Massage with chronic pain and fibromyalgia: the advice to go deeper is exactly wrong
If you live with widespread, persistent pain, almost everything the massage industry says about pressure is wrong for you. Light, slow, predictable pressure from a therapist who checks in and adjusts is what tends to help.
This sits alongside your medical care. Massage does not treat fibromyalgia and we are not going to suggest otherwise. What we can offer is an hour built around your tolerance on the day rather than a fixed protocol.
Why "deeper" is the wrong instruction
Most massage advice assumes that pain means tight tissue and tight tissue wants force. When the nervous system is already amplifying ordinary sensation, force is more input, not less, and the session can leave you worse for two days.
What tends to work instead is light, slow and above all predictable: no sudden change of pressure, no new area without warning, and a therapist who says what she is about to do rather than surprising you with it. Predictability is not a nicety here; it is most of the treatment.
Tell us when you book, not when you arrive
Say it on the phone: chronic pain, fibromyalgia, or however you describe it. That is not a disclosure you owe anyone — it is the piece of information that lets us put you with the right therapist, at a time that is not rushed, with a plan that starts gentle.
Also say it if touch itself is uncomfortable on some days. Some people do better with the sheet left between hand and skin, or with only certain areas worked at all. None of that is unusual and none of it is a problem.
Start smaller than you think
A first session is for finding your tolerance, not for getting your money's worth. Sixty minutes, gentle, with areas kept to the ones you nominate is a better first appointment than ninety minutes of everything. The first-visit rate makes that a cheap experiment, which is the honest reason to mention it here.
If it goes well, the next one can be longer or firmer. If it does not, we have learned something at low cost and nobody has spent two days recovering from an hour.
Flare days
Cancel. Rebook. We would far rather move an appointment than have you talk yourself into keeping one on a bad day and pay for it afterwards. If a flare arrives mid-session, saying stop is a complete sentence and the therapist will not try to work through it.
Some people find a shorter, very light session helpful during a flare; others find any touch too much. Both are normal, and you are the one who knows which you are.
What we are not claiming
- That massage treats fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, arthritis or any diagnosed condition.
- That it releases toxins. It does not, and the phrase means nothing.
- That a course of sessions will reduce your symptoms by any amount.
- That we can tell you anything about your diagnosis or your medication.
What people with persistent pain do commonly report is a stretch of hours or days where things are quieter, and an hour of being looked after by someone who does not need them to explain the pain again. That is worth booking for on its own.
What to book
| Booking | Time | Price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| First massage with us | 60 min | 89 | Finding your tolerance, once per person |
| Gentle therapeutic massage | 60 min | 115 | The usual session |
| Longer gentle session | 90 min | 155 | Only once you know how you respond |
| Manual lymphatic drainage | 60 min | 135 | The lightest work on our menu |
Manual lymphatic drainage is worth knowing about here: it is feather-light and rhythmic by design rather than by adjustment, and some people who cannot tolerate ordinary massage find it manageable.
Receipts
Insurance receipts are issued in the name of the person treated, and for anyone managing an ongoing condition that is not a detail. Ask at the desk when you pay and bring your plan details; whether it is reimbursed is between you and your insurer, but the paperwork should never be the reason it is not.
Booking
Massage is arranged by phone rather than the online calendar. For this in particular that is an advantage: you get to describe how you actually are before anyone picks a treatment.
Where to find us
Downtown Montreal — 2365 rue Saint-Patrick, Unit A5
Laval — 1655 boulevard de l'Avenir
Saint-Léonard — 5045 rue Jean-Talon Est
West Island — 45 boulevard Brunswick, Dollard-des-Ormeaux
This page is general information and not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment plan. Massage therapists at New Age Spa are not physicians and do not diagnose, treat or manage fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, arthritis, neuropathic pain or any medical condition. Massage is intended to sit alongside medical care and does not replace it; do not change or stop any treatment or medication on the basis of this page. Consult your physician before booking if your pain is new, has changed in character, or has not been assessed, and tell your therapist about your diagnosis, medication including blood thinners, pregnancy, recent surgery, osteoporosis and any area of altered or heightened skin sensation, as these change what is appropriate. Post-treatment soreness can occur, which is why a shorter, gentler first session is recommended. Prices are current as of 3 September 2026, are in Canadian dollars per massage and before tax, and can change; massage therapy is a taxable supply in Québec. The first-visit rate applies once per person. Massage is arranged by telephone and is not available through online booking. Insurance receipts are issued in the name of the person treated; reimbursement is a matter between you and your insurer. Individual results vary and no outcome is guaranteed.
