If you’re dealing with chronic pain, persistent tension, or recovering from an injury, the research suggests that more frequent sessions initially, tapering …
If you’re dealing with chronic pain, persistent tension, or recovering from an injury, the research suggests that more frequent sessions initially, tapering …
At Centred, we work with individuals seeking to reconnect with their body through massage therapy and bodywork.
How often should you get a massage?
This is one of the most common questions we’re asked, and it deserves an honest answer rather than a sales pitch.
The truthful response is: it depends on what you’re trying to achieve, what your body is telling you, and what you can realistically sustain. There’s no universal remedy, and anyone who gives you a definitive answer without knowing your situation is guessing.
What we can do is share what the research suggests, what we observe in practice, and some practical frameworks for thinking about frequency. Then you can make a decision that actually fits your life.
There’s no single answer to how often you should get a massage. Research suggests that for managing chronic pain or tension, two to three 60-minute sessions per week initially, tapering to weekly or fortnightly as symptoms improve, can be effective. For general well-being, a monthly massage is a reasonable maintenance baseline. For athletes and active people, aligning sports massage with your training cycles rather than following a fixed schedule tends to work best.
The right frequency depends on your goals, your body’s response, and what you can realistically sustain. This guide explores the research, practical considerations, and a framework for finding what works for you
Let’s start with the evidence, because it’s worth being clear about what we actually know.
A 2024 systematic review published in JAMA Network Open examined systematic reviews of massage therapy for pain from 2018 to 2023. The authors noted that while massage therapy has been the subject of hundreds of randomised controlled trials, there was “inconsistent reporting of details about the interventions (eg, frequency, duration, follow-up)” which made it “difficult to provide further synthesis of the data regarding the delivery of massage therapy for pain.”
In plain terms, researchers haven’t established a definitive optimal frequency because studies have used such different protocols that comparison is difficult.
That said, some specific studies offer useful insights.
One of the most rigorous investigations into massage frequency was the DREAM trial (Dose Response Evaluation and Analysis of Massage), published in the Annals of Family Medicine in 2014. This study specifically set out to determine the optimal dose of therapeutic massage for chronic neck pain.
The trial randomised 228 people with chronic neck pain to receive different “doses” of massage over four weeks: 30-minute sessions two or three times weekly, or 60-minute sessions one, two, or three times weekly. A control group received no massage.
The findings were clear: after four weeks of treatment, multiple 60-minute massages per week were more effective than fewer or shorter sessions for individuals with chronic neck pain.
The researchers concluded that “60 minutes of massage 2 to 3 times per week was significantly better than either 30 or 60 minutes of massage once per week.”
However, a follow-up study found that when participants who had improved continued with weekly sessions for another six weeks, they maintained their gains during treatment, but “the difference between groups was no longer significant after 14 weeks of follow-up.”
This suggests that more intensive treatment may help during an acute phase, but the benefits don’t necessarily compound indefinitely with ongoing frequent treatment.
How long do the effects of a single massage last? Research suggests it varies considerably.
A 2015 Cochrane review found evidence that massage may provide short-term relief from low-back pain, but noted that “the long-term effects of massage for low-back pain have not been established.”
For neck and shoulder pain, a 2013 review of 12 studies found that massage therapy was more helpful than inactive therapies, but “for shoulder pain, massage therapy had short-term benefits only.”
A systematic review and meta-analysis of massage for fibromyalgia concluded that “massage therapy, if continued for at least 5 weeks, improved pain, anxiety, and depression”.
The picture that emerges is that massage tends to provide meaningful short-term benefits, but sustained improvement generally requires ongoing treatment rather than a single session.
For active people, a 2018 meta-analysis published in Frontiers in Physiology found that sports massage appears to be the “most effective method” for reducing delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) compared with active recovery, cold therapy, and compression treatment.
A separate study in the Journal of Athletic Training reported that “massage was effective in alleviating DOMS by approximately 30 per cent.”
A larger 2020 meta-analysis in BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine concluded that sports massage therapy “improves flexibility and DOMS.”
The honest takeaway: massage won’t make you faster or stronger, but it may help you recover more comfortably and maintain flexibility, ideal if you’re looking for sports massage for athletes in Hull.
Rather than stipulating a frequency, let’s think about what you’re actually trying to achieve.
If you’re dealing with chronic pain, persistent tension, or recovering from an injury, the research suggests that more frequent sessions initially, tapering as symptoms improve, is likely the most effective approach.
Based on the DREAM trial findings for chronic neck pain, starting with two to three 60-minute sessions per week for four to six weeks, then reducing to weekly or fortnightly as symptoms allow, appears to offer a reasonable evidence-based approach.
A 2024 longitudinal study of neck pain in office workers found that twice-monthly massage sessions, maintained consistently over three years, resulted in significant pain reduction. Participants reported average pain levels dropping from 7 out of 10 at baseline to 2 out of 10 by the study’s end. Importantly, when a subset of participants stopped treatment for approximately four months, pain intensity increased again.
The implication: if you’re using massage to manage an ongoing condition, regular maintenance may be necessary to sustain benefits.
For people without a specific complaint who want to receive a massage as part of a general wellness routine, the research is less prescriptive.
A pilot study examining the cumulative effects of regular massage found that weekly sessions over five weeks produced different physiological effects compared to twice-weekly sessions. Weekly massage increased certain immune markers, while twice-weekly massage had more pronounced effects on stress-related hormones. Both frequencies appeared beneficial, just in different ways.
For general well-being, most massage therapy practitioners and researchers recommend monthly massage as a reasonable baseline for maintenance, with more frequent sessions during periods of high stress or physical demand.
Athletes and regularly active people often benefit from massage aligned with their training cycles rather than a fixed schedule.
During high-intensity training periods, weekly or fortnightly sessions can support recovery. During lower-intensity phases, monthly maintenance may be sufficient. Before events, a lighter massage a few days prior may help with preparation. After events, a recovery sports massage within 24 to 48 hours can help manage soreness.
The research supports using massage as a recovery tool, but doesn’t support the idea that more is always better. Listen to what your body is telling you about when treatment would be helpful.
Beyond the research, here’s what we actually see working for people at Centred.
People managing chronic tension or pain often start with weekly sessions for four to six weeks, then move to fortnightly, and eventually settle into a maintenance rhythm of every three to four weeks. Some return to weekly sessions during flare-ups.
Desk workers with moderate tension typically find that monthly sessions are enough to prevent significant build-up, especially when combined with movement and stretching between appointments.
Active people, athletes and recreational athletes often benefit from aligning massage with their training: more frequent during heavy training blocks, less frequent during rest periods.
People seeking stress relief vary widely. Some find monthly sessions sufficient. Others notice they feel better with fortnightly treatment. A few prefer to book as needed rather than on a schedule.
The common thread is responsiveness rather than rigidity. The people who get the most benefit tend to pay attention to how their body feels in the days and weeks after treatment, and adjust their frequency accordingly.
Regular massage has a cost, and there’s no point recommending a frequency you can’t sustain. A monthly massage maintained over a year will likely serve you better than two months of weekly sessions followed by nothing.
If budget is a consideration, there are options. Health cash plans such as Health Shield, Westfield Health, Simplyhealth, Medicash, BHSF, and Sovereign often cover massage therapy, making regular treatment more accessible. If you have workplace health benefits, it’s worth checking whether massage is included.
Be realistic about what you can fit into your life. If booking appointments feels like another source of stress, you’re working against the benefit of the treatment itself.
For most people, building massage into a regular schedule, even if infrequently, works better than sporadic booking when things get bad. Prevention tends to be easier than crisis management.
Pay attention to how you feel after treatment and in the days that follow. Some questions worth considering:
How long do the benefits last before tension starts to return? If relaxation and relief persist for three weeks before gradually diminishing, monthly sessions might be about right. If tension is back within a week, you might benefit from more frequent treatment initially.
Are there patterns? Do you notice increased tension at certain times: after particular work projects, during specific seasons, following certain activities? You might benefit from increasing frequency during those periods rather than maintaining a fixed schedule year-round.
Is there a point of diminishing returns? Some people notice that weekly sessions feel excessive, with little difference compared to fortnightly. Others genuinely feel better with weekly treatment. There’s no universal answer.
Rather than telling you how often to get a massage, here’s a framework for figuring it out yourself.
Start with your goal. Are you managing a specific issue, maintaining general wellbeing, supporting training, or something else? Different goals suggest different approaches.
Consider intensity. If you’re addressing something acute or chronic, more frequent sessions initially, tapering to maintenance, often works well. If you’re maintaining, less frequent but consistent treatment may be sufficient.
Build in review points. After four to six sessions, assess how you’re feeling. Has the frequency been right? Too much? Not enough? Adjust accordingly.
Be willing to change. Your needs aren’t static. What works during a stressful period at work might be different from what works during a quieter time. What helps during peak training might differ from what helps during off-season maintenance.
Prioritise sustainability. The best frequency is one you can realistically maintain. Consistency over time tends to matter more than intensity in any given period.
We’d rather you come for a massage at a frequency that genuinely serves you than push you toward more sessions than you need. That’s not noble; it’s practical. People who feel they’re getting value come back. People who feel oversold don’t.
If you’re unsure where to start, book a session, and we can discuss what might make sense for your specific situation. If monthly feels right, that’s fine. If you need more support initially and then want to taper, that’s fine too. If you want to come once, see how it goes, and decide from there, that’s also completely reasonable.
Your body, your goals, your schedule, your budget. We’re here to support whatever approach works for you.
For general well-being and maintenance, a monthly massage is often sufficient. Research shows that consistent, regular treatment tends to be more beneficial than sporadic intensive sessions. However, if you’re managing chronic pain, recovering from injury, or experiencing high levels of stress, you may benefit from more frequent sessions initially before settling into a monthly rhythm.
For chronic back pain, research suggests starting with more frequent sessions. A key study found that 60-minute massages two to three times per week were significantly more effective than less frequent treatment. Once symptoms improve, you can typically reduce the maintenance to weekly, then fortnightly, then monthly. A 2015 Cochrane review found evidence that massage provides short-term relief for low back pain, suggesting ongoing treatment may be needed to sustain benefits.
The DREAM trial, which specifically investigated massage “dosing” for chronic neck pain, found that multiple 60-minute sessions per week over four weeks produced better outcomes than fewer or shorter sessions. For ongoing management, a 2024 study found that twice-monthly sessions maintained consistently over time resulted in sustained pain reduction, but benefits diminished when treatment stopped.
From a safety perspective, there’s little evidence that frequent massage is harmful for most people. However, research doesn’t suggest that excessive frequency significantly increases benefits beyond a certain point. The key is finding a frequency that matches your needs and that you can sustain. More isn’t necessarily better; consistency over time tends to matter more than intensity in any given period.
This depends on training intensity and phase. During high-intensity training blocks, weekly or fortnightly sessions can support recovery. During lower-intensity phases, monthly maintenance may be sufficient. Research shows sports massage is effective at reducing delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) by approximately 30 per cent, but doesn’t directly improve performance. Align massage with your training cycle rather than following a rigid schedule.
Benefits vary depending on the type of massage, the issue being addressed, and individual factors. Research generally describes massage benefits as “short-term,” with effects on pain and tension typically lasting days to weeks rather than months. For chronic conditions, sustained improvement usually requires ongoing treatment rather than one-off sessions. Pay attention to how long relief lasts for you personally, as this can help guide your ideal frequency.
Not necessarily. For people managing chronic pain, high stress levels, or recovering from injury, a weekly massage can be appropriate and beneficial, particularly in the initial phase of treatment. The DREAM trial found that multiple sessions per week produced better outcomes for chronic neck pain. However, for general maintenance without specific issues, weekly sessions may be more than needed. The right frequency is the one that serves your goals without feeling excessive or unsustainable.
This depends on what you’re trying to achieve. If you’re addressing a specific issue, such as chronic pain or recovering from intense training, weekly sessions may be more effective initially. For general maintenance and stress management, fortnightly sessions often provide a good balance between benefit and sustainability. Many people start with weekly sessions during an acute phase, then move to fortnightly or monthly as their condition improves.
Signs that you might benefit from more frequent sessions include: tension returning quickly after treatment (within a few days rather than weeks), persistent pain that isn’t improving with your current schedule, high-stress periods at work or in life, and increased physical demands from training or activity. Conversely, if you feel little difference between weekly and fortnightly sessions, less frequent treatment may be sufficient.
Research suggests that regular massage can produce cumulative benefits. A pilot study found that weekly massage over five weeks produced sustained changes in immune markers and stress hormones. A longitudinal study of office workers found that twice-monthly massage maintained over three years resulted in significant, sustained pain reduction. However, when participants stopped treatment, pain levels increased again, suggesting that ongoing maintenance may be necessary to preserve benefits.
Cook, A.J., Wellman, R.D., Cherkin, D.C., Kahn, J.R. and Sherman, K.J. (2015) ‘Randomized clinical trial assessing whether additional massage treatments for chronic neck pain improve 12- and 26-week outcomes’, The Spine Journal, 15(10), pp. 2206–2215. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spinee.2015.06.049.
Davis, H.L., Alabed, S. and Chico, T.J.A. (2020) ‘Effect of sports massage on performance and recovery: a systematic review and meta-analysis’, BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, 6(1), e000614. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjsem-2019-000614.
Dupuy, O., Douzi, W., Theurot, D., Bosquet, L. and Dugué, B. (2018) ‘An evidence-based approach for choosing post-exercise recovery techniques to reduce markers of muscle damage, soreness, fatigue, and inflammation: a systematic review with meta-analysis’, Frontiers in Physiology, 9, 403. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2018.00403.
Furlan, A.D., Giraldo, M., Baskwill, A., Irvin, E. and Imamura, M. (2015) ‘Massage for low-back pain’, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2015(9), CD001929. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD001929.pub3.
Kong, L.J., Zhan, H.S., Cheng, Y.W., Yuan, W.A., Chen, B. and Fang, M. (2013) ‘Massage therapy for neck and shoulder pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis’, Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2013, 613279. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1155/2013/613279.
Li, Y.H., Wang, F.Y., Feng, C.Q., Yang, X.F. and Sun, Y.H. (2014) ‘Massage therapy for fibromyalgia: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials’, PLOS ONE, 9(2), e89304. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0089304.
Mak, S., Allen, J., Engel, J., Juhasz, K., Kondo, K., Shekelle, P. and Weinstein, S. (2024) ‘Use of massage therapy for pain, 2018–2023: a systematic review’, JAMA Network Open, 7(7), e2419027. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.19027.
Rapaport, M.H., Schettler, P.J., Larson, E.R., Carroll, D., Sharenko, M., Nettles, J. and Kinkead, B. (2016) ‘Acute Swedish massage monotherapy successfully remediates symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder: a proof-of-concept, randomized controlled study’, Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 77(7), pp. e883–e891. Available at: https://doi.org/10.4088/JCP.15m10151.
Sherman, K.J., Cook, A.J., Wellman, R.D., Hawkes, R.J., Kahn, J.R., Deyo, R.A. and Cherkin, D.C. (2014) ‘Five-week outcomes from a dosing trial of therapeutic massage for chronic neck pain’, Annals of Family Medicine, 12(2), pp. 112–120. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1370/afm.1602.
Skelly, A.C., Chou, R., Dettori, J.R., Turner, J.A., Friedly, J.L., Rundell, S.D., Fu, R., Brodt, E.D., Waber, N., Winter, C. and Ferguson, A.J.R. (2020) Noninvasive nonpharmacological treatment for chronic pain: a systematic review update. Comparative Effectiveness Review No. 227. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Available at: https://doi.org/10.23970/AHRQEPCCER227.
Zainuddin, Z., Newton, M., Sacco, P. and Nosaka, K. (2005) ‘Effects of massage on delayed-onset muscle soreness, swelling, and recovery of muscle function’, Journal of Athletic Training, 40(3), pp. 174–180. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1250256/.
Our integrated approach means you can address what you need, when you need it, through massage therapy, sports massage, deep tissue, and trauma-informed bodywork.
