I Do Swedish and Deep Tissue the Same Way
I have a confession: I do “Swedish” and “deep tissue” sessions the same way. I know—gasp! I see you all looking at each other with side-eyes and raised eyebrows. “Blasphemy! Off with his head!” But I’m not going to recant, so hear me out.
Every Client Wants the Same Thing
When I say I do it the same way, I don’t mean that every session feels identical. I mean that I let the client's nervous system, not the category, determine what we do. There isn't any objective quality—pressure, technique, or body part—that reliably separates a “Swedish” session from a “deep tissue” one. And that’s because underneath the labels, all clients who request one of these two menu options—and yes, there are other options—actually want the same thing: a Goldilocks balance of soothing touch and “good pain”.
As I’ve written previously, I think “deep tissue” is best defined as a session that includes “good pain,” which emerges from the activation of A-delta fibers and the inhibition of C fibers. I’ve also written about how the soothing experience of an effleurage stroke emerges from activation of C-tactile fibers. Almost every client wants some of both—some A-delta “good pain” and some C-tactile soothing. This is obvious to most LMTs, but the “deep tissue” label obscures the fact that all quality massages blend these inputs, and that the real art is attunement, not a predetermined “style”.
What Clients Are Really Asking For
So if everyone wants the same thing—a balance of C-tactile and A-delta input—why do clients ask for one or the other (besides the fact that we force them to)? The confusion comes from the fact that when clients request Swedish or “deep tissue” they're not describing what they actually want. They're using a label to approximate what they're hoping to get or avoid. This breaks down to four motivations:
Clients asking for deep tissue are focused on one or both of the following:
#1: Getting specific, relieving “good pain” (A-delta activation)
#2: Avoiding vague, ineffective touch (lack of A-delta)
Clients asking for Swedish are focused on one or both of the following:
#3: Getting soothing, calming touch (C-tactile input)
#4: Avoiding bracing pain (too much A-delta)
None of these motivations exclude another. Someone asking for deep tissue because they want “good pain” can also want soothing touch, and vice-versa. In fact, most clients have most of these motivations simultaneously.
This is why two clients making opposing requests can actually want the exact same session—because the labels aren't informative enough on their own.
And this is also why we've all had clients who say they want deep pressure (#1 and/or #2) but when asked if they want to “upgrade” from Swedish to deep tissue will say “oh no, definitely not deep tissue!” because they’re avoiding the category that they’ve unfortunately learned to associate with bracing pain (#4).
The labels simply do not map onto what clients actually want. Everyone wants a session that uses effective listening and attuned responding to provide the right touch with the right timing—avoiding bracing pain while offering an optimal balance of C-tactile soothing and A-delta good pain.
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Do You Like Your Massages Loud?
Music offers us another way to understand the issue. Both music and massage unfold across time, with modulations in rhythm, pitch, and intensity. We appreciate the value of all these musical elements and how they interact, so imagine how bizarre it would be to describe your favorite music on the basis of volume (intensity) alone. That’s the truly silly thing we're doing when we treat “deep tissue” as a useful label.
Intensity, like volume, is just one dimension among many. It cannot stand in for the content, meaning, pacing, or artistry of the whole experience that emerges from deep listening and attunement with the client.
It can still be helpful to ask a client whether they’re leaning towards something more soothing or more on the “good pain” side. This provides a starting point. But defining an entire massage by intensity alone is like trying to choose music based only on volume.
Music doesn’t work that way. Touch doesn’t either.
So What Should We Do Instead?
We should treat “deep tissue” as a moment, not a modality. It’s one dynamic—one color, one shift in the score—that the nervous system might appreciate under the right conditions. The work itself is not about intensity; it’s about relationship. It’s about listening closely enough that the choice of when to soothe and when to apply good pain evolve in real time rather than being predetermined by a label.
When we stop defining a massage by how “deep” it is, we can finally describe it by what it actually is: attuned contact with a human nervous system that is constantly adjusting, responding, and telling us what it needs next.
That's not a style. That’s professional practice.
Author
Dr. Mark Olson holds an M.A. in Education and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Illinois, specializing in cognitive and behavioral neuropsychology and neuroanatomy. His research examined memory, attention, eye movements, and aesthetic preferences. He is a NARM® practitioner, aquatic therapist, former director of the Pacific Center for Awareness and Bodywork, and a published author on chronic pain and trauma-informed care. He teaches courses at Dr-Olson.com that bring neuroscience and relational skill-building together to help people understand themselves—and each other—with more clarity and compassion.
