Traditional Thai, oil or deep tissue: which massage to choose

The short version

Traditional Thai is done without oil and with your clothes on, using pressure and stretching. Oil massage is done on the skin with long, gliding strokes. Deep tissue uses more pressure on tight areas. If you are stuck between two, ask yourself whether you want to be moved and stretched or would rather lie still.

Traditional Thai massage

This is Nuad Thai, the massage of traditional Thai medicine. UNESCO added it to its list of intangible cultural heritage in 2019. The therapist works with their hands, elbows, knees and feet.

What it feels like. Pressure on specific points, stretches and gentle rocking. It is an active massage: the therapist moves you into positions that look a lot like yoga. Time Out Barcelona put it this way: the person being massaged is “a kind of puppet moved by the masseur” (our translation).

What you wear. You stay dressed, in loose, comfortable clothes. Depending on the studio, it's on a mat on the floor or on a table; ask when you book if it matters. The studios on this list give you clothes to change into.

Who it suits. People who want to stretch, and people who would rather keep their clothes on and skip the oil.

Thai massage with oil

The oil goes on your skin, so you take off clothing from the areas being worked on. The strokes are longer and more continuous, closer to Western massage, which is built on flowing strokes rather than point pressure.

Purists will tell you that Thai massage does not use oil. Time Out Barcelona said so plainly: “a Thai massage is not done with oil” (our translation). The oil version is its own thing, and each studio does it a little differently. Read the service description or ask what it includes.

Who it suits. People who would rather lie still on a table and don't mind undressing.

Deep tissue massage

The most intense of the three. It uses sustained pressure and slow strokes to reach the deeper layers of muscle. People usually book it for knots and a stiff back.

What it feels like. Firm. Some soreness for a few days afterwards is normal. If it ever properly hurts, say so and the therapist can ease off.

What you wear. It depends on the studio, as some do it with oil and some in the traditional style. Ask when you book.

Who it suits. People who already know they like firm pressure and have one area they want worked on.

More on soreness in sore after a massage.

A Thai therapist doesn't guarantee a Thai technique

Time Out Barcelona summed it up in one line: just because the therapist is Thai does not mean the massage is (our translation). If you want the real traditional style, check the service description and ask whether it is oil-free with stretching.

Who should check with a doctor first

Cleveland Clinic advises checking with your doctor first if you have heart disease, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, diabetes or cancer.

For deep tissue massage, Healthline advises speaking to your doctor first if you have a history of blood clots or a clotting disorder, take blood thinners, have a bleeding disorder, or have cancer or are having cancer treatment.

Massage is generally low risk. The US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) reports rare serious side effects, mostly after vigorous massage such as deep tissue, or in people at higher risk such as older adults. On Thai massage specifically, Spain's health technology assessment agency (AETS, Instituto de Salud Carlos III) found in 2020 that there are few good-quality studies and no firm conclusions can be drawn about its safety.

If you want…

• If you want to stretch and be moved, pick traditional.
• If you'd rather not have oil or undress, pick traditional.
• If you'd rather lie still on a table, pick oil.
• If you have a knot and like firm pressure, pick deep tissue.
• If it's your first time and you're not sure, pick traditional or oil, and say when you book how firm you'd like it.