Most people booking a massage for the first time in a while do not really know which type fits their situation, and honestly, the names alone do not tell you much. Deep tissue, sports, and orthopedic massage all use firm pressure and all target sore muscles, but they are built around pretty different goals and different problems.
Picking the wrong one usually means leaving the session feeling worked on but not exactly fixed, which is the frustration that sends people looking for a different clinic in the first place. That is why finding professional massage therapy that actually matches your specific issue makes such a difference from the start.
A common assumption is that harder pressure automatically means better results, but pressure is only part of the equation. What matters is whether the therapist is targeting the structure causing your specific problem.
Someone with chronic lower back tension from years of desk work needs a different plan than someone recovering from a torn calf muscle three weeks into training again, even if both people ask for deep tissue by name.
This is why we spend time during intake figuring out what is going on before deciding which approach fits best. Sometimes the answer is a blend of two types in the same session, which is part of why deep relief integrates multiple modalities rather than locking you into one fixed protocol regardless of what your body needs.
Here is how the three types compare on what they target and who they are built for.
| Massage Type | Best For | How It Works |
|---|---|---|
| Deep Tissue (DR Hit The Spot™) | Chronic lower back pain, tension headaches, neck and shoulder tightness, referred pain patterns | A fixed 7-zone sequence from the base of the skull through the hips and glutes, using gliding strokes, muscle stripping, and trigger point work |
| Sports (often with Ashiatsu) | Athletes and active adults managing training load, overuse injuries, and recovery timelines | Concentrated work on the muscle groups under the most load from a specific activity, timed around training and race schedules |
| Orthopedic | A movement restriction, an old injury that never fully resolved, or postural compensation | Corrective, assessment-driven work targeting a specific joint or limitation rather than a fixed sequence |
Our deep tissue massage work is built around the DR Hit The Spot™ method, a protocol we developed that moves through seven specific zones of the body where tension and trigger points reliably form. Because the protocol is standardized, every therapist on our team applies the same sequence in the same order, so you are not depending on one specific person remembering what worked for you three sessions ago.
Sports massage is built for a different kind of body, specifically one that trains hard and needs to recover fast. We often bring in the Ashiatsu technique for this kind of work, which uses the therapist’s feet rather than hands to apply broad, sustained pressure across large muscle groups.
It allows for a depth that is genuinely hard to reach through hands alone, which matters for athletes who want to improve athletic performance while managing tightness that builds up over weeks of repeated training.
Not sure which type your body actually needs? Call us at (512) 529-0027, and we will help you figure it out before you book.
Orthopedic massage takes a more corrective approach than either deep tissue or sports massage. Instead of working broadly through fixed zones or concentrating on training load, it focuses on the specific joint or movement restriction causing your pain and works backward from there.
Hector and Candice on our team both specialize in this style, using techniques aimed at muscle origin and insertion points, fascia, and the joint mechanics tied to your specific limitation.
Rather than asking you to pick a massage type off a list before you even walk in, we use your intake conversation to steer the decision:
Many clients end up combining types over time as their needs shift, which is part of why having all these options under one roof, with therapists trained across multiple styles, makes it easier to adjust your plan without starting over somewhere new.
Deep tissue massage works through a fixed sequence of seven body zones to address chronic tension and trigger points, while sports massage concentrates on the muscle groups under the most load from a specific activity, such as a runner’s calves or a lifter’s shoulders.
Orthopedic massage is usually the better starting point for a movement restriction or old injury that has not resolved, since it works backward from the specific joint or limitation rather than following one fixed sequence.
Yes. Many clients shift between types as their needs change, and because all three are available at Deep Relief, we can adjust your plan without starting over with a new provider.
Yes. Every session at Deep Relief, regardless of massage type, uses the Perfect Pressure Number System so pressure stays calibrated to what your body can handle at each zone.
If you are not sure whether deep tissue, sports, or orthopedic massage fits what you are dealing with, Deep Relief is in Oak Hill, Austin, TX, and can help you figure it out at intake, before you commit to a session.
Book now or call us at (512) 529-0027. We are located at 7101 State Hwy 71, Suite A-1, Austin, TX 78735. Open Monday through Friday from 10 AM to 7 PM, and Saturday and Sunday from 10 AM to 6 PM.
