Types of Massage: The Main Styles Explained

There are dozens of massage styles, but most belong to a few families: oil massages with long, flowing strokes; firm massages for tight muscles; pressure and stretching without oil; very light massage for fluid; and treatments built around heat or a tool. This guide explains the main types, what each one feels like and who it suits, with a table at the end to help you choose.

Oil massages for relaxation

These are the classic spa massages: you lie on a massage bed under a towel, and the therapist uses oil so the hands glide in long strokes. They suit a first massage and anyone who mainly wants to unwind.

Swedish massage

The most widely known massage in Europe and North America. It uses five basic strokes: long gliding strokes (effleurage), kneading (petrissage), friction, tapping (tapotement) and vibration. The pressure is light to medium. It took shape in Europe in the 19th century and is the base that many other styles build on.

Balinese massage

Bali's traditional full-body oil massage. It adds skin rolling, acupressure and gentle stretches to the long strokes, and the pressure can be light or firm. Our guide What Is Balinese Massage? explains it in detail.

Aromatherapy massage

A gentle oil massage in which the oil is mixed with essential oils chosen for their scent, such as lavender or eucalyptus. The massage itself is usually close to a Swedish massage.

Lomi lomi

A Hawaiian massage with long, continuous strokes made with the forearms as well as the hands, often flowing over several parts of the body at once.

Abhyanga

The warm oil massage of Ayurveda, India's traditional medicine. Generous amounts of warm herbal oil are worked over the whole body, often including the head.

Firm massages for tight muscles

These styles work more slowly and more firmly on muscles that stay tight, and they usually focus on a few areas instead of the whole body.

Deep tissue massage

Slow, firm strokes with the forearms, knuckles and thumbs reach the deeper layers of muscle. It suits long-standing tightness in the back, neck and shoulders, and it can feel intense. See our Swedish vs deep tissue massage guide for how the two compare, or our deep tissue massage.

Sports massage

A firm massage focused on the muscles you train or play with, often with stretching. It is used before an event, after one, or as part of training. We offer a sports massage for surfers, runners and active travellers.

Trigger point therapy

Steady pressure on small, tender knots in a muscle, held until the tenderness eases. It is often part of a deep tissue or sports massage.

Pressure and stretching, without oil

In these styles you usually stay dressed in loose clothing, and the work comes from pressing and, in some, stretching.

Thai massage

Firm pressure with the palms, thumbs and elbows, combined with assisted, yoga-like stretches, on a mat or firm mattress. Our guide What Is Thai Massage? covers its history and what happens in a session.

Shiatsu

A Japanese massage whose name means "finger pressure". The therapist presses points along the body with the fingers, thumbs and palms, with gentle stretches and no oil. We offer shiatsu massage from 30 minutes.

Tui na

A Chinese therapeutic massage, part of traditional Chinese medicine, that uses pushing, kneading and grasping through the clothes.

Reflexology

Thumb and finger pressure on points of the feet (and sometimes the hands) that reflexology links to other parts of the body. Our foot reflexology chart shows the map, and we offer foot reflexology sessions too.

Light massage

Lymphatic drainage massage

A slow, very light massage that moves the skin in the direction lymph flows. Many people use it for puffy legs and ankles, for example after a long flight. Our guide to lymphatic drainage massage explains how it works.

Pregnancy massage

A gentle massage adapted for pregnancy, usually given lying on your side with pillows for support. Many therapists prefer to start after the first trimester, and you should check with your doctor or midwife first.

Massages with heat or tools

Hot stone massage

Smooth, heated basalt stones are used as massage tools and placed on the body, and the warmth helps muscles relax. Read about its benefits and what to expect.

Cupping

Cups create suction on the skin, usually on the back and shoulders, and leave round marks that fade over days. Our cupping therapy guide explains the marks and the evidence.

Candle massage

A massage candle, often made from shea butter or soy wax, melts at a low temperature into a warm oil that is poured onto the skin and massaged in. We offer it as a warm candle massage.

Short and seated massages

• Head massage: the scalp, temples, neck and shoulders, often seated. The Indian version is known as champissage.

• Foot massage: the soles, ankles and lower legs, a good choice after a day of walking.

• Chair massage: a short, clothed massage of the back, neck and shoulders on a special chair, common at events and in offices.

Massage for two

A couples massage is not a technique but a setting: two people are massaged side by side in the same room, each by their own therapist, usually with the same style. Read more about our couples massage.

Which type of massage is best for you?

Before your first massage

Tell the therapist about injuries, pregnancy, medical conditions and the pressure you like, and say straight away if anything feels uncomfortable. Our guides on what to wear to a massage and how often to get one answer the other common questions.

In short

For relaxation, choose an oil massage such as Swedish or Balinese. For tight muscles, choose deep tissue or sports massage. For stretching without oil, choose Thai or shiatsu, and for puffy legs, lymphatic drainage. Most of these are on our massage menu in Seminyak.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most common type of massage?

Swedish massage is the most common in Europe and North America. In Bali, it is Balinese massage, which is similar but adds acupressure and skin rolling.

Which type of massage is the most relaxing?

Slow oil massages with light to medium pressure, such as Swedish, Balinese or aromatherapy massage. Hot stone massage adds warmth, which many people find even more relaxing.

Which massage is best for back pain?

For everyday tightness, a deep tissue massage or a firm Balinese massage. Massage can ease back pain for a while, but see a doctor if pain lasts more than a few weeks or comes with numbness or weakness.

What is the difference between deep tissue and sports massage?

Both are firm. Deep tissue massage works slowly on long-standing tightness wherever it is, while a sports massage focuses on the muscles you use for your sport, often with stretching.

Which massages are done without oil?

Thai massage, shiatsu, tui na, reflexology and chair massage. You usually stay dressed in loose clothing.

Which massage is best for a first-timer?

A Swedish or Balinese massage, because the pressure is easy to adjust and nothing happens that will surprise you.