What type of massage should I book?

Book for the problem you want help with, not the name of the technique. For stress and general tightness, a 60-minute massage is the usual starting point; jaw pain, pregnancy, swelling after surgery and a specific stuck shoulder or arm each have their own booking. If you are unsure, book a regular massage and tell your therapist what is going on; they adjust the pressure and focus on the table.

Book for the problem, not the technique name. Most people who are tired, stressed or generally tight are well served by a regular 60-minute massage, and a good therapist will shift between gentle and firm work as they find what your body needs. The specialised bookings on our menu exist for specific situations: a painful jaw, pregnancy, swelling or surgery, and a particular stuck area in the neck, shoulder or arm.

Here is a plain chooser, organised by the reason you are booking.

Start with your goal

Find the line closest to why you are here. Prices are as published on our site.

Your main reason	What to book at Renu	Length and price
Stress, poor sleep, wanting to switch off	Massage (relaxation focus)	60 min $120, 90 min $157
Tight neck, shoulders or back from desk work or lifting	Massage (deeper focus)	60 min $120, 90 min $157
Training, a race or a heavy ski weekend	Massage (sports focus)	60 min $120, 90 min $157
One stuck area in the neck, shoulder, arm or hand	RAPID NeuroFascial Reset with Monica	30 min $85, 45 min $110
Jaw pain, clenching or clicking	TMJ massage with Sasha	60 min $120
Broad fascial tightness, wanting suction work	Myofascial cupping	60 min $120, 90 min $157
Pregnancy	Prenatal massage	60 min $120, 90 min $157
Puffiness or swelling, or tightness plus swelling	Classic lymphatic drainage, or the massage and lymphatic combination	60 min $130 either way
Recovering from surgery	Post-op lymphatic drainage	60 min $140
Neck, back or stress, and curious about needles	Acupuncture and massage combination with Dr. Will Tanner	90 min $167

If two lines fit, choose the one that bothers you most day to day, and mention the other when you arrive.

Relaxation, deeper work and sports focus are all one booking

At Renu, Swedish, deep tissue, sports and relaxation massage are all booked as a regular massage, from 30 to 90 minutes. The difference is in the hands, not the menu, which is good news for anyone unsure which they need.

Cleveland Clinic describes the main styles this way:

• Swedish massage calms the nervous system and is the classic choice for relaxation and for people new to massage.
• Deep tissue massage targets muscles tightened by repetitive activities such as sitting and typing, and suits injuries, general tightness and chronic muscle pain.
• Sports massage is similar to deep tissue but concentrates on the muscles your sport or activity stresses.
• Trigger point work uses focused pressure on knots, and myofascial release stretches and kneads muscle and connective tissue.

If you want a fuller comparison of the two most-booked styles, see Swedish vs deep tissue massage.

Thirty or 45 minutes works for one area, such as neck and shoulders. Sixty covers the full body or gives real time to two regions. Seventy-five or 90 suits full-body work plus extra attention on a problem spot.

When a specialised booking makes more sense

Some problems are better matched to a specific therapist and technique.

Jaw pain. TMJ massage with Sasha Bernard includes gloved intra-oral work on the jaw muscles, which a regular massage does not. It is a 60-minute booking; see TMJ massage.

A stuck shoulder, arm, wrist or hand. RAPID NeuroFascial Reset with Monica Von Gaza combines precise pressure with guided movement in short 30- or 45-minute sessions, aimed at pain and restriction in the neck, shoulders, arms and hands. Read about RAPID.

Wanting suction rather than pressure. Myofascial cupping uses moving cups on the fascia, for 60 or 90 minutes.

Pregnancy. Prenatal massage is positioned and paced for pregnancy, and Cleveland Clinic notes it can help with swelling in the feet and legs. Sasha Bernard and Dr. Will Tanner provide it; Aisha Mendes offers the 75-minute Pre-natal Drift and Drain ($170).

Swelling, surgery or lymphedema. Lymphatic drainage uses very light, rhythmic touch to help fluid move, which Cleveland Clinic describes as gentle touch to improve lymphatic flow. If you want both muscle work and drainage, the massage and lymphatic combination is $130 for 60 minutes or $165 for 90. After surgery, book post-op lymphatic drainage; for diagnosed lymphedema or lipedema, our care is led by Meeghan Mackenzie, our Certified Lymphedema Therapist.

What the evidence can and cannot promise

Massage reliably feels good, and for some problems there is evidence of short-term relief. It is honest to keep expectations there.

• Low back pain. The Cochrane review (25 trials, 3,096 people) rated the evidence low to very low certainty: massage helped pain in the short term compared with inactive controls, but the benefit did not last.
• Neck and shoulder pain. NCCIH reports possible short-term relief that does not usually last beyond the treatment period.
• Fibromyalgia. NCCIH notes benefit for pain and anxiety when massage continues for at least five weeks, which argues for a series rather than a one-off.
• Soreness afterwards. Cochrane found increased pain was the most common side effect in back-pain trials, reported in 1.5 to 25 percent of participants. Firmer is not automatically better.

That is why our usual advice is to start with comfortable pressure, see how you feel over the next two days, and build from there.

When to check with a doctor before booking

Most people can book any of the above directly. NCCIH reports that serious problems after massage are rare, but blood clots, nerve injury and fractures have occurred, mostly with vigorous deep work or in vulnerable people such as older adults.

Talk to your doctor first, and tell your therapist, if you have:

• calf pain, warmth or swelling in one leg, or a known blood clot;
• a recent fracture, surgery or significant injury;
• osteoporosis, a bleeding disorder or you take blood thinners;
• cancer or current cancer treatment;
• a high-risk pregnancy;
• new numbness, weakness or pain that spreads down an arm or leg.

Cleveland Clinic’s advice is simple: with a medical condition, check with your doctor and talk with your massage therapist.

Booking it

Everything above is booked online through Jane, or by calling our West Hillhurst clinic. If you are still torn, book a regular 60-minute massage and tell your therapist your goal at the start; they will plan the session with you. If you have never had a massage before, what happens at your first massage appointment walks through the visit itself.

Questions people ask

Should a first massage be 60 or 90 minutes?

Sixty minutes is the usual first booking: long enough for a full-body session or real time on one or two problem areas, and a fair test of whether you like a therapist's style. Ninety minutes suits people who want full-body work plus extra attention on a specific area.

Can I change the type of massage once I am on the table?

Yes, within the time you booked. Pressure, pace and focus are adjusted throughout, so a session booked as a regular massage can lean towards relaxation or towards firmer work. What cannot change on the day is a booking that needs a specific therapist, such as intra-oral TMJ work.

Is deep tissue massage better for back pain than a relaxation massage?

Not necessarily. The Cochrane review of massage for low back pain found only low-certainty evidence of short-term benefit and did not identify one style as clearly superior. Firmer pressure also carries more risk of soreness afterwards, so comfortable pressure is a reasonable place to start.

Can a massage student treat me instead of an RMT?

Renu offers student massage with Jennifer, a student at the Alberta College of Massage Therapy, at lower rates. Student sessions are not RMT services, so check your benefits plan before you expect to claim one.

Sources

1. Cleveland Clinic: The benefits of massage
2. NCCIH: Massage therapy, what you need to know
3. Cochrane: Massage for low back pain

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.