What a deep tissue massage is, and who books one
Deep tissue massage uses slow, firm pressure to reach the deeper layers of muscle and the connective tissue around it. The aim is to release tension that has built up over weeks or months, break down knots and tight bands, and get muscle moving properly again. It can be a full body treatment or focused on one area, most often the back, neck and shoulders.
Most people who book a deep tissue massage at our Bromley clinic are not athletes. They are office workers whose shoulders have crept up towards their ears, parents carrying children on one hip, tradespeople whose lower backs have been complaining for months, and gym goers who have added load faster than their tissue has adapted. The common thread is not sport. It is accumulated tension that has stopped resolving on its own.
Every appointment starts with a few questions and a look at how you move, because pressure applied to the wrong place is discomfort with no purpose. If what you describe sounds like something other than muscular tension, we will say so rather than work through it.
Deep tissue or sports massage: which do you need?
The two overlap, and the names matter less than the goal.
Deep tissue massage works broadly. It is the right choice when the whole back, neck and shoulders feel tight, when stress has left you permanently braced, or when you simply want the tension taken out of you.
Sports massage is targeted. It is the right choice when you have a specific problem: a calf that keeps going, a shoulder that will not lift, a knee that hurts at mile four.
If you are not sure which you want, book either and say so at the start. We will adjust. If both sound like more than you want, Swedish massage is the lighter option: full body, steady pressure, and nothing you have to brace against.
What deep tissue massage helps with
These are the things people most often come in with. Each links to how we treat it.
- Lower back pain, especially the kind that comes from sitting or lifting
- Neck pain and tension headaches from desk work and driving
- Shoulder pain and the stiffness that goes with it
- Hip pain and tight glutes, often from long periods in a car
- General stiffness, poor sleep caused by muscular tension, and recovery between training sessions
If your problem is a specific injury, something that happened on a particular day, the conditions we treat page is a better place to start.
What happens in a session
You will be asked what is bothering you, how long it has been going on, and what makes it better or worse. We watch how you move. Then you lie on the couch, usually face down to start, covered with a towel apart from the area being worked on.
The pressure builds gradually. We use long strokes to warm the tissue, deeper kneading to work into the muscle, and sustained pressure on the points that are holding tension. You should feel it, and some of it will be uncomfortable, but you should never be holding your breath or clenching. If you are, say so. Pressure the muscle guards against does nothing useful and you leave tighter than you arrived.
Depending on what we find, a session might also include cupping or medical acupuncture if muscle is holding on in a way that hands alone will not shift. We will tell you before doing either. You leave with a clear idea of what we found and what to do between appointments.
Prices
- 30 minutes, £45
- 45 minutes, £55
- 60 minutes, £65
- 90 minutes, £105
Times include consultation and changing. Combined with spinal manipulation, acupuncture or cupping, sessions start at £55. Everything is on the prices page.
Who you will see
All three of our therapists deliver deep tissue massage. Dharam Vyas is the clinic director and has run SMSM Therapy since 2017. Atlanta Robinson and Dwaine Henderson have both been with the clinic for several years, and many of the reviews below mention them by name. You can ask for a particular therapist when you book.