Massage menus tend to list styles as though everyone already knows the difference between them. Most people do not, and reasonably so. The names describe traditions, not sensations, and what you actually want to know is simpler: what will this feel like, and will it help with the thing that is bothering me?
Here are three of the styles most often asked for at our Jaipur spa, described by feel.
Traditional Thai therapy
Thai massage is the least like what most people picture. There is no oil, you stay fully clothed in loose garments, and you are on a mat rather than a table. The therapist uses palms, thumbs, forearms and feet to apply pressure along lines of the body, and moves your limbs through a series of assisted stretches.
It is active rather than passive. You are moved, folded and lengthened. People often describe it as feeling like someone else did their stretching for them.
Choose it if: you feel stiff rather than sore. If sitting for long stretches has left you with hips and hamstrings that no longer want to move, this is usually the one.
Swedish massage
The style most people mean when they say massage. Warm oil, long gliding strokes, steady rhythm, moderate pressure that follows the shape of the muscle rather than digging into it.
It is not a light treatment, but it is a smooth one. The intent is circulation and calm rather than confrontation with a specific knot.
Choose it if: you are tired more than injured. If the honest answer to what hurts is nothing in particular, I am just worn out, this is the right place to start — and a good first massage for anyone unsure.
Deep tissue massage
Slower, firmer, and more specific. The therapist works into the deeper layers of muscle and the tissue around it, often spending several minutes on one area rather than covering the whole body evenly.
It should feel intense but never sharp. There is a useful distinction here: pressure that makes you breathe out is working; pressure that makes you hold your breath is too much. Say so when it happens.
Choose it if: you can point at the problem. A shoulder that has been tight since a particular week, a lower back that objects to long drives, a neck that has not been right since you changed desks.
If you still are not sure
Describe the problem instead of choosing a style. Tell the therapist where it hurts, when it started and what makes it worse, and let them recommend. That conversation takes two minutes and is more reliable than any menu.
It is also worth knowing that these three are not the whole picture. Aroma therapy, Balinese-inspired work, warm-oil Abhyanga, herbal potli and hot stone treatments all sit alongside them, and some suit particular needs better. The full range is on our therapies page.
A note on pressure
Firmer is not better. It is only better for certain problems. A common mistake is booking the deepest treatment available in the belief that it must be the most effective, then spending an hour braced against it. Tension held against pressure does not release; it just waits.
The most useful thing you can bring to any of these treatments is honesty about how it feels while it is happening.