Sports Massage in NYC. Deep Work on the Areas You Name First.
From $20060 minDowntime next day tenderness
Sports massage is targeted deep tissue work on the muscles you use most, with stretching and release techniques where they help. At Club 116 on Central Park South in NYC it is sixty minutes in a private room with a practitioner who has worked with athletes, planned around your training week rather than a spa menu. $200, and members tend to book it weekly.
Medically reviewed · September 2026
What a Sports and Recovery Massage Is, and What It Is Not.
A sports and recovery massage is a sixty minute deep tissue session focused on the muscle groups you train or strain, using firm pressure, stretching and release techniques to ease tightness and improve range of movement. It is a recovery tool, not a spa massage. At Club 116 in Manhattan it costs $200, members $160.
Muscles that are worked hard and then held still, at a desk or on a flight, shorten and knot. Sustained pressure on those tight bands, slow strokes along the length of the muscle, and moving the joint through its range while the pressure is held all persuade the muscle to let go. You leave looser, with better range, and usually with less stiffness the next morning than you would have had. What it does not do: it does not treat an injury. If something is sharply painful, swollen or gave way during training, that is a doctor's question first, and there is one down the corridor.
Who it is for
Runners, lifters and cyclists in a training block. People who sit for ten hours and train for one, which describes most of Midtown. Anyone carrying their week in the neck and shoulders. The week after a race or a heavy event, once the soreness has peaked.
Why do it here
The practitioners work with athletes and with post procedure patients, so they know how to go deep without going careless. You name the areas first and the hour goes there, not into a set routine. Private rooms, a doctor down the corridor if anything needs a second look, and a published price. The recovery IV, the sauna and the compression sleeves are on the same floor if you want to stack them in one visit.
Before, During and After.
A few questions about what hurts, what you train, and anything recent, from a procedure to a flight. You name the areas you want the time spent on. The session is shaped around the answers, and if something sounds like an injury rather than tightness, the practitioner says so before starting.
You are in a private room for the full hour with a practitioner who does the work. Deep does not have to mean painful: pressure and pace are yours to set, and saying so is not rude. Expect firm, slow work on the areas you named, with stretching and release where it helps, and lighter work elsewhere.
Looser, lighter and usually sleepier. Drink water and keep the evening easy. Some tenderness the next day, like the day after a hard session, is normal after deep work and fades within a day or two.
Looser the same day, and better range of movement over a few sessions. In a heavy training block, weekly makes sense. For maintenance, monthly. Members book it weekly and pair it with assisted stretching.
Read This Before You Book.
Downtime and aftercare
None beyond water and an easy evening. Occasional next day tenderness after deep work, which passes on its own. If you have a race or a big session in the next two or three days, tell the practitioner, because most people prefer lighter work that close to an event.
Not for you if
You have a fever or an active infection, a recent clot or deep vein thrombosis, uncontrolled blood pressure, a fracture or acute injury in the area, or you are in the first trimester of pregnancy. If you are recovering from a procedure, deep massage waits until the doctor clears it; lymphatic drainage is the one designed for that stage. If you plan to add the sauna, note that it is not used with certain heart conditions or implants; we ask.
Members
Members pay $160, 20% off list, and the first signature facial is included when you join. Members in training tend to book this weekly.
Individual results vary
Nothing on this page is a guarantee of an outcome or a substitute for the consultation. Suitability is confirmed by a clinician before anything is booked, and consent is taken in writing.
Sports Massage in NYC: Questions People Ask First.
How much does a sports massage cost in NYC?
At Club 116 on Central Park South a sixty minute sports and recovery massage is $200, and members pay $160. There is no consultation fee, no deposit to book, and no set routine: the hour goes where you ask.
How often should I get a sports massage?
Weekly in a heavy training block, monthly for maintenance, and as needed the week after a race. Most people avoid deep work in the two or three days before an event and book it in the days after instead. The practitioner will tell you what fits your calendar.
Is a sports massage supposed to hurt?
It should feel firm and purposeful, not painful. You set the pressure, and the practitioner checks in. Next day tenderness like post training soreness is normal. Sharp pain, numbness or bruising is not, and you should say so during the session, not after.
Can I have a sports massage after a procedure?
Not until the doctor clears it. Deep work on tissue that is still healing is a bad idea. In the weeks after a procedure, lymphatic drainage massage is the one designed for that stage, and sports massage comes later.
What is the difference between a sports massage and a deep tissue massage?
They overlap. Deep tissue is about the pressure. A sports massage uses that pressure, but is planned around what you train and adds stretching and release techniques for the specific muscles you load. If you do not train, it is still a deep, useful hour on a stiff neck and back.
Where is Club 116?
116 Central Park South, Suite 3, in Midtown Manhattan, three minutes from the N, Q, R and W at 57th Street. Open 8am to 8pm, Monday to Saturday, so it fits before the office or after it.
Often Booked Alongside.
Sports Massage in NYC, from $200
Sixty minutes of deep, specific work in a private room, on the areas you name first. The exact figure is in writing before anything starts.
No consultation fee·No deposit to book·Exact price in writing before anything starts