Does massage help headaches? It eases them, but in the two trials that tested it against a placebo, a switched-off ultrasound machine eased them just as much. What massage did change was how sore tender muscles were to press and how much people felt it had helped. Here are the trials, why the massage textbooks sound more confident, what is known for migraines, the signs that need a doctor, and what our Hội An spa offers.
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Does massage help headaches? It eases tension headaches, but not clearly more than a placebo. In the two trials that compared massage with a fake treatment, people's headaches eased as much after sessions with an ultrasound machine that was switched off as after the massage. What massage did change, in both trials, was how much pressure the tender muscles could take before they hurt, and in one of them how much people felt it had helped. For migraines there is one small trial against no treatment and nothing against a placebo. We are Nghê Prana, a riverside hotel and spa on the Thu Bồn at Cẩm Nam in Hội An, and we sell a back, neck and shoulder treatment. This page gives the trials, the textbooks that disagree with them, the signs that mean a doctor rather than a massage, and what we can and cannot do.
| Question | What the evidence says | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Does massage ease tension headaches? | Better than no treatment in small trials; in the two trials with a placebo, no better than the placebo | It helps about as much as a placebo did |
| Does it make tender muscles less sore? | In both placebo trials, pressure on tender muscles hurt less after massage and not after the placebo | Yes, measurably |
| Does it help migraines? | One trial of 47 people found fewer migraines than with no treatment; there is no placebo trial | Possible, unproven |
| Should I have a massage during a migraine? | A pathology textbook for therapists says many people with migraine avoid massage during an attack; the NHS says to lie down in a dark room | Wait until it has passed |
| Is a headache ever a reason not to have a massage? | Yes: with fever, confusion, numbness or a sudden, extremely painful start, the textbook says no massage and the NHS says call an ambulance | See the list below |
In one trial, 56 people with recurring tension headaches had either 12 sessions of trigger point massage to the neck and shoulders over six weeks, 12 sessions with an ultrasound machine that was switched off, or nothing while they waited. They kept a headache diary. Headaches became less frequent with the massage and with the switched-off machine, and the researchers found "no difference" between the two; neither changed how strong or how long the headaches were (Moraska and colleagues, 2015, Clinical Journal of Pain). Two things did differ. People who had the massage rated their headaches as more improved, and only after massage did pressure on the upper trapezius and the muscles under the base of the skull hurt less. The authors' own conclusion is that tension headache "is responsive to placebo", and that trials without a placebo group risk overestimating what the massage itself does.
A trial of Thai traditional massage came out the same way. 72 people with chronic tension headaches or migraines had nine sessions of Thai traditional massage or nine of a fake ultrasound over three weeks. Headache intensity fell in both groups, with no difference between them, while the pressure people could take on tender spots before it hurt rose only with the massage, and was still higher nine weeks later (Chatchawan and colleagues, 2014, Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine). A Vinmec page advised by Dr Bùi Xuân Lực of its Sao Phương Đông traditional medicine centre describes a small six-week trial from 2015, which matches this one, the same way in Vietnamese: both groups had fewer tension headaches, and "sự khác biệt giữa hai nhóm là không chắc chắn", the difference between the groups was uncertain (Vinmec, Bấm huyệt chữa đau đầu có hiệu quả không?, updated 22 July 2024).
The books our therapists learn from are confident. Ruth Werner's pathology textbook for massage therapists says tension headaches "often respond beautifully to massage" (A Massage Therapist's Guide to Pathology, 5th edition, p. 213). The Davies trigger point workbook, following Travell and Simons, calls trigger points the "unsuspected cause" of many headaches, whatever name they are given. Most trials agree with them as far as they go, because most trials compare massage with no treatment. A 2022 meta-analysis of 15 trials and 1,131 people found that soft tissue work beat no treatment for headache intensity and frequency, on evidence it rated low, and did not change how much the headaches disrupted daily life (Kamonseki and colleagues, Disability and Rehabilitation). A 2015 meta-analysis of five trials found hands-on therapy did better than medicines straight after treatment but no better at longer follow-up, and called for caution (Mesa-Jiménez and colleagues, Cephalalgia).
The placebo trials are the only ones that separate the hands from the hour lying down, the attention and the expectation, and when they did, the gap closed. So both sides are reporting real things. People do feel better after a massage, and tender muscles really do become less sore to press. What has not been shown is that the massage itself makes the headaches come less often. A 2006 review reached the same place earlier, finding "no rigorous evidence" that hands-on therapies help tension headaches and naming efficacy beyond placebo as the most urgent question (Fernández-de-las-Peñas and colleagues, Clinical Journal of Pain). The NHS lands in the practical middle: its tension headache page tells you to "try doing activities to help you relax like exercise, yoga and massage" (NHS, Tension headaches, reviewed 1 August 2025). It offers massage as a way to relax, not as a treatment.
Possibly, on thin evidence. In one trial, 47 people with migraines kept a 13-week diary; half had a weekly massage for six of those weeks. They had fewer migraines and slept better than the group without massage, during the massage weeks and the three weeks after (Lawler and Cameron, 2006, Annals of Behavioral Medicine). There was no placebo, so the attention and the hour of rest are not separated out. A review of the migraine trials found that massage, physiotherapy, relaxation and chiropractic manipulation might work about as well as two preventive medicines, propranolol and topiramate, but said the trials had "many methodological shortcomings" and that no firm conclusion was possible (Chaibi, Tuchin and Russell, 2011, Journal of Headache and Pain). The NHS migraine page lists acupuncture, relaxation techniques and cognitive behavioural therapy among the ways to prevent attacks, and does not mention massage (NHS, Migraine, reviewed 10 March 2026).
Timing matters more than technique. Werner writes that many people with migraine avoid massage "and other stimulus" during an attack, but might use it to reduce how often or how hard the attacks come when they are not in one (p. 213). The NHS advice during an attack is to try "sleeping or lying down in a darkened room". If you are prone to migraines, book a massage for a day when you do not have one.
Two of the headache trials tested Thai massage, and they point the same way as the rest. In the Thai placebo trial above, Thai massage eased headaches no more than the fake ultrasound did, though it made tender spots less sore to press. In a second trial, 60 people with chronic tension headaches had either 45 minutes of court-type Thai massage twice a week for four weeks or 25 mg of amitriptyline, a common preventive medicine, each night; the researchers report a larger fall in pain in the massage group (Damapong and colleagues, 2015, Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine). That trial had no placebo arm, and it tested court-type Thai massage, a named style. Our menu describes our Thai massage as stretch-based, "assisted, yoga-like movements", and does not call it court-type, so we cannot claim it is the treatment that trial tested. The full description is on our Thai massage page.
The one most often given is Hợp Cốc, in the web between the thumb and index finger (called LI4 in acupuncture). A Vinmec page on acupressure for headaches (updated 20 May 2026) says to press it for five minutes, moving the thumb in circles, "không ấn mạnh tới mức đau", not hard enough to hurt, then switch hands. The same hospital's other page is the honest one about it: research on acupressure for headaches "còn hạn chế", is still limited, and most studies used small samples without adequate controls. Both pages tell pregnant women to ask a doctor before trying acupressure, because some points are thought to set off contractions. Tender spots in the upper shoulder that send pain to the temple are a different idea, the trigger points described on our referred pain page.
Most headaches are harmless: the NHS says tension headaches "are not a sign of an underlying condition". But Werner is plain that "any headache that is accompanied by fever, confusion, numbness, or other CNS signs contraindicates massage, and may be a medical emergency" (p. 216), and the NHS gives the lists. In Vietnam, call 115 for an ambulance.
| On our menu | Per person | The menu's own words | For a headache |
|---|---|---|---|
| Special treatment for back, neck & shoulder | 60 min 490,000₫ (about US$19); 90 min 660,000₫ (about US$25) | "Focused work on the three places travel tension lives — ideal after a flight or a long day walking the Old Town." | The muscles the placebo trials worked on; the menu does not name the head or scalp, so ask |
| Thai traditional massage, with or without oil | 60 min 570,000₫ (about US$22); 90 min 770,000₫ (about US$30) | "Stretch-based massage in the Thai tradition — assisted, yoga-like movements that restore range and energy." | Stretch-based; the menu does not call it court-type, the style one trial tested |
| Relaxing full-body massage with oil | 60 min 450,000₫ (about US$17); 90 min 600,000₫ (about US$23) | "Our signature slow, flowing oil massage — medium pressure, head to toe, built for deep relaxation and better sleep." | The one that matches the NHS's "help you relax" |
| Head massage on its own | Not a separate item on our menu | None | Ask at booking whether the head and scalp can be included |
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Nothing on our menu is a medical treatment, and there is no doctor or physiotherapist on the premises. The trials let us say one thing with confidence: a massage aimed at the neck and upper shoulders makes the tender spots there less tender. Whether that means fewer headaches next week has not been shown. On the consultation form you choose the pressure, Gentle, Medium, Strong or Very strong, and write what to avoid; write "headache" or "migraine" there. If a migraine starts before your booking, message us on the number below rather than coming in with it. We have male and female therapists; ask at booking. The wider evidence on necks and backs is on massage for back and neck pain, and what the treatment covers is on our back, neck and shoulder page.
It eases them, about as much as a placebo did. In two trials with a fake ultrasound as the placebo (56 and 72 people), headaches eased in both groups with no difference between them, while only the massage made tender muscles less sore to press. Against no treatment, massage does better, on evidence rated low. The NHS lists massage among relaxing activities to try for tension headaches.
The trials worked on the back of the neck, the muscles under the base of the skull and the top of the shoulders, the upper trapezius. Werner's textbook and the Davies workbook both point to the same muscles, which can send pain to the temple. Pressing Hợp Cốc, between the thumb and index finger, is the most common acupressure advice, on what Vinmec calls limited research.
Sometimes, usually after firm work on the neck or after heat. Davies writes that trigger points irritated by overly firm work can stay irritated for two to three days (p. 48), and Werner lists headache among the signs of heat exhaustion (p. 288). What the books say is normal after a massage, and what is not, is on our page on feeling sore or headachy after a massage.
Usually not. Werner writes that many people with migraine avoid massage and other stimulation during an attack, and the NHS suggests lying down in a darkened room. The one migraine trial gave weekly massages between attacks. Book for a day without one.
Nghê Prana Riverside Hotel & Spa, Hẻm 384 Nguyễn Tri Phương, Cẩm Nam, Hội An, on the Thu Bồn, 3.2 km from the Old Town. The spa is open from 9:00 to 21:00 every day and takes visitors as well as hotel guests. Book on the online form, which leads straight to the consultation, or message WhatsApp or Zalo on +84 896 687 961 at least an hour ahead. Prices are per person, VAT is included and there is no service charge; treatments that start at 19:00 or later cost 20% more. At the 26,000₫ rate we use across the site, an hour of the back, neck and shoulder treatment at 490,000₫ is about US$19. Hotel guests get 15% off spa treatments; visitors get a fresh drink after the treatment. We pick visitors up for free within 5 km of the spa, which covers the Old Town and An Bàng beach: send a map pin to the same number and we reply within 15 minutes during spa hours. The ride is one way, to the spa. Booking as two? Treatments are priced per person, so two one-hour back, neck and shoulder treatments side by side are 980,000₫; the couple spa page shows the private room for two.
How we checked: on 14 November 2026 we read the PubMed and Europe PMC records of Moraska 2015 and Fernández-de-las-Peñas 2006 (Clinical Journal of Pain), Chatchawan 2014 (Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine), Damapong 2015 (Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine), Kamonseki 2022 (Disability and Rehabilitation), Mesa-Jiménez 2015 (Cephalalgia), Lawler and Cameron 2006 (Annals of Behavioral Medicine) and Chaibi 2011 (Journal of Headache and Pain); the NHS pages on headaches (reviewed 17 April 2024), tension headaches (reviewed 1 August 2025) and migraine (reviewed 10 March 2026); two Vinmec pages on acupressure for headaches (updated 22 July 2024 and 20 May 2026); Werner, A Massage Therapist's Guide to Pathology, 5th edition, pp. 213–216 and 288; and Davies and Davies, The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook, p. 48. NICE's headache guideline refused our request, so it is not cited. Prices are from our live spa menu as read on 14 November 2026. We are a hotel spa, not a clinic; nothing here is medical advice.
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