Here’s a situation most people have been in. You’ve decided to book a massage, you open the page, and suddenly you’re faced with eight different options and zero context for what any of them actually mean for your body. So you pick the one that sounds the least intimidating and move on.
There’s a better way. This guide skips the dictionary definitions and gets straight to the useful part: what’s going on with you, and which massage is actually going to help.
It covers the main massage types available through Blys: Remedial massage, deep tissue massage, Swedish massage, relaxation massage, hot stone massage, sports massage, trigger point therapy, myofascial release, and prenatal massage, and maps each one to the situations where it actually makes sense.
Are You Dealing with an Injury or Specific Pain?
If something hurts and you’re not entirely sure why, the answer is almost always remedial massage or deep tissue massage. It’s the most clinically grounded option on the menu, designed for assessment and treatment of specific conditions rather than general relaxation.
If the pain is deep and stubborn and has been sitting in the same spot for months despite everything you’ve tried, deep tissue massage might be what actually shifts it. It goes after the deeper layers of muscle and fascia that lighter techniques don’t reach. Used alongside remedial work, it’s often what breaks a pattern that’s been going on too long.
Note: If you’re recovering from a recent injury, have a conversation with your GP or physio before booking anything. A good therapist will ask about your history anyway, but it’s worth going in informed.
Is It Chronic Tension or Knots?
Chronic tension is its own thing. It’s not an injury. It’s the kind of tightness that accumulates quietly over time until your shoulders are essentially living up near your ears and you’ve forgotten what relaxed actually feels like.
Remedial massage handles this well, especially when there’s a postural component involved. And you know that feeling when a therapist presses on your shoulder and you feel it shoot straight up into your neck? That’s referred pain, and it’s exactly what trigger point therapy is designed for.
If the tension feels more like a whole-body restriction than a single knot, myofascial release is worth considering. It works on the connective tissue surrounding the muscles rather than the muscles themselves. Where trigger point therapy targets a specific spot, myofascial release is more about freeing up the broader patterns of restriction that build up over time, the kind that show up as reduced range of motion, stiffness getting out of bed, or the sense that your body just doesn’t move as freely as it used to.
Are You Looking for Relaxation and Stress Relief?
Not everything needs to be clinical. Sometimes the most useful thing a massage can do is remind your nervous system that it’s allowed to switch off.
Swedish massage and relaxation massage are built for exactly this. Long, flowing strokes, moderate pressure, full body — the goal is to leave you genuinely restored rather than just temporarily less tense. The difference between the two is small. Swedish is slightly more structured and can incorporate deeper work if needed. Relaxation massage keeps things comfortable from start to finish.
If you’ve never had a massage before, then you should start here. You’ll figure out what pressure you like, your body will get used to being worked on, and you’ll actually enjoy the session rather than spending it bearing through something that wasn’t right for you yet.
Do You Want Heat as Part of Your Treatment?
Some people don’t just want pressure, they want warmth. If the idea of heated basalt stones sounds more appealing than an elbow in your shoulder blade, hot stone massage is worth considering.
The heat relaxes the muscles before the therapist even starts working, which allows for deeper access without the intensity of deep tissue. It also promotes circulation in a way that regular massage doesn’t, which is part of why people often feel the effects of a hot stone session for longer than a standard treatment.
In terms of what to expect, smooth, heated stones are used both as a tool for applying pressure and placed on specific areas of the body while the therapist works elsewhere. The warmth builds gradually throughout the session, and most people find it deeply settling in a way that’s hard to describe until you’ve experienced it.
It’s a good fit if you carry tension across the back and shoulders, find firm pressure uncomfortable, or just want something more immersive than a standard relaxation session. If you have skin conditions, inflammation, or reduced sensation in any area, mention it to your therapist before you start.
Are You Pregnant or Have You Recently Given Birth?
Pregnancy has its own rules, and they matter. Prenatal massage is specifically designed around the physical changes pregnancy brings. Your therapist adjusts positioning, works around pressure points that aren’t safe during pregnancy, and shapes the session around whatever your body is dealing with at that stage.
Deep tissue and strong pressure on the lower body are generally off the table during pregnancy, for obvious reasons. Tell your therapist you’re pregnant before the session. If you’re in the first trimester, check with your midwife or GP first.
Postnatal massage often gets overlooked, which is a shame. The physical recovery from labour is no small thing, and massage is genuinely useful during it. It also gives you an hour that belongs entirely to you, which in the early months of parenthood is its own kind of medicine.
Are You an Athlete or Regularly Active?
If you’re training consistently, your relationship with massage is less about fixing something broken and more about keeping things running well. The load accumulates whether you feel it or not.
Sports massage is built around this. It focuses on the muscle groups your activity is actually using, and can be applied before training, after it, or between sessions as maintenance. Think of it less like a treat and more like servicing a car you actually care about.
Timing matters too. In the 24 to 48 hours after a hard session, a lighter sports or relaxation massage tends to work better than deep tissue, which can intensify muscles that are still in the recovery phase. Once the soreness has settled, deep tissue massage is a useful complement for working out the tightness that lingers after training loads up.
Remedial massage is the right call when there’s injury history or when movement has started to feel restricted in ways that are affecting performance. If something keeps flaring up in the same spot, that’s usually a sign it needs more targeted attention than a general sports session provides.
How to Choose a Massage Type and What to Book
Here’s a short breakdown by your situation.
If you’re dealing with pain or a specific injury, start with remedial massage. It’s the most appropriate entry point when something is actually wrong, and your therapist will bring in deep tissue, trigger point therapy, or myofascial release during the session where the situation calls for it. Most people don’t know exactly what they need before they get on the table, and that’s fine. Your therapist will work it out from there.
For stress, general tension, or if you’ve never had a massage before, Swedish massage or relaxation massage is the right call. The goal is to give your nervous system a proper break, and both deliver that without any of the intensity that puts first-timers off.
If you want something that uses heat alongside pressure, hot stone massage sits in a comfortable middle ground. More immersive than a relaxation massage, less confronting than deep tissue. A good option if standard pressure hasn’t quite hit the spot in the past.
For anyone training regularly or recovering from athletic load, sports massage is built for maintenance and performance. If there’s a specific area giving you grief, deep tissue massage is the more targeted option and works well as a complement to sports massage over time.
If you’re pregnant, book prenatal massage and make sure your therapist knows your stage and any relevant health information before the session begins. For the weeks and months after birth, postnatal massage is worth considering too, as it tends to get forgotten in the chaos of early parenthood, but the physical recovery from labour genuinely benefits from it.
Still not sure where you land? It’s worth taking a moment before you book to think about what’s been bothering you most. If you genuinely can’t decide, remedial massage is usually the safest starting point. It’s the most adaptable treatment on the list and covers a lot of ground. Once you’ve had a session or two, you’ll have a much clearer sense of what your body responds to and what to book next time.
Find a trusted therapist near you through Blys, available 7 days a week, 6 am to midnight.
