Deep tissue or therapeutic work is usually the best massage for neck and shoulder pain. The right massage for other aches depends on what hurts and how firm you like it. Eight common aches are matched below to the session we book for each, with the pressure, the soreness to expect and when to see a doctor first.
Every session runs 30, 60 or 90 true minutes at Above & Beyond Wellness Spa, 50 Fenton Plaza in Fenton, Missouri. To compare every type on its own terms first, read our guide to the types of massage. See prices and book a massage in Fenton online.
I am Sarah Hankammer. I have been a Missouri Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT) since 1999, and I own Above & Beyond Wellness Spa. Anyone can look up my license, number 2015027635, in the state register. I give the Swedish, sports, cupping, lymphatic, cranial sacral, prenatal and medical sessions myself, along with myofascial and soft tissue release and assisted stretching. The rest of the menu belongs to our licensed team.
Which massage fits where it hurts?
Tap 1: where it hurts. Tap 2: the pressure you like, or how long it has lasted. The answer opens below the button you pressed.
My neck or shoulders (A desk ache, or a knot that will not leave.)
How much pressure do you like? Tap one.
Light
Swedish to start. Ask for extra time on the neck.
Medium
Therapeutic. Say your neck hurts and the mix is built for it.
Firm
Deep tissue and sports.
Check first: You take blood thinners or bruise easily. Deep tissue waits until you are cleared.
A tension headache (It starts at the base of the skull or in the shoulders.)
Which sounds like you? Tap one.
It comes with a tight jaw or poor sleep
Cranial sacral. Very light touch, fully clothed.
It starts in tight shoulders
Deep tissue limited to the neck and shoulders.
See a doctor first: The headaches are new or getting worse.
My low back (Tight after sitting, or sore for a long time.)
How long has it lasted? Tap one.
A few weeks
Therapeutic or deep tissue.
Months or years
Medical massage, with your doctor or physical therapist involved.
See a doctor first: It began after a fall or an injury in the last few weeks.
Stress or poor sleep (Wound up, or awake at night.)
How much pressure do you like? Tap one.
Light
Swedish or Raindrop. Cranial sacral is the lightest of all.
Medium
Swedish, or a therapeutic session where you name what you need.
After training or surgery (Sore from a workout, or recovering from a procedure.)
Which sounds like you? Tap one.
After training
Deep tissue and sports work, or cupping. Wait 48 hours after a race.
Recovering from surgery
Once your surgeon agrees, lymphatic work eases the swelling and myofascial work can follow.
Hold off if: You had surgery in the last few weeks and have no clearance, or one leg is swollen and you do not know why.
Unsure? A 60-minute therapeutic session suits most aches. Tell us what hurts when you book on the massage services page.
Which massage is best for which ache, side by side?
Find your ache in the first column. The last column rules out the bookings that go wrong.
On a small screen, slide the table sideways if a column is cut off.
| Your ache | Book this | Pressure | Sore after? | Ask first or skip if |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neck and shoulder tension | Deep tissue or therapeutic | Firm, a six or seven out of ten | Often, 24 to 48 hours | You take blood thinners, or the pain is new after an injury |
| Tension headaches | Cranial sacral, or deep tissue limited to the neck and shoulders | Very light, or firm on the neck | No for cranial sacral | The headaches are new or getting worse |
| Tight low back | Therapeutic or deep tissue | Medium to firm | Sometimes | It began after a fall or injury in the last few weeks |
| Chronic back pain | Medical massage | As the condition needs | Sometimes | Your doctor has not seen it. Tell them first |
| Posture and desk stiffness | Myofascial release | Sustained holds, no oil | Rarely | Your skin cannot take slow pulling |
| Stress and poor sleep | Swedish, Raindrop or cranial sacral | Light to medium | Rarely | Scents bother you (Raindrop) |
| Training soreness and overuse | Deep tissue and sports, or cupping | Firm, or suction for cupping | Often. Cupping leaves round marks for a few days | A race inside 48 hours, blood thinners or easy bruising |
| Swelling after surgery | Lymphatic | Very light, rhythmic | No | One leg is swollen for no reason, or a clot is possible |
What is the best massage for neck and shoulder pain?
Book a 60-minute deep tissue or therapeutic session. Deep tissue is slow, firm work on the muscles across your neck, shoulders and upper back. When thumbs are too small for the job, I switch to my forearms, elbows or knuckles. Therapeutic mixes Swedish strokes with deep tissue, trigger point and myofascial techniques, and the pressure shifts as we go.
What to expect, the limits, and who should skip it
Expect firm pressure and some soreness for 24 to 48 hours, the way you feel after a hard workout. Cupping can be added for tissue that feels stuck.
Most people start weekly or every other week, then move to monthly once the pain settles.
What massage can do here is limited. A review of 12 trials with 757 people found that massage gave quick relief for neck and shoulder pain compared with no treatment. It did not beat other active treatments. Use the session to feel better now, and ask your doctor or therapist what to do between visits.
If you take blood thinners, check with your doctor first. Deep tissue and cupping wait until you are cleared.
What is the best massage for back pain?
Start with how long it has lasted. A tight low back that began a few weeks ago needs therapeutic or deep tissue work in a 60-minute session. Myofascial release suits tightness that keeps coming back. It uses slow holds, with no oil, that feel like a long stretch.
What to expect, the limits, and who should skip it
Pain that has lasted months or years calls for medical massage. It targets one named problem. Typical ones are chronic back pain, fibromyalgia and arthritis, and your doctor or physical therapist is often in the loop. Sessions pull from deep tissue, trigger point, lymphatic and myofascial techniques. The goal is easier movement in daily life.
The NIH rates the evidence for massage on pain as weak to moderate. The relief is real, lasts days to weeks, and builds as you keep coming. It is not a cure.
If your back pain began after a fall or an injury in the last few weeks, see your doctor before you book.
Which massage helps tension headaches?
Two sessions fit, and the right one depends on where the headache starts.
What to expect, the limits, and who should skip it
Cranial sacral suits a headache that comes with a tight or clicking jaw or trouble sleeping. The touch is as light as a coin resting on you, on the head, neck and lower spine. You stay clothed, in a quiet room.
Deep tissue limited to the neck and shoulders suits a headache that starts in tight shoulders. We keep the firm work off your head.
The evidence for massage and headaches is mixed. Book it to ease the muscle tension, not as a treatment. A headache that is new or getting worse needs a doctor first.
Which massage helps posture and desk stiffness?
Book myofascial release. The therapist holds each spot slowly, with no oil, until it feels like a long stretch. Most sessions here include some. It suits tightness that keeps coming back, old injuries and the stiffness that builds from hours at a desk.
What to expect, the limits, and who should skip it
Massage loosens tight tissue. It does not change how you sit. Skip myofascial release if your skin cannot take slow pulling.
Which massage helps with sleep and stress?
Swedish is the first booking. A session is built from five classic moves: long glides, kneading, circling, tapping and shaking. Pressure runs light to medium. Most people walk out relaxed, not sore.
What to expect, the limits, and who should skip it
Raindrop is the oil-and-sound session. Young Living essential oils run down the spine and feet while weighted tuning forks and soft strokes do the rest. Pass on it if strong scents bother you.
Cranial sacral is the lightest of the three, done fully clothed in a quiet room. Knots across the shoulders can get a short block of deep tissue.
Which massage helps after training and everyday overuse?
Deep tissue and sports massage are a single booking here. The work is slow and firm and reaches below the surface muscle into the fascia, the thin wrap around every muscle. Leave 48 hours between it and a race or big event.
What to expect, the limits, and who should skip it
Cupping uses suction instead of pressure. It reaches spots that hands cannot press into. Round marks fade in a few days, and they are not bruises. Cupping is not safe with blood thinners, thin skin or a wound that has not closed.
An injury that just happened needs a doctor first, not a session. After surgery, wait until your surgeon clears you. After that, lymphatic work moves swelling with gentle, rhythmic strokes aimed at the lymph nodes, and many people want a nap afterward. One leg swollen for no reason is a same-day doctor visit.
What happens in the room before the first stroke
The first minute is two questions: what hurts, and what you want to do again without pain. You then undress as far as you like under the sheet. Stretching and cranial sacral work can be done fully clothed.
Within five minutes I ask you to rate the pressure from one to ten. Six or seven, if you can still breathe easily, is the working zone. Eight or higher is too much, and I ease off. Firm is fine. Sharp is not.
When to check with a doctor first
Talk to your doctor before booking if any of these apply. They come from our booking policy, and the NIH lists the same ones:
- You have a fever or any infection right now.
- You had an injury or a surgery in the past few weeks.
- You take blood thinners or have a clotting disorder. Until you are cleared, we skip deep tissue and cupping.
- One leg is swollen and you do not know why, or a clot is possible. See a doctor the same day. A lymphatic session is not the answer.
- You are pregnant. We book prenatal sessions only, and we need your trimester and any complications.
- The area has an open wound, a burn, a rash or a skin infection.
A new or worsening problem needs a diagnosis, not a massage. Once you are cleared, share your doctor’s advice with us and the session is planned around it.
Book a massage in Fenton
Each session described here is available in 30, 60 or 90 minutes at 50 Fenton Plaza. We serve Ballwin, Arnold and Valley Park from our Fenton spa.
Members save $5 to $55 on services and 10% on retail skincare. Book online or call 1-636-492-2668.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to what people ask before booking a massage for pain.
Deep tissue or therapeutic, in a 60-minute session. Both work the muscles across your neck, shoulders and upper back at firm pressure. Expect soreness for 24 to 48 hours. If you take blood thinners, check with your doctor first.
For a tight low back that began a few weeks ago, therapeutic or deep tissue. For pain that has lasted months or years, medical massage, usually coordinated with your doctor or physical therapist. If it began after an injury in the last few weeks, see your doctor first.
Massage can ease the muscle tension that comes with them, but the evidence is mixed. Cranial sacral suits a headache with a tight jaw or poor sleep. Deep tissue limited to the neck and shoulders suits one that starts in tight shoulders. A new or worsening headache needs a doctor first.
Most people start weekly or every other week, then drop to monthly once the pain settles. After your first visit, your therapist can suggest a spacing.
Firm pressure is fine, and sharp pain is not. We ask you to rate pressure from one to ten, and the working zone is a six or seven you can breathe through. Say so if it climbs higher and we ease off at once.
Swedish, Raindrop and cranial sacral are the three to ask for. Each uses light pressure to settle your nervous system. Book late in the day if you can.
Say what hurts and what you want to do again without pain. Mention any surgery or injury in the last few weeks, blood thinners, pregnancy, and any rash or open skin in the area. Then tell us the pressure you like. We check it with a one-to-ten rating within five minutes.
Want every type explained on its own? Read our guide to the types of massage. Two other services sit close to this one: red light therapy for recovery days, and laser pain relief for pain that does not come from muscle.
More about Sarah Hankammer.
References
- NIH NCCIH: Massage Therapy, What You Need To Know
- NIH National Library of Medicine: 12-trial review of massage for neck and shoulder pain
- Missouri license lookup, Division of Professional Registration
Results differ from person to person, and this page is general information, not medical advice.