Free Massage SOAP Note Template (Copy, Paste, or Print)

Below are four blank massage therapy SOAP note templates: one general purpose version and three adapted for common session types. Copy them into whatever you use for records, or print the page and keep paper copies in the treatment room. There is no signup and nothing to download.

If you want guidance on filling them in rather than blank structure, the full writing guide covers each section in detail, and the worked examples show five completed notes.

General massage SOAP note template

This is the one to start with. It suits most sessions and you can cut the prompts you never use once you know your own habits.

General SOAP template

Date, duration, session type: Date. Length of session. Modality.
Subjective: Chief complaint and location. Pain rating out of ten, at rest and on movement. What makes it worse, what helps. Response to the previous session and how long relief lasted. Client goal for today. Anything new: injury, medication, illness, stress. A direct quote if they said something worth recording.
Objective: Postural observations. Palpation findings, naming specific muscles and the side. Range of motion, measured or estimated, before treatment. Techniques used, on which structures, at what pressure, for roughly how long. Areas avoided and why. Range of motion after treatment. Client response during the session.
Assessment: What the findings suggest, described without diagnosing. How the tissue responded to the work. Change from the start of the session. Comparison to previous visits if this is part of a series.
Plan: Recommended interval to next session. Home care, named specifically, with frequency and duration. Anything to reassess next time. Referral or advice to consult another provider if given.

Relaxation and maintenance template

For clients with no specific complaint who come in regularly. These notes are usually too short, which is a problem, because a maintenance client is exactly the person whose record needs to show that you kept checking rather than running on autopilot.

Relaxation and maintenance

Subjective: General state since last visit. Stress and sleep. Any new aches, even minor ones. Areas the client wants attention on today. Anything that changed: new job, new activity, injury, medication.
Objective: Areas of tension found on palpation, named specifically, even where the client did not report them. Techniques and pressure. Regions covered and time spread. Anything avoided.
Assessment: Overall tissue state compared to previous visits. Anything building up that is worth watching. Client response.
Plan: Interval. Any self care suggested. Anything to check at the next visit.

Therapeutic and injury template

For focused work on a specific complaint, and the version to use if a note might ever be read by a physician, an insurer, or a lawyer. It asks for more measurement than the others.

Therapeutic and injury

Subjective: Complaint, location, and how long it has been present. Onset: what happened and when. Pain rating at rest and on movement. Quality of the pain in the client's own words. Aggravating and relieving factors. Effect on daily activity, work, and sleep. Other treatment received. Response to the previous session. Goal for today.
Objective: Posture and gait observations. Palpation findings by muscle and side, including tissue quality and any taut bands or tender points. Range of motion measured before treatment. Any orthopaedic or functional screening within your scope. Techniques applied, to which structures, at what pressure, for how long. Areas avoided and the reason. Range of motion after treatment. Client response during and immediately after.
Assessment: Findings described in tissue terms rather than diagnostic ones. Link to the mechanism or activity the client reported. Response to treatment, described specifically. Measurable change within the session. Progress across the treatment series if applicable.
Plan: Recommended frequency and expected number of sessions to reassess. Home care with specifics. What you will measure next time. Any referral made or advised. Any red flags discussed with the client.

Prenatal template

Prenatal notes need positioning and clearance recorded, and those are the details most often missing. This template puts them where you cannot skip past them.

Prenatal

Subjective: Weeks of gestation. Confirmation that the pregnancy is progressing normally and any complications reported. Clearance from midwife or physician where required. Complaint and pain rating. Sleep and comfort. Response to the previous session. Goal for today.
Objective: Positioning used and all support and bolstering. Any repositioning during the session and when. Palpation findings by muscle and side. Techniques and pressure. Areas avoided, named explicitly. Comfort checks during the session and the client's responses. Any dizziness, discomfort, or adverse response, or confirmation that there was none.
Assessment: Findings in relation to the stage of pregnancy. Tolerance of positioning. Response to pressure and technique.
Plan: Recommended interval. Comfort and self care suggestions. Anything to adjust next session. Reminder to direct pregnancy related questions to her own provider.

Getting the most out of a template

A template is a prompt list, not a form to complete word for word. If a prompt does not apply to a session, leave it out rather than writing "not applicable" fifteen times. Padding makes notes harder to read, and the point is that someone can find the important detail quickly.

Two things worth building in from the start. Write the note the same day, ideally between clients, because detail fades faster than anyone expects. And keep any private working notes separate from the clinical record, since the record can be read by other people in situations you did not plan for.

On retention and storage, check your own state board or regulator rather than relying on a general figure. Requirements differ, and the period is usually counted from the last visit rather than the first.