Sports massage for runners in Montreal: timing it wrong is how you arrive at the start line sore
Sports massage here is built around training rather than around relaxation: assisted stretching, compression and focused work on the muscle groups your sport actually loads.
The single most useful thing on this page is not what it does. It is when to book it. A firm session two days before a race is how runners end up on the start line stiffer than they went in.
When to book it, relative to the race
- Anything firm: five to seven days out, minimum. That gives you time to run through any post-massage soreness before it matters.
- The 48 hours before: light and mobilising only, and only if you have had a pre-event massage before. Race week is a bad week to discover how your body responds to something new.
- Never on race morning unless it is a routine you have already tested in training.
- After: wait a day or two. Deep work on legs that are already inflamed from an all-out effort adds to the load. Gentle, yes; firm, later.
The rule underneath all of that: nothing new in race week. Not shoes, not gels, not a massage style you have not had before.
What we work on runners
Calves and soleus, hamstrings, glutes, hip flexors and quads, and the feet, which almost nobody books for and almost every runner needs. Tell your therapist your weekly mileage, what you are training for, and any niggle you have been quietly managing — the session is built around those rather than around a fixed routine.
If you have one leg that always tightens and the other never does, say that too. Asymmetry is information.
What sports massage does not do
- It does not flush lactic acid. Lactate clears on its own within roughly an hour of finishing. Anyone still selling that line is selling a story from the 1980s.
- It does not prevent injury. Training load, sleep and progression do that. Massage can make a training block feel more sustainable, which is not the same claim.
- It does not break up scar tissue or lengthen a muscle permanently.
- It does not diagnose anything. We are not physiotherapists or sports-medicine physicians.
What it does do is leave you feeling looser and moving more freely, ease post-exercise tightness, and give you an hour of attention on the parts of you that are absorbing every kilometre. That is a good enough product without the myths.
Get it looked at instead if
Massage is the wrong first stop for an actual injury. See a physiotherapist or a sports-medicine physician if you have pain that is sharp rather than achy, pain that is worse while running rather than after, pain that has already changed your gait or stopped you training, or — particularly — pinpoint pain on a bone that worsens with impact. That last one can be a stress fracture, and it should not be massaged while you find out.
What to book
| Booking | Time | Price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sports massage, legs focus | 60 min | 115 | The standard maintenance session |
| Sports massage, full lower body and back | 90 min | 155 | Marathon blocks, heavy weeks |
| First massage with us | 60 min | 89 | First visit, once per person |
| 30-minute add-on | +30 min | +65 | Adding feet or back to a 60 |
For a marathon build, most runners get more out of one session every two to three weeks through the block than out of a single one before the race. Insurance receipts are issued in the name of the person treated, which matters if you have extended health coverage.
Booking
Massage is arranged by phone rather than the online calendar. Say what you are training for and when the race is — that determines the pressure as much as your preference does.
What we will not do
- Give you a firm sports massage two days before your race because you asked for one.
- Claim to flush lactic acid, prevent injury or break up scar tissue.
- Work over a suspected stress fracture or an undiagnosed sharp pain.
- Diagnose a running injury. That belongs with a physiotherapist or a physician.
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 physiotherapists or physicians and do not diagnose, treat or rehabilitate running injuries, stress fractures, tendinopathy or any medical condition. Massage does not prevent injury, clear lactic acid or break down scar tissue. Consult a physiotherapist or sports-medicine physician for pain that is sharp rather than achy, worse during running than after, has altered your gait or stopped you training, or for pinpoint pain over a bone that worsens with impact; do not have such areas massaged before they are assessed. Post-treatment soreness can occur, which is why firm work is not recommended within five to seven days of an event. Tell your therapist about injuries, medication including blood thinners, pregnancy or any diagnosed condition, as these change what is appropriate. 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. 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.
