In Thailand you will often find traditional massage treatments lasting two hours or more, but there is only a little demand for two hour treatments in the London, and most therapists (including us at Thai Kosai) offer 30-90 minute treatments. (We do also offer a shorter foot massage treatment.)
The length of your massage depends on your particular situation and goals, and just like thinking about the frequency of your massage (see our blog post on that topic), it is worth considering whether 60 minutes (our most common service) is right for you. It doesn’t occur to many clients – but for example if you have several areas or aches and pains on which you would like your therapist to focus, then in order to give a balanced full-body treatment you might find a 90 minute massage is more suitable for you. Similarly, if you are time-constrained or you are a very regular visitor, maybe 30 or 45 minutes is all you need to get your ‘massage fix’.
In general, one hour is an appropriate length for a relaxing full body massage. It allows for a few minutes spent on each area of the body, but in 60 minutes it is unlikely we can address an area where you have specific pain and still perform a thorough full body massage. With clients who have a particular area of pain or discomfort (for example lower back or neck), in a 60 minute treatment we typically focus on that area and do as much of the rest of the body as time allows.
If you have an area that is painful or sore and requires extra attention AND you want a full body massage, 60 minutes is not really enough time to do both well. You could be left with soreness in your neck in an effort to save enough time to work on your entire body. In that case, a 90 minute massage may be more appropriate to meet your goals. Sometimes an extra 15 minutes is all that is needed to devote that extra time on painful areas and still to work on the entire body. At Thai Kosai, you can extend your massage by 15 or 30 minutes by letting your therapist know. (She will need to leave the room briefly to inform reception, but otherwise your massage can be seamlessly extended.)
And we would also point out that scheduling a 30 minute massage does not mean that your therapist will perform a full body extra massage fast. We find it virtually impossible to provide a full body massage in less than 45 minutes, and even that is pretty fast with little time for extra attention to tight areas.
In closing, we will just point out that in our experience no one has ever said they wished their massage was shorter!
