--- title: "Neck and Shoulder Massage in 45 Minutes: What to Expect" description: "A 45 minute session covers neck, shoulders and upper back: how the time is split, what to say about pressure, and why it is no substitute for a check-up." canonical: https://spa.thenexova.cloud/en/journal/neck-and-shoulder-massage-45-minutes lang: en last-updated: 2026-10-04 --- [Body massage](/en/journal#than) # Neck and Shoulder Massage in 45 Minutes: What to Expect > A 45 minute session covers neck, shoulders and upper back: how the time is split, what to say about pressure, and why it is no substitute for a check-up. Nguồn / Source: https://spa.thenexova.cloud/en/journal/neck-and-shoulder-massage-45-minutes A 45 minute session covers neck, shoulders and upper back: how the time is split, what to say about pressure, and why it is no substitute for a check-up. [Phạm Văn Tài](/en/therapists/pham-van-tai) · Body therapist · Published 2 Jul 2026 · Updated 4 Oct 2026 · 4 min read ![A man lying down with a grey towel over his eyes, a therapist's hands pressing along his oiled neck and nape](/_astro/j-s8-co-vai-gay.DY62sxM3_1FYcUu.jpg) A 45 minute neck and shoulder massage does one thing: it works on your neck, shoulders, upper back and arms, seated or lying, and it fits inside a lunch break. It costs 490,000 VND, 8% VAT included, no tip. It does not do a doctor’s job: if pain has lasted for days, your hands go numb, or it started after a fall, see a doctor first. I am Tài, a body massage therapist at Lụa Spa (lụa means silk), working Wednesday to Sunday. On weekday lunchtimes this is the session I do most, usually for people who sit at a screen all day. Here is where the 45 minutes go. ## How the 45 minutes are split This is how I split it when you have no preference. If your shoulders feel heavier than your neck, I move time to the shoulders. | Part | Minutes | What happens | | -------------- | ------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ | | Talk | 5 | Where it feels heavy, pressure, seated or lying, any area to avoid | | Neck | 10 | Both sides of the neck, the back of the neck, the hairline behind | | Shoulders | 12 | The tops of the shoulders and around the joints | | Upper back | 12 | Between and around the shoulder blades | | Arms and hands | 6 | Upper arms, forearms, palms | That adds up to 45, including the 5 minute talk. At Lụa Spa, minutes always mean time in the room with your therapist. **Seated or lying?** Your choice. Seated suits people who would rather not lie down in the middle of a working day. Lying face down lets me reach the upper back more easily and use massage oil. If you are going straight back into a meeting, say so and I keep oil away from your collar. ## What to say about pressure Our body massage starts at medium. Three phrases cover most of it: - “Shoulders more than neck” (or the other way round): I shift the time. - “Firmer” or “lighter”: any time you like. - “That hurts”: I stop on that spot and move to the next area. Clients who like firm pressure often ask for me, but firmer is not better. If you are holding your breath, it is too much. Hằng does this session too, light or firm; if you prefer a female therapist, choose Hằng (Monday to Saturday). Clients often say their shoulders feel lighter afterwards. That is what they tell us, not something we promise. ## Who it suits It suits people who sit a lot, have about an hour, and want the time on their neck and shoulders rather than the whole body. Tạ Minh Thư, a chief accountant in Phú Mỹ Hưng, works eight hours at a computer with a one-hour lunch break. She booked a 45 minute neck and shoulder massage (490,000 VND) with me on a Thursday at 12:30\. In her words: “I booked 12:30 and was back at my desk at 13:15.” An illustrative story for a demo site; figures are made up. For the whole body, choose the relaxing body massage: 60 minutes (690,000 VND) for back and legs, 90 minutes (890,000 VND) for everything. [Body massage in Ho Chi Minh City](/en/journal/body-massage-ho-chi-minh-city-which-one) compares the body sessions. ## What it does not do - It is not a substitute for a check-up. If your neck or shoulders have hurt for days, if your arms or fingers go numb, or if the pain began after a fall or a knock, see a doctor before booking a massage. - We do not diagnose why you feel stiff, tell you what you “have”, or prescribe anything. - If you feel numbness running down your arm, dizziness or anything unpleasant during the session, say so. I stop. - If you have an open wound around the neck or shoulders, or you are pregnant, tick the box when booking and the front desk will call before confirming. We do not take body massage during pregnancy. ## Pairing it with a hair wash Three ways, depending on your time: 1. **Herbal hair wash with shoulders, 60 minutes, 480,000 VND.** Chi does it: two herbal rinses, a scalp and neck massage, and 15 extra minutes on the shoulders. Not a dedicated shoulder massage, but head and shoulders in one hour. 2. **Two sessions back to back: neck and shoulders 45, then the herbal hair wash (gội đầu dưỡng sinh) 45.** 90 minutes, 490,000 plus 360,000 VND, so 850,000 VND. Book two slots in a row; from Thursday to Sunday both Chi and I are in. 3. **The Light Afternoon package (Gói Chiều Nhẹ), 150 minutes, 1,490,000 VND.** A 60 minute body massage (back, shoulders and legs, not the 45 minute neck session), a 45 minute herbal hair wash and a 45 minute face massage. Separately 1,640,000 VND, so 150,000 VND less. Packages of 135 minutes or more need a 30% deposit, here 447,000 VND, which comes off the bill. Details on the [Light Afternoon page](/en/treatments/packages/light-afternoon). ## How we do it at Lụa Spa - The 45 minutes include the 5 minute talk: where it feels heavy, pressure, seated or lying. - Hằng works Monday to Saturday, I work Wednesday to Sunday. Choose by name, by “male” or “female”, or “any”. - One person, a 45 minute session: no deposit. Book at least 3 hours and up to 45 days ahead. - Change or cancel free until 12 hours before. Up to 15 minutes late, the session still ends at the booked time unless no one is after you. - If your lunch break is fixed, book a few days ahead to get the time and the person you want. Steps, price and who does it are on the [neck and shoulder massage page](/en/treatments/body-massage/neck-shoulder-massage). My days are on [my profile](/en/therapists/pham-van-tai). When you have a time in mind, [book the 45 minute session](/en/book?buoi=co-vai-gay-45). _Updated 4 October 2026\. Prices include 8% VAT, no tip._ ## Book with Tài Body therapist. Off on Monday, Tuesday. [Pick a time](/en/book?nguoi=tai)[Or answer five questions](/en/treatment-finder) ## Sessions in this article - [45 min · 490,000 VNDNeck and shoulder massageSeated or lying, your choice.](/en/treatments/body-massage/neck-shoulder-massage) - [60 min · 480,000 VNDHerbal hair wash with shouldersAs the 45-minute wash, with 15 more minutes on the shoulders.](/en/treatments/herbal-hair-wash) - [150 min · 1,490,000 VNDLight Afternoon packageBody massage 60 min, herbal hair wash 45 min, face massage 45 min.](/en/treatments/packages/light-afternoon) The main article on this topic: [Body massage in Ho Chi Minh City: which type and how many minutes](/en/journal/body-massage-ho-chi-minh-city-which-one) ## Read next - [Body massageBreathe in Fours: A Four-Second Breathing ExerciseA way of breathing slowly on a four-second rhythm that therapists at Lụa Spa use at the start of a session. One minute, seated or lying. Not a treatment.](/en/journal/four-second-breathing) - [Body massageChoosing a Male or Female Massage Therapist: How to AskHow to pick a therapist by gender, pressure and working day when booking online or by phone. We never swap the person without calling you first.](/en/journal/choosing-a-male-or-female-therapist) - [Body massageHot stone, essential oil or relaxing: three 90 minute sessionsThe three 90 minute sessions at Lụa Spa differ in tools, scent and pressure. 890,000 to 990,000 VND. What to choose if you react to scents or are pregnant.](/en/journal/hot-stone-essential-oil-or-relaxing-massage)