The Body Projects — Bodywork and massage | thebodyprojects.com
From the first glass of water to the next booking: what the 72 hours after a session look like.
Hour zero to one: drink 250-500 ml of water. This is the single most repeated aftercare instruction in massage, and the easiest to skip on the way back to a desk.
Hours 1-24: keep alcohol off the schedule for a full 24 hours. If the session involved deep tissue, soreness is now building toward its peak at 12-24 hours — this is normal, not a sign of damage.
Hours 24-72: the soreness curve turns down and resolves within 48-72 hours of the session. Gentle movement and foam rolling — 30-60 seconds per pass, 2-3 passes, once or twice daily — take the edge off the peak.
On narrow screens, swipe or scroll the plate sideways.
If soreness is still strong past 72 hours, treat that as information: the next session should be shorter, lighter, or both, and the change is worth mentioning at booking.
Rebooking follows fixed rhythms. Chronic tension is maintained with one 60-90 minute session every 2-4 weeks; acute issues run weekly for 3-4 sessions before reassessment.
Choosing what that next session should be is covered in Massage Types Compared, and the run-up to it in How to Prepare for a Massage.
Further reading