If you’ve been in practice for a while, chances are you’ve had more than one client request “deep tissue” — and chances are just as good that what they really wanted was something else. Maybe pressure. Maybe lasting relief. Maybe just to feel better than they did when they walked in.

But the term deep tissue means different things to different people — and it’s often used as a catch-all for “more intense” or “more therapeutic.” The problem is, deeper isn’t always better. And sometimes, going deeper into muscle tissue doesn’t touch the real source of pain at all.

That’s where fascia-focused work comes in.

What Most People Think Deep Tissue Means

Ask most clients what they think deep tissue is, and they’ll say “firm pressure” or “getting into the knots.” Some equate it with pain (the “hurts-so-good” kind), and others assume it’s more clinical or corrective than a Swedish massage.

In practice, deep tissue massage generally means working into the deeper layers of muscle, fascia, and connective tissue. The goal is to affect change — to release chronic tension, break up adhesions, and restore mobility.

And for the right person, it can be effective. But deep tissue work has limits, especially when it’s used as a one-size-fits-all fix for chronic pain.

Where Deep Tissue Falls Short

Here’s the thing: chronic pain often involves more than just tight muscles. By the time someone’s pain is persistent or has been “everywhere and nowhere” for months, the body has usually built up compensations and restrictions that live in the fascial system — not just the muscles.

And when fascia is restricted — when it’s thickened, stuck, or dehydrated — digging deeper into the muscle underneath often won’t do much. In fact, it can sometimes make things worse. The body braces. The nervous system pushes back. The area feels more irritated than before.

You worked deep. You worked thoroughly. And still… the pain lingers.

How Fascia-Focused Work is Different

Fascia-focused work isn’t about pressure — it’s about precision. It’s about slowing down, paying attention to how tissue moves (or doesn’t), and working layer by layer instead of just going in hard and fast.

Fascial techniques aim to:

• Restore glide between tissue layers
• Rehydrate and soften areas of restriction
• Release tension in lines and patterns, not just isolated spots
• Calm the nervous system rather than overload it

And most importantly, they help create lasting change — especially in clients who’ve already tried massage, PT, and everything else without much success.

Deep Tissue and Fascia Work Aren’t Opposites

This isn’t a debate about which approach is better. Deep tissue work absolutely has its place. In fact, in a well-rounded treatment plan, it’s often one tool among many.

What fascia-focused work does is offer a wider lens. It helps you understand why a “tight” area might not respond to deep work alone — and what to do instead. It helps you treat chronic pain more systemically, with fewer flare-ups and more lasting progress.

When the body is viewed as a network — not a sum of isolated parts — the results change.

The Tricomi Method: A Thoughtful Evolution

At Bodywork Masters, we teach fascia-focused bodywork because it fills in the gaps that traditional deep tissue often leaves behind.

The Tricomi Method was built specifically to address:

• Fascial restriction
• Movement dysfunction
• Pain that’s chronic, stubborn, or unexplained

We use a mix of tools and techniques — heat, cupping, gua sha, deep tissue, joint work, and stretching — to target the body in an integrated, fascia-first way. Not every session looks the same. That’s the point.

It’s not about pushing harder. It’s about working smarter, based on how the body actually works.

Why It Matters

For practitioners, learning to work with fascia is like switching on the lights in a room you’ve been treating in for years. Suddenly, things make more sense. Clients get better results. And your work becomes more effective, more intuitive, and more fulfilling.

If you’ve ever felt like deep tissue wasn’t enough — or like you were chasing the same symptoms without lasting change — fascia-focused work might be the missing piece you’ve been sensing all along.

Understanding fascia doesn’t mean abandoning what you know. It means expanding it. Deep tissue and fascial work aren’t in competition — they’re part of the same puzzle. The difference is in how you approach the body, and how clearly you see the system beneath the symptoms.

The more you learn to recognize and work with fascial patterns, the more connected your treatments become — and the more powerful your results can be.

Because at the end of the day, it’s not about working harder.

It’s about working with what the body really needs.