Short answer: after, mostly. If you are deciding whether to book a massage before or after a workout, keep anything before a session short and light, and save firmer work for a day or more after a hard one, once the worst of the stiffness has passed. Never on a fresh injury, and never as a substitute for warming up.
That covers most of it. The detail is in what "before" and "after" actually mean for a lifter, a runner or someone fitting training around a desk job in Auckland, and in choosing the right kind of massage for the moment.
Before a workout: light, short, or not at all
A firm massage leaves muscles soft and a little sleepy, and your sense of where your limbs are can feel slightly off for a few hours. That is lovely on a Sunday afternoon. It is not what you want ten minutes before a heavy squat or a track session.
So if you do have massage before training, keep it light and brisk. The aim is to feel loose and awake, not melted. In practice, most people are better off booking the massage on a different day altogether and doing a proper warm-up before they train. A massage is not a warm-up; movement is.
The one exception is the day or two before an event, when a short, light session leaves some people feeling loose and settled. If you try it, keep it to 30 minutes, ask for light to medium pressure, and do not use race week to try a treatment you have never had before.
Before a race, the same logic applies over a longer stretch. If you are running the Auckland Marathon, held on Sunday 1 November in 2026, or any other big event, the final few days are for light work only. Our deep tissue and sport recovery notes give the full countdown, from the last sensible window for firm work to race week.
After a workout: when firmer work pays off
This is where massage earns its place in a training week. The real question is how long after.
- Same day, after a moderate session — fine, once you have cooled down, eaten something and had some water. Keep the pressure light to medium: Swedish or aromatherapy rather than deep tissue.
- Same day, after a very hard session — leave the deep work for later. Muscles that have just been hammered are already tender, and firm pressure now tends to feel worse rather than better.
- One to three days after a hard session — the sweet spot for deep tissue. The worst of the stiffness has eased, and the genuinely tight areas have made themselves known.
- Rest days — the easiest place in the week to put a massage. Nothing to recover for afterwards, nothing to be fresh for.
That one-to-three-day window lines up with the stiffness most people feel after hard or unfamiliar exercise, the kind that peaks a day or two later. Massage will not make it vanish, but many people find it eases the heavy, tight feeling and helps them move more freely for the next session.
Deep tissue, Swedish or Thai for recovery?
- Deep tissue / sport massage — slower, firmer pressure into the deeper layers of muscle and the fascia around them. Best for tightness that has been building over weeks of training, and for heavy blocks. Book it in the one-to-three-day window, not the night before a big session.
- Swedish massage — firm but flowing, full body, with sweet almond oil. Our menu pitches it at light-to-medium training, and it is the safer choice in the days before an event or after a moderate week. Sweet almond oil comes from a nut, so mention any nut allergy when you book.
- Traditional Thai massage — no oil, done clothed, with acupressure and assisted stretching. Choose it when the problem is stiffness and range, such as hips, hamstrings or a back that will not rotate, rather than soreness.
- Hot stone or herbal compress — for the end of a season or the week after a big event, rather than the middle of a block. Slower and built around heat, they come in 90 or 120 minutes only: $160 for 90 at St Heliers, $175 at the Viaduct.
Deep tissue, Swedish and Thai cost the same at each branch: $60 for 30 minutes, $105 for 60 and $145 for 90 at St Heliers, and $65, $115 and $165 at the Viaduct.
"We would rather see you two days after your long run than the night before it. The night before, the most useful thing we can do is keep it gentle."
Siri therapist team
Gym or running: where to focus
Tell your therapist what you trained and when. "Heavy legs on Tuesday, long run on Saturday" is one of the most useful sentences you can say before you lie down.
- Lifting — pressing and pulling days load the chest, upper back, neck and shoulders; leg days load the quads, glutes and lower back. A 45-minute back and shoulder massage, $85 at St Heliers or $95 at the Viaduct, is a tidy answer after a heavy upper-body block.
- Running — calves, hamstrings, hips and the soles of the feet take most of the load. A reflexology foot massage at the Viaduct or St Heliers works the legs and feet together and suits high-mileage weeks.
- Mixed training — book 90 minutes rather than 60, so your therapist can cover everything and still spend real time on the one area that is complaining.
Not on a fresh injury
Training soreness is broad and even: both calves, the whole front of the thigh. An injury feels different. It is sharp rather than achy, sits in one spot, often comes with swelling or bruising, or started at a specific moment you can name. That is not a massage problem.
Healthify, the New Zealand health information site, advises that massage in the first 72 hours after a strain or sprain should be avoided, because it may increase bleeding and swelling. Get a fresh injury checked by a GP or physiotherapist first, and once you are cleared, tell us about it when you book. Massage can then sit alongside your rehab rather than replacing it.
The same goes for anything bigger than sore muscles. If you have a heart condition or high blood pressure, or have had recent surgery, check with your GP before booking any massage, and tell your therapist when you book.
Water, food and the rest of the day
Come to a post-training massage fed and hydrated. Arriving straight from the gym, hungry and short on water, makes the massage less comfortable and the rest of the day harder work. Have a snack and a drink on the way.
Afterwards, keep the evening easy. The muscles you just had worked on do not want a second session that night, and a walk is better than a workout. Our guide to aftercare covers the next 48 hours, including which kinds of soreness are normal.
Massage before or after a workout: putting it in your week
- Saturday long run — massage on Monday or Tuesday.
- Three or four gym sessions a week — massage on a rest day, or the day after your heaviest session.
- A race this weekend — nothing firm. A short, light Swedish massage a day or two out at most, then save the deep tissue for after you finish.
- A heavy block with no event in sight — deep tissue every few weeks, in the gap after your hardest session.
- Training before work — book the massage for the evening, not the morning before you train.
Both branches are open seven days, 10.00am to 8.00pm, so an evening recovery session fits easily after work or training. New to massage altogether? Our straightforward first-timer's guide covers what to book and what to expect, and most of it applies to anyone.
Common questions
After, in most cases. Keep any massage before training light and short, and book firmer work such as deep tissue one to three days after a hard session.
Yes. The day after a hard session, or the day after that, is a good time for deep tissue. If you are still very sore, ask for medium pressure rather than firm.
Only a light one in the final few days. Save deep tissue for well before the event or for after it, and tell your therapist when your race is.
Not straight away. New Zealand health advice is to avoid massage in the first 72 hours after a strain or sprain. Have it checked by a GP or physiotherapist first.
