Should you book a 60 or 90 minute massage?

The treatment is usually the easy decision. The length is where people hesitate, because an hour sounds like plenty until you are on the table and the therapist has only just reached the part you came in for. Here is the plain version.

What a 60 minute massage covers

Sixty minutes is the session most people book, and for good reason. It is long enough to work properly through one region and its neighbours: a back, neck and shoulders, or hips and lower back, with a few minutes at the start to talk about what you are after and a proper unhurried finish. At $110 for most treatments on the menu it is also the length that makes regular massage realistic.

Where an hour runs short is when there are two separate complaints. Shoulders and calves are not neighbours, and asking for both in sixty minutes usually means neither gets the time it needed.

When a 90 minute massage is worth it

Ninety minutes is not simply more of the same. The difference is that the session stops being a triage: your therapist can work full-body and still spend real time on the area that brought you in, rather than choosing between the two. It suits a first visit where a lot has built up, a body carrying tension in more than one place, and anyone who finds it takes them half an hour just to switch off.

It is also the length that suits a relaxation massage with hot stones best, because the warmth does its work slowly and there is no sense in rushing it. Ninety minutes is $170 on remedial, relaxation, sports massage and deep tissue and trigger point work. Seventy-five minutes at $135 is the more common choice for firm, focused deep tissue work, because most people have had enough by then.

The shorter sessions, 30 and 45 minutes

Short sessions get overlooked and they should not. If the problem is one specific area, 30 minutes at $70 spent entirely on it is often better value than an hour spread across your whole back. It is a sensible way to fit a session into a lunch break, and a good way to try a treatment you are unsure about, which is worth knowing if it is your first massage.

Choosing between a 60 and 90 minute massage

The short version: book 60 if you have one thing to work on and a rhythm you want to keep, and 90 if you have two, or if it has been a long time. If you are unsure, book the hour. Your therapist will tell you honestly at the end whether the extra half hour would have been used well, and you can adjust next time. How often you come back matters more than any single session, which our notes on how often to get a massage go through.

Frequently asked questions

Is a 60 minute massage long enough?

For most people and most single complaints, yes. It gives enough time to work through one region properly without rushing the start or the finish.

What can a 90 minute massage cover that an hour cannot?

Full-body work plus focused time on a specific area, rather than one or the other. It also suits anyone who takes a while to settle, and it is the length that hot stone work sits best in.

Do all treatments have a 90 minute option?

Remedial, relaxation with hot stones, sports, and deep tissue and trigger point work all run to 90 minutes. Some of the more focused treatments are offered at 30, 45 and 60 minutes only.

Can I change the length when I get there?

The booking sets the time held for you, so it is best decided in advance. Mention it during the session and we can look at what suits next time.

Still choosing between treatments rather than lengths? The difference between remedial and relaxation massage settles that one, and every treatment, length and price is listed on the massage treatment menu. You can check availability online any time.