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MRT Express Massage · Harker Heights, TX
Express Massage in Harker Heights — Muscle Relief Therapy
Ten or twenty minutes of targeted muscle work, from $20. You keep your clothes on, there’s no appointment, no oil, no spa music, and no upsell into a package. It’s for the specific tight spot you came in about — and it’s the thing most people add to an adjustment because the muscles around a stiff joint are half the problem.
- $39 every visit + family add-on discounts
- Same-day visits available
- No insurance, no contracts
- Every age, Infants to grandparents
- No appointment needed after visit #1
5-star Google Rating
Real reviews, from real people.
★★★★★
"Best chiropractor in the area💕 and Katya give the best massages 💆♀️ you won’t regret stopping by!!"
★★★★★
"Dr. Hanses is amazing. I moved to texas and went through two other chiropractors before finding Express, I cannot emphasize enough how great he is at what he does! He’s extremely knowledgeable and understanding of your comfort level during adjustments."
★★★★★
"Dr. Hanses is amazing, he has adjusted me through two pregnancies and adjusted my newborn as well. He’s knowledgeable helpful. Thank you Dr. Hanses!"
★★★★★
"Snap Crackle and a few Pops. Dr Mark is the best around. I've been to about 15 Chiropractors in my 20 plus years in the Army and he is by far the best. Only person I have felt comfortable with my neck. Stop on by and check them out."
★★★★★
"Dr. Hansas is amazing and keeps me straight. He has the most professional chiropractic center I have ever been to. His no appointment policy is fantastic, show up and get in with very little wait time."
★★★★★
"Love, love, love the whole staff. The Dr is amazing. My whole family sees him. I have been to chiropractors all over and he’s definitely one of the best! Great pricing also!"
Katya Martinez, LMT
Licensed Massage Therapist
“Massage is about more than simply working on muscles. It’s about listening to each patient, understanding what their body needs, and creating a treatment that feels personal to them.”
- Certified in Prenatal Massage.
- Texas Licensed
- Licensed Massage Therapist
Meet your provider
Care from Katya Martinez, LMT
Nearly five years of caring for patients here at Elevate Chiropractic and proudly serving as the first and only massage therapist at the practice.
Katya believes massage is about more than simply working on muscles. It’s about listening to each patient, understanding what their body needs, and creating a treatment that feels personal to them.
Whether it’s helping someone manage tension, sport recovery, supporting a mom-to-be through pregnancy, or simply giving someone an opportunity to slow down and reset, Katya takes pride in making every patient feel comfortable and cared for.
After nearly five years at Elevate, the relationships she has built with her patients are one of the most rewarding parts of what she does.Her goal is simple: to help every patient leave feeling a little better than when they walked in.
Come meet Katya and experience personalized massage therapy at Elevate Chiropractic.
What is MRT express massage?
MRT — Muscle Relief Therapy — is Elevate Chiropractic’s name for a short, targeted massage session focused on one or two tight areas rather than a full-body treatment. It runs 10 minutes for $20 or 20 minutes for $30, you stay fully clothed, and no appointment is needed. At Elevate Chiropractic in Harker Heights, TX, 10 minutes of MRT is also included in the $39 first visit.
Worth twenty minutes?
When express massage is the right call
This is a short, targeted service, not a spa treatment. These are the situations it actually suits.
One specific knot
Between the shoulder blades, up the side of the neck, or the top of one shoulder. You know exactly where it is and you can't reach it.
You've got twenty minutes, not ninety
Lunch break, between school runs, before a shift. A full massage appointment isn't happening this week.
The muscles around a stiff joint
You're already in for an adjustment, and the surrounding tissue is guarding hard.
Desk shoulders by 3pm
Same pattern, every day, always the same two spots.
After a heavy training block
Or a long ruck, or a weekend of yard work. Sore, not injured.
You don't want to undress for a massage
Which is a completely reasonable position, and the reason this format exists.
You want to try it before committing money
$20 for ten minutes is a low-risk way to find out whether soft-tissue work helps you at all.
You're already on a plan
Both monthly plans include 30% off massage, which is where this gets genuinely cheap.
If the joint is the problem rather than the muscle, the adjustment is the appointment → adult chiropractic. If you want a posture and ergonomics plan rather than symptom relief → wellness care. If you have a specific complaint, start with it → conditions we see.
Massage may help with muscular tightness and short-term discomfort. It is not a treatment for a medical condition, and if what you have needs a different provider, we’ll tell you rather than sell you a session.
What it does, honestly
What ten minutes of muscle work is actually for
Let’s be upfront, because it’s a $20 add-on and it doesn’t need overselling: the evidence that massage treats back pain is weak. The Cochrane review on the subject concluded, in the reviewers’ own words, “We have very little confidence that massage is an effective treatment for LBP.”[1] We’d rather you read that here than find it later.
So why offer it, and why do most people add it on?
Because guarding is a real part of what hurts
When a joint isn’t moving well, the muscles crossing it tighten protectively. That guarding is uncomfortable in its own right, it restricts movement further, and it’s frequently the sensation people actually describe as their pain — the burning band across a shoulder, the seized strip alongside the spine. Working on that tissue directly addresses that specific experience.
The analogy worth keeping: if a door is sticking on its hinge, the hinge is the problem — but the door frame has been taking the strain and it’s the frame you keep catching your hand on. Fixing the hinge is the adjustment. The frame is what ten minutes of muscle work is for. Neither one makes the other unnecessary.
Because short-term relief has value even when it isn’t treatment
Feeling looser for a day or two isn’t a cure and we’re not going to describe it as one. It is still worth $20 to a lot of people, particularly if it makes sleeping or working through the afternoon easier. The honest framing is comfort, not correction — and priced accordingly.
What we’re not going to tell you
That it releases toxins, flushes lactic acid, drains your lymphatic system, boosts immunity, or makes your adjustment work better. There’s no source for any of that, and the last one in particular gets claimed constantly in this industry without evidence. MRT is not a proprietary technique or a certified system either — it’s the clinic’s name for a short, targeted massage, and that’s the whole of it.
How the format works
Why it's built this way
Three deliberate choices, each removing a reason people don’t book a massage.
Clothes on, no oil, no changing room
The single most common reason people avoid massage is the undressing. This format removes it entirely — you stay fully clothed, sat or lying, and the work is done through clothing. No drapes, no oil, nothing to clean off afterwards.
Targeted, not full body
Ten or twenty minutes spent on one or two areas rather than spread thinly over everything. You say where it is; that's where the time goes. It is deliberately not a relaxation massage, and if that's what you're after, this isn't the right service.
No appointment, and no package
Walk in during open hours. There's no course of sessions to buy, no membership needed for the base price, and no minimum. If you're on the $69 or $129 monthly plan it's 30% off, which is the only discount structure involved.
The adjustment side of the same visit → Adult chiropractic
Which one do you actually need?
Working out what to book
Three different things get confused with each other constantly. Here’s the honest comparison, including when the answer is “none of these.”
| What it is | Best for | What it costs | |
|---|---|---|---|
| MRT — 10 minutes | Targeted muscle work on one area, clothes on, no appointment. | One known tight spot. Trying soft-tissue work for the first time without spending much. Topping up between adjustments. | $20 · 30% off on either monthly plan |
| MRT — 20 minutes | The same, with time for two areas or a more thorough pass on one. Upgrade subject to availability. | Neck and shoulders. A pattern rather than a point. When ten minutes has consistently felt too short. | $30 · 30% off on either monthly plan |
| A chiropractic visit | Consultation, exam, posture assessment, findings explained, and an adjustment — plus 10 minutes of MRT included on a first visit. | Pain that keeps coming back, restricted movement, anything you want assessed rather than soothed. If a joint is the problem, this is the appointment. | $39 · same rate every visit → Adult chiropractic |
| Neither | — | Suspected injury, numbness or weakness, a hot swollen joint, or anything on the warning list below. Massage is not the right first move. | See “When massage isn't the right call” |
The practical answer for most people: if you’re already coming in for an adjustment, the 10 minutes is included on your first visit — try it, and decide from there whether it’s worth adding on afterwards. If you’re only here for the muscle work, start with 10 minutes at $20 rather than 20 at $30. You can always upgrade next time.
What actually happens
Your session, start to finish
1
Walk in and say where it hurts
No appointment, no form to fill in for a massage session, no consultation to book first. You point at the spot, describe what it feels like and how long it’s been there, and mention anything relevant — recent injuries, medical conditions, medications, whether you’re pregnant.
2
Ten or twenty minutes on that area
Clothes on, seated or lying, whichever suits the area. Pressure is set by you — say if it’s too much, and say if it’s not enough, because there’s no benefit to enduring it. Ten minutes goes further than people expect when it’s all spent in one place.
3
Decide if you want anything else
That’s the end of it. No plan, no rebooking pressure, no assessment of your spine you didn’t ask for. If it becomes clear that the joint rather than the muscle is the issue, you’ll be told that — and a full visit with an exam is $39.
First time here for chiropractic? Here’s what a first visit covers → New patients
Transparent pricing
$20 for ten minutes. $30 for twenty.
The whole price list is on the page, as it is everywhere else on this site. No consultation required to find out what something costs.
MRT Express Massage
from $20
10 minutes for $20, or 20 minutes for $30 — the 20-minute upgrade is subject to availability. Targeted muscle relief, no undressing, no appointment needed. 30% off on either monthly plan.
New Patient Visit
$39
Consultation, exam, posture assessment, findings explained, and your first adjustment — including 10 minutes of MRT. Cash-pay, no insurance needed.
Maintenance Plan
$69/mo
Up to 3 visits a month. Extra visits $15. 30% off massage. No contract.
FreedomFlex Plan
$129/mo
Up to 10 visits a month. 30% off massage. Switch or cancel anytime. No contract.
Returning-patient visit
$39
Once you’ve had your first visit, walk in during open hours. No appointment.
Pre-paid 10 visits
$290
Works out to $29 per adjustment. 18-month expiry. No membership required.
Prices shown are current published rates. No insurance billing — simple cash-pay care. See full pricing → Plans & Pricing
Straight talk
When massage isn't the right call
Soft-tissue work is low-risk, but it isn’t right for everything, and a few of these are genuinely important. Please skip the session and see a physician — or come in for an exam instead — if any of this applies:
- Pain, swelling, warmth or redness in one calf or thigh — possible blood clot. Do not have that area massaged. Urgent medical care.
- Fever, or feeling systemically unwell — not the day for it. And a hot, swollen, exquisitely painful joint is a possible infection — emergency.
- Numbness, tingling, or weakness in an arm or leg — needs assessing, not soothing.
- A recent injury with bruising, obvious swelling, or an area you can't move — get it examined first.
- Chest pain, shortness of breath, or pain into the jaw or left arm — call 911.
- Recent surgery, an open wound, a skin infection, or an active rash over the area. If you're on blood thinners, or have a bleeding disorder or osteoporosis, say so first — it changes the pressure used and may change whether the session is appropriate.
- You're pregnant, or you have an active cancer diagnosis or are in treatment — say so. Positioning and pressure change, some areas are avoided, and for cancer care please check with your oncology team first.
If something on this list comes up when you walk in, you’ll be told rather than worked on. A $20 session is never worth getting this wrong.
Massage questions
MRT express massage, answered
MRT stands for Muscle Relief Therapy, and it’s this clinic’s name for a short, targeted massage session — 10 minutes for $20 or 20 minutes for $30 — focused on one or two specific areas rather than the whole body. You stay fully clothed and no appointment is needed. It is not a proprietary or certified technique, and we’re not going to present it as one: it’s express massage, named by the practice.
No. That’s the defining feature of the format. The work is done through clothing, seated or lying depending on the area, with no oil, no drapes and no changing room. Wear something you can move in comfortably if you have the choice.
For low back pain specifically, the honest answer is that the evidence is weak — the Cochrane review on it concluded “We have very little confidence that massage is an effective treatment for LBP.”[1] We’re telling you that on our own service page because it’s true and because it’s the reason this is priced at $20 as a short add-on rather than sold as a course of treatment. What it reliably does is address the muscular guarding that builds up around a stiff joint, which is uncomfortable in itself and is often what people are actually feeling. Short-term relief is a fair thing to pay $20 for. A cure is not what’s on offer.
Start with ten. If it’s one known spot, ten minutes spent entirely on that spot goes further than most people expect. Go to twenty if you’ve got two areas — neck and shoulders is the usual pairing — or if ten has repeatedly felt like it stopped just as it was getting somewhere. The 20-minute upgrade is subject to availability, so ask when you arrive.
Yes. MRT is available on its own — walk in during open hours, no appointment. You don’t need to have had an adjustment, and there’s no requirement to book a chiropractic visit first. If it becomes clear that the joint rather than the muscle is what needs attention, you’ll be told, and a full visit with a consultation and exam is $39.
MRT express massage is $20 for 10 minutes or $30 for 20 minutes, and it’s 30% off if you’re on either monthly plan. A full chiropractic visit is $39 — first visit and follow-ups alike — and a first visit includes 10 minutes of MRT. No insurance needed on any of it; it’s simple cash-pay care.
Entirely up to you, and there’s no schedule to sign up to. Some people add ten minutes onto every adjustment, some drop in during a bad week, some come once and decide it isn’t for them. Because there’s no package and no contract, you come exactly as often as it’s worth it — and if that turns out to be regularly, the 30% plan discount is where it becomes cheap. Nobody here will put you on a massage plan.
No — MRT is walk-in during open hours, subject to availability. Chiropractic is slightly different: new patients book their first visit, online in about a minute or by calling (254) 413-1248, so there’s time for a full consultation, exam, and first adjustment. Same-day first visits are usually available.
3055 Stillhouse Lake Rd, Suite 207, Harker Heights, TX 76548 — free on-site parking, wheelchair-accessible entrance. Monday–Thursday 9am–1pm and 3pm–6pm; Friday 9am–1pm. We see patients from Harker Heights, Killeen, Nolanville, Belton, Copperas Cove, Temple, Salado, and the surrounding Fort Cavazos area.
Related care at Elevate
Adult chiropractic
The full-body adjustment. If a joint is the problem, this is the appointment.
Wellness care
Posture, ergonomics and mobility work, plus the evidence on maintenance visits.
Neck pain
The most common area people book MRT for, written up in depth.
Plans & pricing
Every rate published, including the 30% massage discount on both plans.
Come see us
Express massage in Harker Heights, TX
Ten minutes, $20, clothes on, no appointment. Point at the spot and we’ll work on it.
- 3055 Stillhouse Lake Rd, Suite 207, Harker Heights, TX 76548
- (254) 413-1248
- Free on-site parking · Wheelchair accessible
Hours
- Monday–Thursday: 9am–1pm, 3–6pm
- Friday: 9am–1pm
- Saturday–Sunday: Closed
References
- Furlan AD, Giraldo M, Baskwill A, Irvin E, Imamura M. Massage for low-back pain. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2015;2015(9):CD001929. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD001929.pub3 — The authors' conclusion: “We have very little confidence that massage is an effective treatment for LBP.” Conclusion verified 2026-08-11; the full abstract was not retrievable, so no trial count, participant count, quality rating or effect size is quoted from it.
Last updated: August 6, 2026 · Reviewed by Dr. Mark Hanses, DC — Practicing since 2011 · TBCE 13789 · NPI 1417247115