Therapeutic massage in Calgary

Therapeutic massage is massage aimed at a specific problem, such as a sore neck, a stiff shoulder or postural strain, rather than general relaxation. At Renu it is given by a Registered Massage Therapist who starts by listening to your history, works the tissues involved with techniques such as trigger point and myofascial work, and suggests what to do between visits. Sessions are booked as a regular massage (60 min $120, 75 min $141, 90 min $157), and the evidence supports short-term relief for neck and shoulder pain more strongly than for low back pain.

Therapeutic massage in Calgary is what most people mean when they say they need a massage “for something”: a neck that has been stiff for months, a shoulder that aches after a shift, the low back that tightens on long drives. At Renu it is a massage with a Registered Massage Therapist where the time is spent on that problem, starting with your history and ending with a sense of what to do next. It is booked like any other massage, and this page explains what changes in the room, which therapist may suit you, and what the evidence honestly supports.

What makes a massage therapeutic

The difference is purpose, not a different menu item. A relaxation massage follows the whole body at an even pace; a therapeutic session follows the problem. In practice that means three things.

It starts with your story. Every session at Renu starts by listening to you. For a specific complaint we want to know when it began, what you were doing, what eases it, what flares it, whether you have had a diagnosis or imaging, and what you have already tried.

The work is targeted. Your therapist spends most of the time on the muscles and connective tissue involved and on the regions that load them. A sore neck often means time on the upper back and chest as well. Techniques may include:

• trigger point therapy: sustained pressure on tender, taut spots in a muscle (see trigger point pressure release);
• myofascial work: slow, sustained stretching of muscle and its surrounding tissue;
• deeper, slower strokes and friction across the grain of the muscle;
• myofascial cupping, where your therapist offers it and you agree.

It looks beyond the hour. Therapeutic work is more useful when you know what to do between appointments. Monica, for example, offers complimentary home-care exercises between visits.

Which Renu therapist suits which problem

All of our RMTs treat everyday muscular problems; their extra training points to where each one may be the best fit. The descriptions below come from their published bios.

Therapist	Draws on	Often a good fit for
Sasha Bernard, RMT	Relaxation massage, therapeutic trigger point therapy, myofascial cupping; intra-oral TMJ treatment	Knotted, trigger-point-heavy tension; jaw and neck problems
Monica Von Gaza, RMT	Therapeutic massage, RAPID NeuroFascial Reset, myofascial cupping; home-care exercises	People who want to understand their muscles and work on them at home; upper-body restriction
Leah Buschau, RMT	Individualized therapeutic massage, manual lymphatic drainage (Vodder Level One)	Chronic tension and support through injury recovery
Dr. Will Tanner, RMT	Massage therapy, Tuina massage, fire cupping, acupuncture	People who want massage combined with Traditional Chinese Medicine approaches
Meeghan Mackenzie, RMT, CLT	Combination-therapy style, scar tissue release, myofascial cupping	Problems tied to surgery or scarring

If neck, shoulder or jaw restriction has not shifted with regular massage, RAPID NeuroFascial Reset with Monica is a different, nervous-system-focused approach, booked separately (30 min $85, 45 min $110).

What the evidence supports, honestly

Massage has reasonable support for some muscle pain and weaker support for others. The US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) summarizes it this way: massage may help neck or shoulder pain, though the benefits may only last a short time, and there is weak evidence that it helps low back pain, with improvements mainly short-term.

For pain coming from muscle trigger points, a 2019 systematic review found moderate evidence for manual therapy, while the evidence for dry needling and dry cupping was not greater than placebo. And in a 2024 randomized trial of 80 adults with myofascial neck pain, adding 12 sessions of deep tissue massage to standard physiotherapy improved pain, disability and most neck movement more than physiotherapy alone.

What this means for you: therapeutic massage is a sensible part of managing ongoing muscular pain, especially in the neck and shoulders, and works best as part of a plan that includes movement and home care. We will not promise that a set number of sessions will fix a problem, and we will tell you if we think you need to see someone else. For low back pain specifically, see whether massage works for chronic low back pain.

RMT receipts and Alberta regulation

Every session with one of our RMTs comes with a receipt you can submit to your benefit plan; whether it is reimbursed depends on your plan. It helps to understand the Alberta context. Massage therapy is not yet a regulated health profession here. The Massage Therapist Association of Alberta reports that, as of March 2025, its application had reached the stage of Minister Review, and that before regulation is proclaimed the RMT title is not protected in Alberta. After proclamation, the title will only be available to those registered with the new College.

That is why plans look at association membership, and why NCCIH’s advice to ask about a therapist’s training, experience and credentials is worth following anywhere you book. Our page on what a massage therapy receipt needs to show covers the details insurers look for.

Pain that needs a doctor before a massage

Some pain should be assessed medically before anyone works on it. Please see your doctor first, rather than booking a massage, if you have:

• pain that began after a serious accident, a car crash for example;
• pain, tingling, weakness or numbness in both legs, or changes in your bladder or bowels (go to emergency for these);
• severe pain that starts suddenly or gets worse quickly, or pain with feeling hot, shivery or generally unwell;
• pain that is worse at night, comes with weight loss you cannot explain, or sits beside a new lump or swelling;
• throbbing pain and swelling in one leg, usually the calf, which can be a blood clot and needs urgent assessment.

Those signs come from NHS guidance on back pain and blood clots, and we apply the same caution to neck and shoulder pain. NCCIH notes that serious side effects from massage are rare but have been reported, such as a blood clot, nerve injury or bone fracture, sometimes with vigorous techniques or in more vulnerable people such as older adults. Telling us about your medical history lets us adjust.

Booking therapeutic massage at Renu

Book a massage online through Jane for 60, 75 or 90 minutes and mention the problem in your booking note, or book a specific therapist by name from the team page. Sixty minutes suits one problem area; 75 or 90 gives room to treat the area and the regions around it. We are in West Hillhurst on 19 Street NW, open seven days, and for anything you are unsure about you are welcome to call us before booking.

Questions people ask

Is therapeutic massage different from a regular massage at Renu?

It is the same booking and the same price; what changes is the purpose. When you tell us you are coming in for a specific problem, the session is spent on the tissues involved rather than on a full-body routine.

How many therapeutic massage sessions will I need?

It depends on how long the problem has been there and what is driving it, so we would rather give you an honest estimate after the first visit than a number up front. NCCIH suggests asking your therapist about this, and we are happy to talk it through.

Should I see a doctor or physiotherapist instead?

See a doctor first for new, severe or unexplained pain, or anything after a fall or accident. For ongoing muscular tension, massage can work alongside physiotherapy rather than replacing it.

Can I book the same therapist each time?

Yes. Booking the same RMT by name in Jane lets them follow how the problem changes from visit to visit, which matters more in therapeutic work than in relaxation.

Sources

1. NCCIH: Massage therapy, what you need to know
2. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies (2019): Manual therapy, dry cupping and dry needling for myofascial pain
3. Massage Therapist Association of Alberta: Regulation FAQ
4. NHS: Back pain, when to get help
5. Somatosensory & Motor Research (2024): Deep tissue massage in myofascial pain syndrome, randomized trial
6. NHS: Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) symptoms

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.