Massage for Anxiety: What the Research Shows and Where It Stops

Massage for anxiety may help you feel calmer for a while, but the evidence is small and mixed, and massage is not a treatment for an anxiety disorder. In generalized anxiety disorder, one trial found Swedish massage did better than a light-touch control; another found it did no better than resting in a relaxing room. If your anxiety does not go away, shows up in many situations or gets in the way of daily life, talk to a doctor first. A massage can sit beside that care, never in place of it.

What the Research Says About Massage for Anxiety

The two main trials are small and point in two directions, and both studied people with a diagnosed anxiety disorder, not a stressful week.

In a 2016 randomized trial at Emory University, 47 people with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) who were not on any treatment had either Swedish massage twice a week for six weeks or a light-touch control. Among the 40 people who could be evaluated, scores on the Hamilton anxiety scale fell by about 11.7 points with massage and 8.4 with light touch. The authors called it a proof-of-concept study, and the light-touch group improved too.

An earlier 2010 randomized trial of therapeutic massage for GAD gave 68 people 10 sessions over 12 weeks of massage, heat therapy or time in a relaxing room. All three groups improved and kept their gains at 26 weeks, with no difference between them. The researchers put it down to “some beneficial but generalized relaxation response.”

The US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) summarizes the wider evidence in its overview of massage therapy, and most of it comes from people living with another illness. A fibromyalgia review concluded that massage, “if continued for at least 5 weeks, improved pain, anxiety, and depression.” In cancer, a review found “some evidence that massage might help with pain and anxiety, but the quality of the evidence was very low.”

A fair reading: time lying still in a quiet room, with gentle touch and nothing asked of you, may ease anxious feelings for a while. Part of that calm may come from the rest itself.

Stress, Everyday Anxiety and an Anxiety Disorder Are Not the Same

Feeling anxious before a deadline is ordinary; an anxiety disorder is anxiety that stays. The US National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) draws that line on its anxiety disorders page: “Feeling anxious is a normal part of life,” but “anxiety disorders involve more than occasional worry or fear.”

For people with these disorders, NIMH says, “anxiety does not go away, is felt in many situations, and can get worse over time,” and the symptoms “can interfere with daily life and routine activities.” It lists generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder among the types.

After a tense week, gentle massage may help you wind down. Anxiety that follows you from week to week is a health matter, and even the GAD trials tested a course of sessions, not one visit. Our guide to sleep, stress and burnout in a hot city covers the everyday side of switching off.

What Kind of Massage Suits an Anxious Mind

Gentle, flowing and predictable is the safer first choice when you feel anxious; deep pressure is not the place to start. The descriptions below come from our own treatment pages and articles.

No study here compared styles for anxiety. The Emory trial used Swedish massage, and in the 2010 trial resting in a relaxing room did as well as massage. Wondering about scented oil? Our explainer on what aromatherapy oil does during a massage covers it.

How to Make a Session Calmer If You Feel Anxious

Take away the surprises and you take away a common source of worry. The requests here are ordinary ones a therapist expects.

1. Pick a quieter time. Our pages note that evenings and weekends are busiest, so a weekday daytime slot is likely to be calmer.
2. Arrive a little early, so you are not still catching your breath from traffic when it begins.
3. Say what you need before it starts: the pressure you want, any area to skip and whether you would like quiet. You do not owe a reason.
4. Start light. Ask for light to medium pressure on a first visit; you can ask for firmer at any point.
5. Say if lying face-down feels confining. Ask whether you can start face-up, or choose a head spa, which is done reclined. Keep your eyes open if closing them makes you uneasy.
6. Ask to be told before anything changes, such as “moving to your shoulders now,” so there is no surprise touch. First time? Our guide to what happens during a massage, from undressing to draping walks through the first five minutes.
7. Remember you can stop. Say stop at any point, for any reason, and a professional therapist stops.
8. Leave the hours after free, so you do not have to rush straight into a meeting.

When to Talk to a Doctor First

See a doctor if your anxiety does not go away, is felt in many situations, gets worse over time or gets in the way of daily life: those are the signs NIMH uses to separate an anxiety disorder from ordinary worry. Massage is not a substitute for mental-health care. NCCIH says it plainly: “Don’t use massage therapy to postpone seeing a health care provider about a medical problem.” A massage can still sit alongside that care.

If you or someone you know is in crisis or thinking about suicide, get help now. NIMH’s advice is written for the United States, where it lists the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and says “In life-threatening situations, call 911.” In Vietnam, the medical emergency number is 115.

NCCIH says “the risk of harmful effects from massage therapy appears to be low,” but notes rare serious side effects, some in people at increased risk of injury, such as elderly people. Ask a doctor first if that may apply to you.

Where a Spa Fits

A spa can give you a quiet, predictable stretch of time with gentle massage; it cannot treat anxiety, and the pages below do not claim to.

Our half-massage, half-head-spa ritual takes 90 minutes and costs 450,000 ₫: a 45-minute restorative massage and a 45-minute botanical head spa. Its page is clear about the purpose: “Its one aim is to help you unwind.” You set the pressure. It is not for pregnancy; the page points expectant guests to the Prenatal Pampering Retreat or Pregnancy Massage. It needs to start by 19:30.

For one long, unbroken stretch, the 100-minute retreat with oil massage, herbal head spa and pearl foot spa costs 500,000 ₫. Its page says “Pressure stays light to medium throughout, deliberately,” and lists stressed professionals and chronic stress among who it suits, while saying that if you want a specific problem addressed, another treatment is a better use of the money.

For a simpler visit, our Swedish-style relaxation massage with warm oil runs 60 to 90 minutes for 290,000–430,000 ₫, at light to medium pressure, “never deep.” Its page lists general stress and poor sleep among what it helps with, and points to Pregnancy Massage in pregnancy. It is the broad style the Emory trial tested. One visit is not a twice-weekly course, though, and we do not offer it as an anxiety treatment.

Compare all of our massage, head spa and facial retreat combos in District 1, or see our self-care day ideas for where a treatment fits in a day of rest.

Massage for Anxiety, in Short

Massage for anxiety is worth trying for comfort if you keep your expectations modest. Small trials in generalized anxiety disorder found improvement, though in one of them resting in a relaxing room did as well, and the wider evidence is mostly in people with other illnesses. Choose gentle massage over deep pressure and say what you need. If anxiety stays, spreads or gets in the way of your life, see a doctor.

Frequently Asked Questions About Massage for Anxiety

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