How often should you actually get a remedial massage?

The unhelpful answer is "it depends". The helpful answer is that it depends on four things I can name: whether the problem is new, how long you've had it, what you keep doing to your body between sessions, and what you can genuinely afford. Here's the schedule I actually recommend to my own clients — including when I tell them to book less.

A new, acute problem: weekly at first

If something has just flared — a back that seized on the weekend, a shoulder that's suddenly wrong — the first phase is about calming the area down and restoring movement before it patterns in. That usually means weekly or fortnightly sessions for two to four visits. Each session should show measurable progress; if it doesn't, I'll say so and point you to a physio or GP rather than keep booking you in.

Chronic, long-standing tension: fortnightly, then stretch it out

Tension you've carried for years — the desk neck, the hip that's been cranky since 2019 — responds well to a fortnightly rhythm for the first six weeks, then monthly once the pattern starts to shift. Chronic tissue changes slowly. The mistake people make is one heroic session every six months, which feels great for three days and changes nothing.

Training hard: match the load

If you're mid-season, in a training block, or performing regularly, massage works best as part of the load cycle rather than a rescue service. Fortnightly sports or remedial massage keeps tissue quality ahead of the accumulation; many of my performers book weekly through intensives and show seasons. The one rule: leave 48 hours between deep work and competition or a big session.

Maintenance: every four to six weeks

For most people with normal desk-and-life load, a session every four to six weeks holds the line — tension gets addressed before it becomes pain, and small changes get caught early. This is also the cheapest schedule in the long run: maintenance sessions are easier work than rescue sessions.

What I'll actually tell you

After your first session I'll give you a straight recommendation — including "you don't need to see me again for six weeks" when that's true. A mobile practice runs on trust and word of mouth, not on booking you for sessions you don't need. And because I come to you, keeping the rhythm doesn't cost you a commute each time.