Sports massage or deep tissue massage: which should you book?

It is a fair question to ask before you book: should you have a sports massage or a deep tissue massage? The honest answer is that they overlap a lot, and you do not have to get it right before you arrive. Still, it helps to know what each one is for.

What sports massage is for

Sports massage is built around how you move and train. The work is firm and focused on the muscles your sport loads most: calves and hamstrings for runners, quads and groins for footballers, shoulders, back and legs for people lifting in the gym.

It tends to mix techniques. Some broad, flushing strokes to warm the tissue, deeper work on tight spots, and often some stretching as part of the session. It is useful:

• a few days before an event, to feel loose without feeling heavy
• after a race, a match or a hard week, to ease soreness
• as regular upkeep, so small niggles do not build into injuries

What deep tissue massage is for

Deep tissue massage works more slowly and stays longer in one place. The aim is to reach the deeper layers of muscle and ease tightness that has built up over weeks or months.

It suits stubborn knots in the upper back and neck, tight hips from long days sitting, or an area that keeps tightening up however much you stretch it. You do not need to be an athlete to benefit. Plenty of desk workers and drivers need it more than runners do.

Does deep mean painful?

No. Deep tissue work can feel intense on a tight area, but the pressure should build gradually and never go past what you are comfortable with. Tensing up against pain makes the muscle harder to work on, so it is in both our interests to keep it bearable. Tell me if you want it lighter or firmer at any point.

So which should you book?

Here is a simple way to think about it:

• If your problem is training load (heavy legs, sore calves, a big event coming up), think sports massage.
• If your problem is long-standing tightness that never quite goes away, think deep tissue.
• If it is both, which it usually is, book the length of time you need and we will use both.

That last point is why I book treatments by length rather than by technique. You choose 30, 45 or 60 minutes, and we decide together at the start of the session how best to use it. A 30-minute session suits one or two areas. An hour gives time to work properly through the back and both legs.

What to tell me when you arrive

Whichever you choose, the session goes better if you can tell me a few things: what training you have done this week, anything coming up, where it hurts or feels tight, and whether anything makes it better or worse. That is what turns a general massage into one that is actually useful to you.