Ten modalities. One question: what does your body need today?
Every service below is offered by independent, licensed professionals listed in the directory. We don’t deliver sessions we tell you plainly what each modality is, who it suits, and then hand you to the people near you who practise it.
01
Relaxation
Swedish massage
The classic full-body session and the right first appointment.
Long gliding strokes, kneading, and rhythmic tapping across the major muscle groups, working with oil or lotion at a pace set by your breathing rather than by a problem area.
It is the most widely trained modality in the country, which makes it the easiest to book well. If you have never had professional bodywork, start here and tell the therapist what you notice afterwards.
Pressure
Light to medium
Typical session
60 – 90 minutes
Best for
General stress, poor sleep, circulation, first-time clients
Good to know
Ask for firmer work at any point Swedish adapts easily.
02
Therapeutic
Deep tissue massage
Slower, heavier, aimed at the layer underneath.
Sustained pressure and cross-fibre strokes that reach the deeper muscle and fascia, holding on adhesions until the tissue releases instead of gliding over them.
Sessions often stay on two or three regions rather than covering the whole body. Expect a conversation about pressure at the start and some tenderness for a day afterwards.
Pressure
Firm to very firm
Typical session
60 – 90 minutes
Best for
Chronic tightness, desk-posture necks and shoulders, old injuries
Good to know
Not the same as simply "hard" pressure depth comes from pace.
03
Relaxation
Hot stone massage
Heat does half the work before hands do the rest.
Smooth basalt stones heated to a controlled temperature are placed along the spine and limbs, then used as an extension of the therapist’s hands to warm tissue and open it up.
The heat lets muscles let go faster than manual work alone, so a moderate pressure feels considerably deeper. Cool stones are sometimes alternated in to calm inflamed areas.
Pressure
Firm to very firm
Typical session
60 – 90 minutes
Best for
Chronic tightness, desk-posture necks and shoulders, old injuries
Good to know
Not the same as simply "hard" pressure depth comes from pace.
04
Therapeutic
Shiatsu massage
Pressure points and stretches, fully clothed.
A Japanese modality applying thumb, palm, and elbow pressure along energy channels, combined with passive joint rotation and stretching. Worked on a mat or a table, with no oil.
The rhythm is press-hold-release rather than continuous stroking, and you stay in loose clothing throughout. Many clients find it the least exposing way to try bodywork.
Pressure
Light to medium
Typical session
75 – 90 minutes
Best for
Cold-weather stiffness, tension that resists direct pressure
Good to know
Flag heat sensitivity, neuropathy, or pregnancy when booking.
05
Clinical
Lymphatic drainage massage
Feather-light, highly technical, and nothing like a deep session.
Very gentle rhythmic strokes that follow the lymphatic pathways to encourage fluid movement toward the nodes, applied in a specific sequence and direction.
The touch is lighter than most people expect pressure would collapse the vessels being worked. Frequently sought post-surgery or post-travel, and often requested as a short course rather than one visit.
Pressure
Very light
Typical session
45 – 75 minutes
Best for
Swelling, fluid retention, post-surgical recovery, sluggishness after flying
Good to know
Ask about specific MLD training and any clearance your surgeon requires.
06
Performance
Sports massage
Built around a training calendar, not a spa menu.
A combination of compression, friction, active-release, and assisted stretching directed at the muscle groups your sport actually loads timed as pre-event, post-event, or maintenance work.
Pre-event work is brisk and stimulating; post-event work is flushing and calming; maintenance sessions dig into the patterns that keep recurring. Say which one you need when you book.
Pressure
Medium to firm
Typical session
30 – 90 minutes
Best for
Runners, lifters, court and field athletes, repetitive-load injuries
Good to know
A 30-minute targeted session is often more useful than a long generic one.
07
Eastern
Reflexology
Detailed work on feet, hands, and ears.
Thumb-and-finger pressure applied to mapped points on the feet, hands, and ears, each associated with a region of the body, working through the map in a deliberate order.
You stay dressed apart from footwear, seated or reclined. Because it needs so little of the body exposed, it suits clients who cannot lie flat or undress for a table session.
Pressure
Medium, point-specific
Typical session
30 – 60 minutes
Best for
Tired feet, all-day standing work, clients with limited mobility
Good to know
A good add-on to a shorter table session rather than a replacement.
08
Specialist
Prenatal massage
Detailed work on feet, hands, and ears.
Side-lying with bolsters or a purpose-built cushion, focused on the low back, hips, legs, and shoulders that carry the load of pregnancy, with the pressure and areas adjusted by trimester.
Certain regions and techniques are deliberately avoided, and the therapist should ask about your trimester, blood pressure, and swelling before starting.
Pressure
Light to medium
Typical session
50 – 75 minutes
Best for
Pregnancy low-back and hip pain, sciatic discomfort, leg swelling
Good to know
Book only with providers who list prenatal certification, and check with your care provider first.
09
Traditional
Lomi Lomi massage
Continuous forearm work in long, flowing waves.
A traditional Hawaiian practice using the forearms as much as the hands in long, uninterrupted strokes that travel across the whole body rather than stopping at one region.
Two areas are often worked at once and the sequence rarely pauses, which makes the session feel more like continuous movement than a series of techniques.
Pressure
Medium
Typical session
75 – 90 minutes
Best for
Feeling scattered or over-stimulated, clients who dislike stop-start work
Good to know
Style varies widely between practitioners ask how they trained.
10
Eastern
Thai massage
Assisted stretching on a floor mat, clothes on.
The therapist uses hands, forearms, knees, and feet to apply compression along the body’s lines while moving you through a sequence of assisted yoga-like stretches.
It is active rather than passive you are being moved throughout and takes place on a firm mat with no oil. Expect to leave feeling looser through the hips and hamstrings.
Pressure
Medium to firm
Typical session
60 – 120 minutes
Best for
Restricted range of motion, tight hips and hamstrings, sedentary weeks
Good to know
Mention recent joint injuries or surgeries the stretches are substantial.
Not sure which to book
Start with the reason, not the name
I sit at a desk and my neck and shoulders never let go
Postural tightness needs sustained depth in a few specific places, not a full-body pass.
I train hard and something keeps flaring up
Work timed around your sessions, aimed at the loads your sport actually places on you.
I am stressed and simply need to stop for an hour
Rhythm and continuity matter more than pressure when the goal is downshifting.
I am pregnant and uncomfortable
Positioning and specific training are non-negotiable here the modality name matters.
I am swollen, recovering, or just off a long flight
Very light, sequenced work to move fluid, rather than anything deep.
I would rather stay fully clothed
Several modalities are done in loose clothing with no oil at all.
Before you book
Four things worth asking any provider
Which modalities do you practise most?
Most professionals list several but work in one or two daily. The one they do most is usually the one to book.
How much pressure do you typically work at?
Pressure preference is the single most common mismatch between client and therapist. Settle it before the table, not on it.
What does your intake cover?
A short conversation about injuries, medication, and goals at the start is a sign of a therapist working carefully rather than to a script.
Are you licensed in this state, and where?
Licensing is state by state. Providers listed here practise under their own license asking to see it is entirely normal.