Answers

Do I need to drink extra water after a massage?

Massage does not flush toxins, so you do not need to drink litres afterwards. Normal hydration, especially before, is what prevents a headache.

By The Renu lymphatic and massage team · 5 min read

Not in the way the old advice suggests. Massage does not flush toxins out of your body, so there is nothing to wash away with extra litres afterwards. What does matter is arriving hydrated, because dry tissue is less comfortable to work on and dehydration is a known cause of the headache some people get after a session. A glass of water before and after, and your usual intake through the day, is enough for most people.

“Drink lots of water to flush out the toxins” is probably the most repeated sentence in massage, and it deserves a straight answer. Water is good for you. The toxin part is not true. Here is what we actually know, and what we suggest instead.

The flushing story does not hold up

Massage moves fluid around and can leave muscles feeling different, so it is easy to imagine something being squeezed out that then needs washing away. The evidence does not support that picture.

Runner’s World put the question to therapists who work with marathon runners, and their answer was unambiguous: massage does not release or flush out any toxins from the body, which also means it does not dehydrate you. They go further on the lactic acid version of the story, explaining that massage can help with recovery after hard effort but does not get rid of lactic acid. Their recommendation after a session is simply to resume normal hydration.

Stepping back from massage altogether, the NCCIH’s review of detox and cleanse claims found no compelling research that any detox programme eliminates toxins from the body, and noted that the few studies that exist are small and of low quality. Your liver and kidneys handle that work every day, with or without a massage.

So if the only reason to drink extra water after a session is to flush something out, you can let that reason go. There are better ones.

Why hydration still matters, mostly before

The useful conversation is about arriving well hydrated, not about chugging a bottle in the car park afterwards.

The therapists in the Runner’s World piece make a practical point: dehydration stiffens fascia and muscle, and dry, stiff tissue is more uncomfortable to work on. If you turn up after a long run, a hot afternoon or three coffees and no water, the session will feel harder than it needs to.

Hydration is also one of the four main reasons people get a headache after a massage. Healthline lists dehydration alongside pressure, scents and the blood pressure dip on standing, and its practical advice is to drink at least eight ounces of water before and after the session and a little more than usual for the two days after. That is about a headache, not toxins, and it is a fair reason to keep a glass of water in reach. Healthline’s page on post-massage soreness adds that water before and after helps, and that alcoholic, sugary and heavily caffeinated drinks are the ones to skip that day.

What this adds up to is modest: be hydrated when you arrive, have a glass afterwards, and carry on as normal. More than that is not harmful for most people, but it is not doing what the saying claims.

How to tell whether you are hydrated enough

You do not need to count glasses. Cleveland Clinic’s guidance on dehydration gives two simple checks.

Check	Well hydrated	Needs attention
Thirst	Not thirsty	Thirsty, which already means mildly dehydrated
Urine colour	Clear, pale or straw-coloured	Dark yellow

Cleveland Clinic also lists the things that push people towards dehydration: sweating in heat or exercise, fever, vomiting or diarrhoea, simply not drinking enough, alcohol, caffeine, and medications such as diuretics. If any of those apply on the day of your appointment, that is when a deliberate extra glass makes sense. On daily totals, the clinic’s note is that the familiar “eight glasses a day” is a general standard and that the right amount for you is worth confirming with your own healthcare provider, especially if you have a heart or kidney condition that limits fluids.

Water and the cocoon

One honest exception to “no extra water needed” is heat. If you add an infrared sauna cocoon session to your visit, you will sweat, and sweating in heat is one of the dehydration causes Cleveland Clinic names. Drink before you go in and again afterwards. The same logic applies to a hot bath or sauna at home after a massage.

A note for lymphatic drainage clients

Clients who come for lymphatic drainage often hear the toxin story in its strongest form, because lymphatic work is so closely tied to the idea of “detox” in popular culture. The same evidence applies: hydrate normally, drink to thirst, and do not force fluids. We explain what the lymphatic system actually does with waste on Does lymphatic drainage remove toxins?, and why some people need the bathroom more afterwards on Why do you pee more after lymphatic drainage?.

When to be careful with fluids

For most people, drinking to thirst is the whole plan. Two groups should be more deliberate:

If you have been told by a doctor to restrict fluids, for a heart, kidney or other condition, do not increase your intake because of a massage. Nothing about the session requires it.
If you take diuretics, or you have been unwell with fever, vomiting or diarrhoea, you may be starting from a lower baseline. Cleveland Clinic lists dizziness, weakness, headache and dark urine as signs of dehydration; if you have those, mention them to us and rehydrate before, not after, your session.

Call your doctor rather than us if dehydration symptoms are severe, including confusion, a racing pulse, fainting, or a fever of 39.4°C or higher, which Cleveland Clinic flags as reasons for emergency care.

What we actually suggest

A glass of water in the hour before your massage, not a litre
A glass afterwards, and your normal intake for the rest of the day
Water or herbal tea rather than alcohol on the day of a session
An extra glass or two on either side of a cocoon session or anything else that makes you sweat
No special regime for “flushing”, because there is nothing to flush

If you have other practical questions before your first visit, the clinic FAQ covers what to wear, when to arrive and what to expect.

Questions people ask

How much water should I drink before a massage?

Enough that you are not thirsty and your urine is pale. Healthline suggests at least eight ounces of water before and after a session, which is a normal glass. There is no benefit in drinking a large volume right before you lie down; you will only need the bathroom halfway through.

Does massage release lactic acid or toxins into the blood?

No. The sports-massage therapists interviewed by Runner's World are clear that massage does not release or flush toxins and does not dehydrate you, and the NCCIH found no compelling research behind detox claims in general. The idea persists because it is a tidy story, not because anyone has measured it.

Is it bad to drink coffee or alcohol after a massage?

A coffee is fine. Alcohol is worth skipping on the day: Healthline advises avoiding it the night before and the night of a massage because it raises the chance of a headache, and Cleveland Clinic lists both alcohol and caffeine among causes of dehydration. Water or herbal tea is the easier choice.

Should I drink more water after a lymphatic drainage session?

The same sensible rule applies: hydrate normally. Some people notice they pass more urine after lymphatic work, which is explained on its own page in this library, but that is not a reason to force fluids. Drink to thirst and keep your urine pale.