Your first massage in Berlin —
the things nobody writes down

By Tagan, masseur with ten years of practice5 min readUpdated 30 September 2026

Half the questions people bring to a first session are not about their back. They are about the rules: what stays on, what to say, how much to tip, what happens if I cancel. Answered here so you do not have to ask.

Before you arrive

Nothing to bring: towels, sheets and oil are here. No change of clothes needed, and you do not have to shower afterwards — very little oil stays on the skin. Come as you are; a normal work day before the appointment is fine.

The address is Joachim-Karnatz-Allee 21 in Berlin-Tiergarten, inside the PREGLA Medical Institute. I send the exact entrance and floor on WhatsApp with the confirmation, because it is worth knowing the first time.

What stays on

Underwear stays on. You never need to undress completely for any of the treatments. Only the region I am working on right now is uncovered, everything else stays under the sheet — that is not politeness, it is simply how the work is done. For back and neck, undressing from the waist up is enough.

How the hour runs

Two or three minutes of talking first: where it pulls, what your day looks like, anything recent — injuries, surgery, pregnancy. This is not a consultation and not a diagnosis; I do not diagnose and I do not treat. I need to know where not to press.

Then the work. Sixty minutes means sixty minutes of massage — the talk before and getting dressed after happen outside that hour. Talking during the session is allowed and so is silence; most people go quiet after ten minutes and that is fine.

Agreeing the pressure

Pressure is agreed at the start and adjusted while we go. A short «a bit less» is enough, it changes nothing about the rest of the hour, and it is not a complaint. The simplest test is your breathing: if you are holding your breath, the pressure is too high and I take it back.

Some tight areas are clearly noticeable. Nothing has to be endured — a massage you had to survive did not do more, it just did it worse.

Payment, tipping, cancelling

You pay after the session, on site. No deposit, no card on file. Tipping in Germany runs at about five to ten per cent for this kind of service — roughly 5 to 7 € on a 70 € hour — and many people simply round up. Nobody counts and nobody expects it: the listed price is the full price.

Cancelling is free at any time, and you do not owe an explanation. The earlier the message, the better the chance the slot goes to somebody else. Running fifteen minutes late does not extend the end of the session, because the next person arrives on time.

Frequent questions

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Wellness massage is not a medical service and does not replace medical advice. For anything acute, after surgery or during pregnancy, please speak to a doctor first and tell me before the appointment.