for what to expect.

After the session. Our before and after acupuncture answer has the practical details.

What the research shows for each

Neither discipline is proven to work better because the other is added, so it helps to look at each on its own.

• Acupuncture. NCCIH reports that a 2018 review of 12 studies with more than 8,000 participants found acupuncture more effective than no treatment for back or neck pain, and that there is moderate-quality evidence it may reduce how often migraines happen.
• Massage. NCCIH describes massage as more helpful than inactive therapies for neck and shoulder pain, usually in the short term, with weaker evidence for low back pain. In a small randomized trial of people with generalized anxiety disorder, twice-weekly Swedish massage for six weeks reduced anxiety scores more than a light-touch control.
• Head to head. The IMPACT trial randomized 298 people with advanced cancer and moderate to severe pain to weekly acupuncture or massage for 10 weeks, with monthly boosters to 26 weeks. Both reduced worst pain (by about 2.5 and 3 points on a 10-point scale) and improved fatigue, sleep and quality of life, with no significant difference between them. Side effects were mild: bruising after acupuncture in 6.5 percent and passing soreness after massage in 15.1 percent.

For a closer look at one common reason people book, see acupuncture vs massage therapy for back pain.

When to check with your doctor first

NCCIH describes the risk from massage as low, with rare reports of serious problems such as a blood clot, nerve injury or bone fracture, mostly with vigorous techniques or in elderly people. For acupuncture it notes that needles must be sterile and single-use, and that improperly delivered acupuncture can cause serious harm such as infection or a punctured organ.

Tell Will at intake, and check with your doctor if you are unsure, when:

• you take blood thinners or have a bleeding disorder;
• you are pregnant (Will also offers prenatal massage);
• you are in cancer treatment, or have had lymph nodes removed from an arm or leg;
• you have a skin condition in the area, or you are nervous about needles.

See a doctor, not a therapist, for new numbness or weakness, a painful swollen calf, chest pain or sudden shortness of breath. Then, once you are cleared, the combination is there when you want it.

Questions people ask

Why can't I book the combination on my first visit?

The combination is offered to returning acupuncture clients because the first appointment is a full assessment and a personalized first treatment. Once Will knows your history and how you respond to needles, a combined session can use the time well.

Is the combination cheaper than booking both separately?

A 60-minute massage is $120 and a 45-minute acupuncture follow-up is $85, so two separate appointments would be $205. The 90-minute combination with Will is $167.

Will I get one receipt or two?

It is one appointment with one practitioner. Ask your insurer how they want a combined massage and acupuncture visit claimed before you submit it.

Can I just have acupuncture without massage?

Yes. Return visits are 60 minutes ($120) and shorter follow-ups are 45 minutes ($85). Will can also see you for massage alone.

Sources

1. NCCIH: Acupuncture, effectiveness and safety
2. NCCIH: Massage therapy, what you need to know
3. JAMA Network Open (2023): Acupuncture vs massage for pain in advanced cancer, the IMPACT randomized trial
4. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry (2016): Swedish massage for generalized anxiety disorder, randomized trial
5. Canadian Cancer Society: Types of complementary therapies
6. NCCIH: Cupping

Page reviewed October 5, 2026. This page is education, not a diagnosis. For your own situation, talk to your doctor, surgeon or care team, or ask us.